The message of the gospel is truly a unique message that shines forth the love of God in a way that is so beautiful that when fully understood should cause us to praise Jesus to the highest heavens. The late Pastor Timothy Keller gives us some snapshots that help capture this beauty of the gospel when he shared:
“The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me.”1
“How Religion Works: If I obey, then God will love and accept me. The Gospel: I’m loved and accepted, therefore I wish to obey.”2
“The gospel humbles us into the dust and at the very same time exalts us to the heavens.”3
“The cross is the place where the Judge takes the Judgment.”4
“Religion makes us proud of what we have done. The Gospel makes us proud of what Jesus has done.”5
In addition to these views of the gospel I would like to add that the gospel when fully understood helps us to see just who Jesus is and just who we are. First, who are we. Well, before we come to Christ we are the ultimate in rebels against God. We are steeped and dead in sin with no desire to come to God. We are on a collision course with eternal damnation hopelessly lost with no way on our own to find our way to God. But praise God for who Jesus is. For He is the sovereign God of the universe whose loves is so great it trumps judgment. For you see while God’s holiness demands payment for sin, His love offers pardon.
God loves you so much that He is doing everything possible to open our blind eyes to the gospel message. He is wooing everyone back to Himself and has made the ultimate sacrifice on Calvary to demonstrate that love. Again, Tim Keller shows us how Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, which is the gospel message in a nutshell, is God’s way of letting everyone know that salvation is available to all, when he stated: “The resurrection was God’s way of stamping PAID IN FULL right across history so that nobody could miss it.”6
My friends the gospel is beautiful because it is the only plan that can free mankind from the bondage to sin. The gospel is beautiful because it is God’s way of letting us know His mercy endures forever. And the gospel is beautiful because for those who embrace it, it provides absolute assurance that we will spend eternity with Christ. In closing, (Isaiah 52:7) sums up the beauty of those who proclaim the gospel: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”
1 Quote by Timothy Keller: “The Christian Gospel is that I am so flawed tha…” (goodreads.com)
2 How Religion Works… – SermonQuotes
3 The gospel humbles us into the dust and at the very same… (libquotes.com)
4 The Judge Takes the Judgment « A Pilgrim’s Theology (wordpress.com)
5 Religion makes us quote – Courageous Christian Father %
6 Tim Keller on Jesus’ Death and Resurrection – RELEVANT (relevantmagazine.com