Proclamation Church

A Gospel Overview

The Gospel
  • God created all things to be a radiant display of his all-satisfying nature.

  • As the pinnacle of his creation, God made humanity to rightly represent and reflect him as stewards of all he made. [Gen 1: 26 – 31]

  • However, instead of embracing this privileged purpose of representing and reflecting God in what he has put before us to do, every human rebels against this calling and, choosing to go his or her own way, represents and reflects God as though he is not the all-satisfying creator of all things.(1) [Isaiah 53: 6a]

  • Since God generously gives humans life to accomplish a purpose we all reject, we are no longer worthy to live the life he gives. Instead of living the eternal life of all-satisfying relationship with God for which we were made, our rejection of God’s purpose forfeits the life we have been given and earns us an everlasting death separated from the only one with whom we can find satisfaction. [Romans 6: 23a]

  • In our rebellion, we are without hope of ever experiencing true fulfillment. As those made to represent and reflect God’s unchanging perfect nature, any representation or reflection that falls short of doing so leaves us permanently unable to accomplish our purpose.(2) [Romans 3: 23]

  • As broken representations of God who have forfeited the life he gives, we are dead in our rebellion without any way to be redeemed and restored so that we may fulfill God’s purpose for us and experience the satisfaction that comes from doing so. If we are to be renewed for right and fulfilling relationship with God, we need one who is without rebellion and full of life to accomplish this renewing work on our behalf. [Ephesians 2: 1 – 3]

  • Jesus Christ was and is the only human to have ever perfectly and fully represented God with all of his heart, mind and soul. Therefore, he is the only human to live a life that does not deserve to receive the punishment of God’s wrath in everlasting death and the only human qualified to enjoy everlasting abundant life. [Hebrews 1: 3]

  • However, Jesus Christ fulfilled God’s gracious plan to make a representative people for Himself by laying down his perfect life in order to pay the penalty owed to those rebels who would turn back to God for reconciliation. Because the wrath that was rightly due rebellious humans for misrepresenting God’s glory was poured out and extinguished on Jesus Christ,(3) those who turn to follow Christ, accepting his sacrifice on their behalf, are not only saved from future condemnation and everlasting death but also restored to right relationship with God and eternal life. [2 Corinthians 5: 20 & 21, 1 Peter 3: 18, 1 John 4: 10, Romans 8: 1]

  • Because Jesus Christ did not deserve the penalty of death, death had no power over him. So, though he did indeed die a genuine death, he, unlike any other human, rose from the dead receiving his proper reward of resurrected life. Those rebels who turn to God receiving Christ as their substitutionary sacrifice for their sin, also receive the inheritance of new life secured by Jesus Christ in his resurrection. [Acts 2: 24 – 32, Romans 6: 8 – 11, 1 Corinthians 15: 54 – 57]

  • After bearing testimony to his resurrection by appearing to more than 500 people, Jesus Christ ascended to God the Father where he remains today continuing to administer God’s eternal plan for all creation. [1 Corinthians 15: 3 – 8, Ephesians 1: 20 – 23, Hebrew 1: 3b – 13]

  • However, there is indeed a coming day when Jesus Christ will return to make a final reckoning of all creation. At that time, all will be judged according to what they are due. Those who have continued in rebellion against God, never turning to receive Christ’s atoning sacrifice, will receive the rightful wage they have chosen and earned, the wrath of God poured out in everlasting death and separation from the only One who can bring them true satisfaction. Those who have turned from their rebellion to receive Christ’s atoning sacrifice, will receive the rightful wage Christ has earned on their behalf, the love of God poured out in eternal life and perfect union with the One who is our ultimate satisfaction and fulfilment. [John 5: 24 – 29, John 14: 1 – 4, 2 Corinthians 5: 10, Revelation 19: 11 – 21, Revelation 20: 11 – 21: 8]
 
(1) The Bible regularly refers to this misrepresentation of God  as “sin” or “transgression.”

(2) In order to rightly represent and reflect something that has always been perfect, the representative and reflection of that object must also be free of any imperfections, both present and past.

(3) While the wrath of God owed to humans who would repent of their rebellion by coming to Christ was fully poured out upon Jesus, the entirety of God’s wrath was not fully exhausted in Christ’s death and still remains in store to be continually poured upon all who are not reconciled to God through Christ.

God, you have made all things to display your all-satisfying glory. Though you have made me for the privileged purpose of representing your glory, I have rebelled against this purpose and, going my own way, earned the rightful penalty of your wrath being poured out on me in everlasting death.

Thank you for providing Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for my sin on my behalf so I can be delivered from death into a new, perfect and eternal life.

Though I know I do not deserve it, I accept your gracious gift of redemption in the sacrifice of Jesus and thankfully trust in him to reconcile and restore me to you.

Thank you for making and redeeming me to enjoy representing you. Work in me so that I would do so rightly, loving you with all my heart, mind and soul for now and evermore.