Would you believe me if I told you that God cares for you? That He values you?
For some, this concept immediately makes them question God. They may say something like, "If God cares so much about me, why did He let ________ happen?” Looking around us, we see a world that seems far from resembling a loving and caring God. Did you know there is a reason for this?
The book of Genesis records for us the creation of the universe by God. Upon God finishing creating on the sixth day, it says in Genesis 1:31, "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."
Everything was "very good!" That said, there was one detail in this perfect creation that could change everything (and it did). When God made the first man and woman, He made them with a free will. God wanted mankind to have the choice to love Him. What would love be without the choice to love? It wouldn't be love at all.
Love being a choice means one can choose not to love. Such a choice is what led to perfection becoming imperfection. You see, God gave the first man and woman (our original ancestors) free will in a perfect creation by putting a single tree in it that He told them they were not allowed to eat from. Genesis 2:16, 17 tells us, "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
This command by God was clear, yet mankind chose to disobey it - to sin (Genesis 3). The first man and woman’s disobedience brought about exactly what God said would happen - death. This death is both physical and ultimately spiritual - also referred to as the "second death” or “eternal death” (Romans 6:23; Revelations 20:11-15).
Our original ancestors rebelled against God and cursed the whole human race with a sinful nature which leads to eternal death (Romans 3:23; 5:12). Despite this disobedience, God still cared deeply for mankind and already had a plan to save us from eternal death. Romans 5:19 says, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." This is where the Gospel begins.
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:1-6, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.”
The word “Gospel” in the Bible means “good news.” 1 Corinthians 15 declares the good news of what Jesus did for all mankind because He loves and values us. As it explains, He died for our sins, was buried, and three days later, He rose from the dead.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” The first “He” in that verse is referring to God. God (the Creator of all) had Jesus become sin for us so that we could be made righteous (sinless). Jesus was chosen by God to do this because Jesus is God. John 5:17, 18 says, “But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” You can also read John 1 to see that the “Word” (Jesus) is God.
Since Jesus is God, He is the only perfect and acceptable sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10). He became a man to die and rise again for the salvation of all mankind. As 1 Corinthians 15 told us, hundreds of eyewitnesses could attest in the days of Jesus being on earth that they had seen Him alive after His death.
This is the Gospel! As Jesus declared in John 14:6, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Only through Jesus’ payment for sin can anyone be saved from the penalty of sin.
Salvation through Jesus is available today, but you must receive it. Receiving it is as simple as the Scripture declares in Romans 10:9, which states, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Confessing Jesus is Lord is ultimately acknowledging He is God (your Creator and Lord).
To believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead is to believe God did this as your means of salvation. The matter of believing “in thine heart” is to trust fully from your soul (as I often put it: “the real you”). You personally must choose to place your complete trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection as your only means of salvation from sin. This implies repenting of any other way to salvation but by Him.
I’ve shared a lot of information, but everything you’ve read can be summarized as follows: Would you acknowledge Jesus is your Lord? Would you repent and place your complete trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection as your only means of salvation from sin?
God has demonstrated the value and care He has for you (John 3:16; Romans 6:23). In applying Romans 10:9, claim His free gift of eternal life today.
Maybe you have some questions first. If so, email me at matt@haumana.church, text/call me at 808.500.4478, or come to our next Sunday service at 2 PM. I would love to help you find answers to the questions you still have.
If you just trusted in Jesus alone to be saved, I would love to rejoice in this decision with you. I would also like to help you grow in this new relationship with your Creator. Contact me or visit our Sunday service to let me know you have trusted in Jesus.
– Pastor Matt Brunk