Digging In Video 8/16

The Why

Articulate-(in regards to a person or a person's words) it’s having or showing the ability to speak fluently and coherently.,

So, can we articulate, or clearly explain the gospel.

Last week Terry did a great job of helping us answer the question from our non-believing friends, “what is this gospel you talk about?”

He gave us the “who is the Good News centered on” from the first 6 versus of Romans chapter 1 and 3 words to help us communicate it.

Christ, King, and Resurrection

Jesus is the Christ, the Jewish Messiah, the promised king of Israel from the line of David who will sit on the throne forever.

That Jesus the King is also the Son of God, God in the flesh, who is King over all of creation

And that Jesus resurrected from the dead, proving His sacrifice was acceptable and that He is God not just some human claiming to be the Son of God.

Well now I’d like to help answer the next question that I think our non-believing friend would ask.

“Well why was this necessary, why do we need this gospel, or what does this have to do with me?”

Starting where Terry left off, I will continue in Romans, some of which will be what we read last week and some from the week before

I will also give us 3 words or phrases to help us remember and communicate the gospel

In Romans 1, versus 16 and 17 Paul writes this,

Romans 1:16–17 ESV

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

What is Gospel from these verses?

First, it’s the power of God

Second, it’s for salvation

Third, it’s the revealed righteousness of God, the revealed way of being made right with God.

I’m going to start with the fact that it’s for salvation

If it is for salvation, then saving is needed. This gospel is to save us.

So why do we need salvation?

Well, as Paul continues in chapter 1 he points out a major problem, one that is highlighted in verse 25

Romans 1:25 ESV

because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Now chapter 1 verses 18-32 seem to be talking about pagans Gentiles, non-Jews, but Paul also lists a litany of sins of which we are all guilty of at least a few.

People, since the Garden of Eden have exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the creator.

Now the fact that God is creator is significant, He alone has the right to determine right and wrong, to hold us accountable as His creation to upholding His standards.

Chapter 2 introduces a consequence for this disobedience, and that consequence is judgment.

God our creator is also our judge, our holy and righteous judge.

And Paul writes in chapter 2 to the religious Jews and says

Romans 2:1–3 ESV

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?

Now again, God our creator has given us His guidelines to live by, but we have all broken them.

His Laws, His commands, etc. and His standards are perfection.

Romans 2:12–13 ESV

For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

If we were to appear in a heavenly courtroom, God as our judge, we would be judged by His laws.

So now we get to chapter 3 and Paul writes this

Romans 3:9–12 ESV

What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

None is righteous or right with God, none seeks God, all have turned aside

This is our problem and this is why we will stand in judgment and what we need saving from

But then Paul writes this in Romans 3 verses 21-24

Romans 3:21–24 ESV

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

All have sinned, but God has provided a righteousness, or a right standing with Him for us, it is by faith in Jesus Christ

The Messiah, the King, the Resurrected Savior

Paul gives us more info in chapter 5

Romans 5:6 ESV

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Thats us, that’s what Paul has been telling us, we are the ungodly, it is for us that Christ lived and died.

Romans 5:8–9 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Jesus did this because of God’s great love for us and while we were still sinners, not after we got our life together and earned God’s love, no in spite of who we are.

Jesus has provided salvation for us to save us from judgment, from being condemned

Romans 6:23 ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What our sinful, disobedient, rebellious life has earned us is the death sentence in this courtroom of God, but instead of the guilty verdict, God has offered us a gift, eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In Christ Jesus our Lord is significant, it is not in and of ourselves, but in Jesus

This takes us back to chapter 5 and a concept called Federal Head, or Corporate Representative

Adam was our first Federal Head, the representative of all of humanity, and he failed, he rebelled, was disobedient, sinned, he exchanged the truth of God for a lie and forsook the glory of God and worshipped and served created things

But Jesus is the second Federal Head, the second representative of humanity, He never rebelled, never sinned, was completely obedient, even unto death.

This death was on a Roman cross, and it was for you and for me.

So, now back to this courtroom, we can stand by ourself, as another Adam and we will be judged and found guilty, we will be condemned, and rightfully so.

Or, the other option God gives us, our righteous and holy judge gives us is we can stand with Jesus, with Him as our representative.

God the righteous judge will look at His life, and His death on our behalf, as if we had lived the life, and it can be credited to our account.

We will be not guilty, we will be declared righteous in God’s sight, but only if we are in Christ.

This is the why

we like Adam have not kept God’s holy and perfect standards, we have all rebelled, disobeyed, served and worshipped things in creation and not our creator, none of us are right with God in and of ourselves.

The punishment for this is death, it’s condemnation, it’s eternal separation from God,

But God didn’t leave it this way.

He provided another way, this is the Gospel. We deserved death, but God has provided us with the opportunity to have life, and this life is in His Son Jesus Christ.