Earthling’s Guide to the Gospel How to Escape the Destruction of Planet Earth

Fanciful title. Serious subject.

Introduction: The Salvation of Mankind

1. The Gospel of Matthew

2. The Gospel of Mark

3. The Gospel of Luke

4. The Gospel of John

5. The Book of Acts

6. Paul’s Letter to the Romans

7. Paul’s Letters to the Corinthians & Galatians

8. Paul’s Letters to the Ephesians & Colossians

9. Paul’s Letters to the Thessalonians, Timothy & Titus

10. The Letter to the Hebrews

11. Peter’s Letters

12. John’s Letters and Revelation

Reflection

The Salvation of Mankind

Jesus is coming. This will be the second time. For a large portion of Earth’s population, it won’t be pretty. Not this time.

But there’s still time to be saved from destruction. It’s all laid out in the books of the New Testament.

But first … let’s talk a moment about salvation. What is it?

Somewhere on a sun-bleached billboard on a country highway, or on a flickering neon sign above a little downtown church, you’ve seen the words “Jesus Saves.” Maybe it seemed like a cultural thing to you, or some slogan from generations past. Or maybe it reminded you of some snarky skit you saw on TV. So, possibly you’ve got some baggage weighing on your idea of salvation?

When you think of the word save, two things may come to mind. The first, most likely, is the thought of a lifeguard rescuing a drowning swimmer, or a firefighter entering a burning building to find people who are trapped inside. To save means, in that case, to rescue, to move from distress to safety. A second definition might involve some useful or valuable item—something you would not want to discard or lose but would want to save. In that case, save means to preserve, to keep from deterioration, destruction, or loss.

These are valid definitions for save as this word is used in Scripture. A third is to heal or make whole—to restore to health and well-being.

That said, you might see how salvation applies to human beings, whether to individuals such as yourself, or to humanity as a whole. Maybe you once experienced a situation in which you felt threatened or unsafe. Or maybe you came down with a bad illness, and you did everything you could to get well.

Regardless of what you’ve experienced on your journey through life, your life has value. It is precious to God, and He thinks you’re worth keeping—worth saving!

With that perspective, we begin.

1. The Gospel of Matthew

Each of the writers of the New Testament contributed to our knowledge of mankind’s salvation. First up is Matthew. Before he became a follower of Christ, Matthew had been a tax collector—not one of the most prestigious occupations of his time. Tax collectors worked for the occupational government of Rome. They could charge their fellow Hebrews whatever they wanted, give the Romans their share, and then keep the rest for themselves. Meeting up with Jesus turned Matthew’s life around.

This is how Matthew described his first encounter with Jesus, who was walking through the town of Capernaum one day: “Jesus saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.”

Matthew continued the story: “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and ‘sinners’ came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees (members of a Jewish religious sect) saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?’” They wanted to discredit Jesus for hanging out with common folk.

Jesus himself replied to them. “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

This is a puzzling verse. It seems to let good people off the hook—at least as far as following Jesus is concerned. It seems also to substantiate the claim of many who say that Christianity is for the weak—the “sick,” as Jesus put it. Who needs Jesus, anyway? We aren’t bad people. We aren’t “sinners.”

Actually, we are all sinners. Yep, even the religious folk among us. According to the biblical viewpoint, you don’t have to be unscrupulously immoral to qualify as a “sinner.” From God’s viewpoint, we have all failed Him. And that’s just what sin is: human failure.

The word sin comes from words in the original languages of Scripture that mean “to fall short.” To sin is to fail to hit the target—to fail to meet expectations or to accomplish an intended purpose. To say we sin is to say we have failed our Creator; we have failed to obey Him, to love Him … or even to acknowledge His existence—and we have failed each other as well.

Look around you. Why is our society unraveling? Why so many unsolvable problems? Well, it’s because society is made up entirely of failed humans—who have failed at their most basic purpose, which is to

glorify the One who created them. Why can’t we all get along? Because we have refused God’s guidance.

That’s what Jesus came to rectify. That’s why many people decide to follow him.

How do you follow Jesus? How do you start? Well, Matthew had it pretty easy. Jesus walked right up to him, pointed in his face and said, “Follow me.” He might do that with you. But, more likely, you’ll have to go looking for him.

“There’s a small gate, a narrow gate,” Jesus had said, using a word picture that Matthew recorded in his Gospel. “Start there.”

“There is a wide gate, of course” he said. “Don’t enter there! That gate opens onto a broad road—and you’ll see many people going through it. But don’t follow them, because that road leads to destruction.”

“Enter through the narrow gate” he said. “Granted, it’s small, and the road it opens onto is narrow—but that’s the road I’m on, and it will lead you to life—real life that is abundant and everlasting.”

Jesus later said that he himself is that narrow gate. He is the entry point and the way to mankind’s salvation.

Points to Recall

Jesus didn’t say he came to teach us how to be better people. He said he came to save sinners.

Sin is human failure. Jesus came to save people who are honest enough to admit their failures in life and look to God their Creator for guidance.

Salvation from sin—from a life that is constantly coming up short—begins with Jesus. He is the entry point to a life that is abundant and everlasting.

2. The Gospel of Mark

Mark, as a young man, set out with his cousin Barnabas and the Apostle Paul on their first journey to proclaim the gospel of Jesus to the nations. But when the going got rough, Mark left them and returned home. Despite his good intentions, Mark had failed his friends. But later his attitude changed. He got together with Barnabas, and eventually befriended the Apostle Peter, who shared his experiences with Jesus—which became the content of Mark’s Gospel.

Mark began his account of Jesus as he was teaching in the towns of Galilee, proclaiming the news of the kingdom of God. “The time has come,” Jesus had said to the crowds of people who gathered to hear him. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

There’s a sense of urgency in this announcement. And there’s some mystery wrapped up in it as well. The kingdom of God, for instance. What exactly is it?

God had made a solemn promise nearly a thousand years earlier to King David that one day his son would sit upon his throne, who would reign forever in an everlasting kingdom. Now that One had come, a descendant of David, the Messiah of Israel. His earthly kingdom would have to wait, however, until a heavenly one had been established, to which people from all nations would be invited.

The focus of Jesus’ statement, however, is repentance. “Repent,” Jesus had said, “and believe this good news.” Repentance, like sin, is a biblical word foreign to most modern ears. To repent means simply “to change.” The change takes place initially in our thinking; it is a change of mind, and perhaps a change of attitude. The result of repentance, however, is a radical change of behavior.

Like Matthew, Mark had also written about the occasion when Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Let’s look at that statement again.

God treats everyone equally. And He holds every person to the same standard—a higher standard of behavior than anyone can possibly achieve on their own. So that eliminates the self-righteous from receiving His salvation. But how about the rest of us? We know that we’re not exactly “righteous.” But most of the time we think we’re okay. Okay the way we are.

Really? We’ve turned our backs on our Creator, and God is supposed to be okay with that? No, our stubborn refusal to obey Him—in fact, our open rebellion against Him—incites His divine anger.

Here, then, is one thing we ought to “repent” of if we are serious about getting right with God. We need to change our thinking about ourselves. We are not as good as we presume ourselves to be. We all have personal issues about which we need to do business with God. We need to come clean with Him and simply admit to Him—and to ourselves—what He, in fact, already knows about us. With humility, we should own up to our failure to live rightly and receive our Father’s forgiveness.

That’s what Jesus described as the first step to salvation.

But simply changing your mind is not quite enough. How many times have you resolved to do something—or to stop doing something—and failed? You need to actually connect with God.

On one occasion, when parents were bringing their children to Jesus, he told his disciples, “Let the little children come to me, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

What’s so special about little children? Well, they believe what they are told. And they are trusting.

“Repent,” Jesus had said; “change you mind, turn your life around … and believe the good news.” The gospel of Jesus—today more than ever—is exceptionally good news. Good, at least, if you believe it—and respond accordingly by trusting God.

Enter the little gate and walk down that narrow road, side by side with the risen Lord Jesus. Talk with him. Put your trust in him.

It’s as simple as that.

Points to Recall

Jesus said that people need to repent—to change. The process begins by changing the way you think about yourself in relation to others and to God.

The first step is simply to own up to your failures—especially your failure to accept God in your life and to follow His ways. Talk to God and receive His forgiveness!

You can’t change your life by your own effort. Believe God’s message of salvation. Then put your trust in Jesus, His Son.

3. The Gospel of Luke

Luke was a medical doctor and the sole Gentile writer of the New Testament. He heard the gospel for the first time when the Apostle Paul passed through his town. As a physician, Luke had a heart for suffering people. He saw in the person of Jesus someone who not only healed people’s bodies but could also heal their souls. He joined the Apostle Paul and wrote his account of the life and teachings of Jesus based on what he learned from Paul and by interviewing other eyewitnesses and recipients of Jesus’ ministry.

Before Jesus was born into the world, Luke wrote, an angel was sent by God to a young virgin in a small town in Galilee. “You will conceive and give birth to a son,” the angel told her. “And you are to name him Jesus.”

Jesus, in Hebrew, is Yeshua. The name is important; it means “God is Savior.” God, the heavenly Father of humankind, was sending His Son to save them … from their sins.

God created human beings in His likeness. He created us to live with Him and enjoy Him—and to enjoy each other—forever. But we’ve messed up, and we need fixing before that’s ever going to happen. God could have just thrown us out and started over. But He’s intent on saving us. He’s determined to bring us back to His original plan—if we are willing.

So He sent His Son. God’s Son, like Himself, is just as much God as He is. Theirs is a divine Father-and-Son relationship. But in order to salvage humankind, the Son had first to become human himself.

Luke wrote of another occasion, at the outset of Jesus’ ministry, when he had returned to his hometown of Nazareth. On the Sabbath Jesus went to the synagogue, as he was accustomed to doing. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him, and he stood up and began to read aloud: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,” Jesus read, “because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed—to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” After reading these words from the Hebrew Scriptures, he declared to the people, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

This prophecy that Jesus read publically from the book of Isaiah is packed with significance.

It begins, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me….” That’s exactly what had occurred when Jesus was baptized, just months before, when Jesus Christ was anointed by the Spirit of God to carry out his earthly ministry. In fact, Christ means “anointed one.” At his baptism,

Jesus had dedicated himself to the mission for which the Father had sent him—to save mankind.

Jesus’ teaching was directed especially toward the poor—people not necessarily money-poor, but poor in spirit. That fits the next part of Isaiah’s prophecy—“preaching good news to the poor.” These folks knew they weren’t perfect. They longed for salvation, and they were waiting for God to send them the promised Messiah.

Next, Isaiah’s prophecy had described three aspects of God’s salvation: freedom for prisoners; sight for the blind; and release for the oppressed. These are precisely the sorts of activities Jesus engaged in throughout his ministry. He spoke words of forgiveness and set people free from their sins; he restored and healed people—even those born blind; and he delivered people from mental and spiritual oppression.

The Messiah had been characterized as the rising sun who would come from heaven “to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death.” It was said that he would come “as a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory of Israel.”

Jesus had indeed come as a light from heaven to shine into a world that had succumbed to godlessness and darkness. He had come with the life of God to those living in the shadow of death. As Jesus was reading from the book of Isaiah that day, the year of God’s favor commenced, as he said. And the message of mankind’s salvation began to spread throughout the world.

God’s favor extends to us today. The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is still valid. The salvation is real.

Jesus summarized his reason for coming into the world. “The Son of Man,” he said, “came to seek and to save what was lost.” Without God, our Creator, that’s exactly what we are.

Points to Recall

Jesus, Yeshua, means “God is Savior.” Jesus is the Son of God sent from heaven as a light into a dark world filled with lost people trying to figure out life on their own.

He is also the Son of Man, born as a human being so that he could become mankind’s Savior and set us free from the effects of sin.

Jesus heals people; he opens their eyes to the truth and releases them from their fears, and from the guilt of their failures and the bondage of their addictions.

4. The Gospel of John

John, like Matthew, was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. John’s account of the Messiah includes many spiritual insights, including some profound statements that Jesus made concerning himself. You’re not going to believe some of the things Jesus said! (But you ought to … unless, of course, you think he was lying. You will have to decide for yourself.)

For instance, Jesus said, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

You could take that statement as being simply poetic—an inspiring metaphor. It is metaphoric, but like similar declarations that Jesus made, it’s more than that.

Here is another. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. The bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.”

That stretches the imagination, doesn’t it? And you might question how it could actually be proved true. How do you know for certain that, if you decide to follow Jesus, you will live forever? When does faith become certainty?

Here is one more: Jesus said, “Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.”

Yeah, well, I’d like to see that, you might say.

Mary and Martha wanted to. Their brother was a friend of Jesus. When he got sick, they sent word to Jesus, hoping he’d come and heal him. But when Jesus finally arrived at their home, Lazarus had already died. He had been dead four days and was now buried in the family tomb.

“Your brother will rise again,” Jesus assured Martha when, veiled in mourning clothes, she came out to meet him.

“I know he will rise again,” she answered, “in the resurrection at the last day.”

“I am the resurrection and the life,” Jesus said. “He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

He then asked, “Do you believe this?”

Together with Mary and Martha and a group of mourners, Jesus went to the gravesite and told them to open the tomb. Then in a loud voice he commanded the dead man to come out. Lazarus did.

Jesus talked a lot about life—not just everyday life, but an everlasting life of which life on earth is just a foretaste. Because our lives now are marred with sin, disappointment, and unbelief, it’s difficult to imagine what God truly intended human life to be. He created mankind to live with Him forever. But our faithless response to Him and our rejection of His righteous ways put a stop to that. When humans turned from God and chose to make their own way through life, the life of God within them dwindled and died.

The incarnation of the Son of God, and his substitutionary death on our behalf, was God’s solution to our predicament. Otherwise we die under sin’s condemnation, and the wrath of a righteous and holy God remains on us. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,” Jesus said; “but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

The gospel is truly good news—it couldn’t get any better. God sending His Son to free us from the hopelessness of “the human condition” is a gift of His love and mercy. And all a person has to do is trust God’s gracious promise and receive this gift in good faith. Then, for each of us, the life of God is restored, and death becomes simply a transition to an eternity filled with the unobstructed goodness of God.

Jesus Christ shines as light in this darkening world. He is the bread of life sent to restore an ailing humanity to health.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

He also said, “If you do not believe I am the one I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”

Points to Recall

People don’t seem to be as polite or civil as they used to be—nor as truthful. Jesus’ words are trustworthy and true—because he is truth.

He is the bread of life, who sustains us and meets our needs. He gives life to the world, because he is life.

The life Jesus offers sets us free from death—and from the fear of death—because it is eternal life. Whoever believes in Jesus has everlasting life.

5. The Book of Acts

The book of Acts follows the four Gospels in the New Testament. It is a history, written by Luke, of the spread of the gospel as the early followers of Christ proclaimed the news of God’s salvation throughout the western world. Many of Luke’s accounts focus on the Apostle Peter, who was a leader among the Jewish believers, and the Apostle Paul, who ventured out into the Roman Empire to take the gospel of Jesus Christ beyond the Hebrew culture.

Seven weeks after Jesus rose from the dead, as his followers were gathered in Jerusalem, God filled them with His Spirit, who encouraged them to share the news of Christ’s resurrection.

On that day the Apostle Peter stood before a large crowd and told them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation!” By the time he had finished speaking, his listeners were cut to their hearts and asked what they should do. “Repent and be baptized,” Peter said, “every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The gift of the Spirit is the spiritual rebirth that Jesus said people would experience when they entered into a personal relationship with God.

Peter and others began proclaiming this good news. On one occasion the Holy Spirit led Peter to speak to people gathered in the home of a Roman centurion stationed in Israel. “God accepts people from every nation who fear him and do what is right,” he said. And he told them how the Son of God had ministered to people in the power of the Spirit, healing them and delivering those who were oppressed by the devil.

The Holy Spirit directed the Apostle Paul to carry the message further, to the people of other Mediterranean nations. The Spirit sent him “to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and be given a place among the people of God.”

On one occasion Paul talked with a group of civic leaders in Athens. “From one man,” he said, “God made every nation of people, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that people would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”

“In the past God overlooked our ignorance,” Paul told them, “but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foremost validation of his divinity. When Peter first preached to the crowd in Jerusalem on Pentecost, he had told them, “God raised Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. God exalted Jesus to His own right hand as Prince and Savior, that He might grant you repentance and forgiveness of sins.”

And this is the message of salvation still today: “Turn to God in repentance and have faith in the Lord Jesus.”

Points to Recall

The good news of Jesus Christ is unlike anything you have ever heard. It tells of the life of the Son of God sent to earth for mankind’s salvation, whom God raised from the dead.

Understand that God created you—and He determined when and where you would live, so that you might seek Him, reach out for Him, and find Him.

When you do, God will forgive your sins if you ask Him to. And He will give you the gift of His Holy Spirit to help you live for Jesus.

6. Paul’s Letter to the Romans

Paul had been a leader among the Pharisees. In order to save Paul from his religious legalism, Jesus literally knocked him down one day and struck him blind. Paul went on to write most of the letters in the New Testament of the Bible. Some letters were written to individuals; most were written to communities of believers. The first letter in the New Testament was written by Paul to believers in Rome. Here are some of the things Paul wrote to them about mankind’s salvation.

“Since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.” Today, when children look at the moon, at a tree or a hippopotamus, they have been taught to understand no such thing. Still, says the Apostle Paul, the wondrous glory of creation is there for all to see, and we are therefore without excuse. Each of us will give an account of himself to God one day, and we can’t simply say that we went through life not seeing any evidence of Him.

Consider the kindness of God. He has given you an amazing universe to live in, and words of instruction to help you navigate through it. And now, since you haven’t done a very good job with that, He’s sent His very own Son to bring you into something even better. “God’s kindness,” writes Paul, “leads you to repentance.” He’s trying to get you to change your mind, your perspective, your worldview, your attitude. Even your behavior. (Your friends and family would especially appreciate that.)

Nothing about you is hidden from God. He created you. And, through His Son, He will judge not only your behavior but even your most secret thoughts. And how will that turn out? Well, Paul says, quoting from the Hebrew Bible: “There is no one who is righteous—not a single person! There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

This all started with Adam. Yes, Adam was a real guy. His name, Adam, simply means “man” in Hebrew. He was the first man. And it wasn’t just that he ate some fruit that Eve had picked for him. It was the fact that, in doing so, they both disregarded God’s kindness and love and decided to try making it through life on their own. That choice, Paul points out, brought God’s condemnation upon all mankind. Sin is now inherent in all of us, locked into our spiritual genome for the rest of time.

We are born “sinners.” And, make no mistake, sin pays an attractive wage. But after a lifetime of godless living, all you have earned is death—unending separation from God, your maker.

But here’s the good news. At the appointed time, while we were still helplessly distant from God—and under sin’s condemnation of death—God sent His Son for us, who would die in our place.

In an amazing demonstration of God’s love for us, Jesus, God’s incarnate Son, was delivered over to death for our sins. He took our place on the cross—and took all of God’s wrath and judgment against our sin upon himself. As a result of Jesus’ sacrifice, God is able remove the condemnation of sin that hangs over us and pour out His grace upon us. In this inexplicable exchange, God credits us with the righteousness of His sinless Son.

Paul writes in this letter, “Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. …For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely (that is, made righteous with God) by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus, whom God presented as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood.”

That word atonement means “satisfaction or reparation for a wrong.” Jesus’ sacrifice was an offering for our sin that had the effect of removing our guilt before a holy God so we could be reconciled and restored to Him. This sacrifice becomes effective for each of us when we simply receive it by faith—by faith in Jesus, our risen Savior; and by faith in the word of God, who made it so.

“God makes righteous those who have faith in Jesus.” They will be saved from His wrath. And they will receive everlasting life as a gift from God their Creator.

Points to Recall

The Bible is our source for all things God. Creation itself speaks of Him; it gives evidence of His wisdom, and of His power and glory. Because of the abundant evidence of God’s existence, our failure to know God leaves us without excuse, and He will hold us accountable.

God sent His Son to take upon himself the condemnation that we rightfully deserved for our sin. In exchange, God credits us with the righteousness of His sinless Son.

God loves us. His kindness in sending us His Son should move our hearts to receive His love and accept His gracious terms for our salvation.

7. Paul’s Letters to the Corinthians and Galatians

Here are some of the things the Apostle Paul had to say about salvation in letters he wrote to the communities of believers in the Greek city of Corinth and in the province of Galatia.

“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” The gospel of Jesus Christ is awesomely powerful. Why, then, do many people dismiss this good news as mere religious nonsense?

The answer, at least in part, is that they are blind to the effects of sin.

“The Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin,” Paul wrote. We were created in God’s likeness to be God-centered. Sin so blinds our hearts and minds that we don’t see our self-centeredness as sin. We don’t recognize it as something bad. It’s simply the way we are.

We are so deceived by our sin that when we observe its harmful effect on society as a whole, we join together to enact solutions that, for all our persistent efforts, never seem to work—because we ourselves are the problem. On our own we are powerless to stop being our selfish, sinful selves.

We are in a prison of our own making. Jesus holds the key. God promises salvation from sin; it is promised through faith in Jesus Christ. Whenever anyone turns to him, the veil covering their hearts and minds is pulled away, and they experience the power of God working in their lives.

What else causes folks to ignore this powerful message of the good news of Jesus Christ? Look for a moment at a simple statement Paul made to the Corinthians. He wrote: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; he was buried; and he was raised on the third day.”

Wherever Paul traveled, people generally listened attentively to his message—until he got around to the resurrection. At that point, many walked away. You can think what you want about why Jesus was crucified, but when he comes back to life a few days later, you either have to get very serious about the authority of Jesus Christ and God’s explanation of mankind’s sin—or you just write the whole thing off.

And that’s what happens. People have lost the innocence of childhood, and they no longer believe. Too many conflicting thoughts push the truth of the word of God from their minds. As with their ancient parents, the goodness of God just seems too good to be true; disillusioned by sin, they’ve packed their bags and left the Garden behind.

“The Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age.” It was a selfless act of obedience to the Father. The Son of God loves us so much that gave himself for us, so that his Father would rightly become our Father, too, and we would be restored as His sons and daughters.

We are offered an eternal relationship with God in Jesus Christ. Everything else on earth is temporary. Earth is a proving ground, as it were, where each and every human gets the opportunity to figure this all out and act accordingly.

“In Christ,” Paul said, “God is reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them.”

So, Paul wrote, “We implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

“I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor; now is the day of salvation.”

Points to Recall

Our collective failure to acknowledge the effects of sin on our world has blinded us to the wonder and power of the cross.

We were created in God’s likeness to be God-centered. But we are powerless on our own to stop being our sinful, self-centered selves.

We need to regain relationship with our heavenly Father as His righteous sons and daughters. This is the miracle that happened on the cross.

8. Paul’s Letters to the Ephesians and Colossians

Ephesus and Colossae were two major cities in ancient Asia Minor, situated in what is today southwest Turkey. Near the end of his life, the Apostle Paul sent letters to Christian communities in both cities. Here are some of the things he wrote concerning our salvation.

Once you were alienated from God. You were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air—the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. We were separate from Christ, foreigners to the Hebrew covenants of God’s promise, without hope and without God in the world.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. God saved us by a gift of His grace, through faith.

God was pleased through Christ to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through Jesus’ blood, shed on the cross. Out of love for us, Jesus gave himself for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Now in Jesus Christ you have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.

God has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation —if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.

Points to Recall

Sin—the act of disobedience by the very first humans on the planet—put mankind at odds with God. From birth we are alienated from Him.

Yet because of God’s great love for us, when we were as good as dead in our sins, God made us alive in Christ.

In Christ, God reconciled us to Himself by making peace through Jesus’ blood, which was shed on the cross.

God paid the price for our redemption with the lifeblood of His Son. He saved us as a gift of His mercy and grace—not by any merit of our own, but by faith in Jesus Christ.

9. Paul’s Letters to the Thessalonians and to Timothy and Titus

Paul wrote two letters to the community of believers in the Macedonian city of Thessaloniki. He also wrote personal letters to Timothy and to Titus, two young men whom he had mentored.

“God our Savior wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth,” Paul wrote to Timothy. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.”

Two words require some explanation here. Paul’s use of mediator places Jesus Christ in a unique position in human history. The word also helps explain the incarnation of God the Son. God had sent many prophets to Israel; the most notable probably was Moses. God chose Moses and called him to deliver His people from slavery. In this, Moses serves as a type of Christ, whom God later sent to deliver people everywhere from their slavery to sin.

Unlike Jesus, Moses and all the other prophets sent by God were human, subject to failure and sin. To deliver human beings from sin, someone superhuman would be required, because from God’s perspective, anyone living under sin’s condemnation could not release others from sin.

At the same time, however, people would need a fellow human to stand in the gap for them, to represent them before God. This human being could rightfully serve as a mediator between them and God in the matter of their salvation.

This is the amazingly unique position that Jesus is in. He is the eternal, sinless Son of God. And yet, being born of a woman, he is also the Son of Man. He is God’s mediator, as Paul said, between God and mankind.

In his letter to Timothy, Paul also said that Jesus gave his life as a ransom. When we think of this word, we picture a person who has been kidnapped and held for a ransom payment—or perhaps hostages captured by terrorists whose demands must be met in order to secure their release. The dictionary defines ransom as “the recovery of a prisoner, slave, or kidnapped person—for a price.”

The Scriptures state that mankind is held prisoner by sin—we read that in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. As individuals, we are enslaved—held back, or held in bondage—by our moral failures. And as a race in rebellion against our Creator, we are being held captive, as Paul said, in a worldly “dominion of darkness.”

So God the Father sent His Son to pay the price, with his own life, for our sin and rebellion against Him. Jesus was, in his physical human body, an offering—a payment—to buy back human beings estranged from their heavenly Father and to bring them back into relationship with Him.

Now in his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul wrote, “God calls you into his kingdom and glory. He called you to be saved by the working of His Holy Spirit and through belief in the truth.” People perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. Our hope, said Paul, is that God will grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.

“For God did not destine us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation.” Nevertheless, He will bring judgment upon those who do not know Him and who ignore and refuse to obey the gospel. They will pay the penalty of everlasting destruction, shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in all those who have believed.

“At one time we too were foolish,” Paul wrote to Titus. “We were disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us—not because of good things we had done, but according to His mercy. God saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior. By His grace God has made us righteous in Christ, so that we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

Points to Recall

People have lost their love for the truth. As you open your heart and mind to God, you will grow in your knowledge of the truth. Here are some examples of the truths set forth in the gospel:

As both Son of God and Son of Man, Jesus uniquely served as mediator between God and mankind to acquire our salvation.

More than just a mediator, Jesus himself became a ransom, by whom God the Father paid for the release of humans imprisoned by sin and held captive in the domain of this dark world.

The salvation that God offers is a spiritual rebirth by God’s own Spirit, who is given to us when we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior.

10. The Letter to the Hebrews

As its name implies, the letter to the Hebrews was written to Jewish believers. It addresses some of their concerns relating to the history and religious practices of their people, showing how these historical events and practices find their fulfillment in Jesus the Messiah. Here are some of the things the author of this letter wrote regarding mankind’s salvation through God’s Son.

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways. But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being. He sustains all things by his powerful word. And after he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Father in heaven.

Jesus was born into the world a little lower than the angels, having taken on the nature of a servant, as prophesied by Isaiah. We see Jesus now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in our humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Messiah appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin. He sacrificed for mankind’s sins once for all when he offered himself on the cross. Jesus made atonement for the sins of humanity by offering up his own blood!

Without the shedding of lifeblood, there is no forgiveness. The blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself as a perfect sacrifice, purifies our consciences so that we may serve the living God.

God the Father brought back our Lord Jesus from the dead, and he has become the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Listen, just as human beings are destined to die, and after that to face judgment, so Messiah was sacrificed and died to take away the sins of many people. And he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

How, then, shall we escape if we ignore such great salvation?

Points to Recall

Every person born into the world is destined to face God’s judgment after they die.

No one knows what God is truly like; but Jesus, as a human being, became God’s perfect representative to us—and our ideal intercessor before God the Father.

Through his incarnation, Jesus shared in our humanity to the point of death, so that, through his resurrection, he might destroy death forever and deliver us also from our fear of death.

Risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, Jesus has become the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, that we might serve the living God.

11. Peter’s Letters

Peter had been a fisherman all his life. Jesus turned him into a leader of men. Later in his life, he wrote two profound letters to believers in Christ. Here are a few things he had to say about our salvation.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And he has given us an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Though you have not seen Jesus, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

You were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors. He died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. Jesus was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. He bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Let me tell you, brothers and sisters, whoever trusts in Jesus will never be put to shame. But those who do not believe will have to give account of themselves to him, for he is ready to judge the living and the dead. It is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? What will become of the ungodly and the sinner?

For the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Our Lord’s patience means salvation. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Make it your aim now to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever!

Points to Recall

God the Father has given us new birth through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Jesus bore our sins in his own body on the cross, that we might die to sins and live righteously for God.

Jesus will come again, bringing with him our promised salvation, which is ready to be revealed in these last times.

People sometimes argue that the Bible is not relevant for modern times because it was written such a long time ago. They fail to realize that the eternal God is being patient with humanity, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance and faith in His Son.

12. John’s Letters and Revelation

Near the end of his life, the Apostle John wrote several short letters encouraging believers and testifying to his faith in Christ. While in Roman custody, he received the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which he wrote down in its entirety. Here are a few things John wrote concerning our salvation.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and ever!

We proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And we testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.

Jesus appeared so that he might take away our sins. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. With his own blood he purchased us for God!

See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah is born of God.

God is love, and this is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. God showed his love among us by sending His one and only Son into the world, that we might live through him. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

God said to John, “To the thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.”

Points to Recall

God the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.

If we admit our sins to God, He is faithful to His promise; He will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

God showed us His love by sending His Son into the world, that we might live through him. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Now, if you are thirsty, come; take the free gift of the water of life!

Reflection

Well, you have a lot to think about now. You’ll probably want to consider reaching out to God, if you haven’t already. It can’t hurt. Find a quiet place, and just talk to Him.

Jesus once said that a sparrow doesn’t fall from a tree without the Father noticing. He’ll be sure to notice you praying to Him!

Consider your life, where you’ve been, where you’re going. Consider your purpose in life. God gave you a purpose when He created you. This may be the time to discover it.

If you’ve got clutter—issues—you can get them out of the way. Just talk about them to God. Admit your faults, your failures. You’re not telling Him anything He doesn’t already know. Tell Him you’re sorry for doing whatever you might have done that hurt others. Tell Him you’re sorry for ignoring Him most of your life. He’ll forgive you. And you’ll feel much better.

Then resolve to do better. Be earnest.

But, you know, you can’t do it alone. Jesus gave his life so that you could get all that stuff behind you and start a new life. That new life begins with him. Ask him to take over. Ask him to give you his Holy Spirit, as he promised to everyone who believes in him. The Spirit of God will stay with you and guide you. And you’ll get a whole lot of grace—favor—from your heavenly Father as you put your life in order and follow Jesus.

Trust in God. Read His word—the Bible—and you’ll learn just who He is and what He expects from you. And when He shows you something in His word, start putting it into practice!

God thinks you’re worth saving, you know. That’s why you’re here, reading this. Go ahead. Let Jesus give you life that is truly worth living, that will carry you on through all that lies ahead—and into eternity. That’ll be something.

P.S. The destruction is real, by the way—not just tongue in cheek. Whether from drought or disease, tumult or tyranny—whatever is about to happen on Planet Earth….

Jesus is coming soon. He will save you from the wrath of God. You may want to read the Book of Revelation.

In the meantime, find out more about the good news of salvation and what you can be doing to follow Jesus now.

http://thebiblewebsite.org/intro-to-revelation/http://thebiblewebsite.org/gap-web/

We conclude with a couple of scriptures from the Bible.

The first is from the 145th Psalm, written by King David, the human ancestor of Jesus:

The LORD is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made. The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them. The LORD watches over all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.

And from Paul’s second letter to Timothy:

The holy Scriptures are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Scriptures used in this work are mainly from the Holy Bible: New International Version, copyright 1984 by Biblica.