Please watch the video or read the transcript of the Gospel presented by Paul Washer.
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Transcript of video:
There are so many people in the world today that have heard about Jesus or about Christianity or about the church and one of the things that I think brings the greatest degree of pain to my heart is that although they've heard those words, they don't truly understand what Christianity is all about, or truly understand who Jesus is, or what he has done.
Sometimes people maybe are browsing through the internet, or they may be browsing through the TV, and come across some TV evangelist screaming and ranting or doing all sorts of things, supposedly in the power of God or asking for money, and that brings a great pain to the true Christians heart.
Because it is one thing, it is a pain to know that there are people who do not know Jesus, it is a greater pain to know that oftentimes Jesus and Christianity is being distorted, so that many people harden their heart against a Jesus, a Christ, a Christianity, that is not the true version of it.
Sometimes I just want to, you know you would love to have a meeting with each and every person like that, to be able to explain to them what Christianity truly is and what the gospel truly is, so that if they do reject it, at least they're rejecting what it is, or if they do accept it, at least they're accepting the true version of it.
What is Christianity?
Well, I guess the answer is found in the name, Christianity. It has to do with the person of Christ. Now, what is Christ? Well, it's a an English version of a Greek term, that represents actually, a Hebrew idea, a Hebrew promise, and that is the promise of a Messiah. Of an Anointed one. A Deliverer.
The Bible begins in the book of Genesis with God creating man, and this world, and it was good. But then, maybe beyond our comprehension, but nonetheless true, we understand that sin entered into this world. Rebellion against God, which led to a separation between a righteous and loving God, and a sinful, and oftentimes hateful, man. And this division between God and man led to also the great division between man and man, so that the world you see around you today is the result of the fall of man.
It is the result of sin. It doesn't matter if you create some sort of political utopia, it doesn't matter if materialism abounds in everyone's home, we are never going to escape the reality of our sin and our separation from God.
Now the great question of Christianity, the great question of the Scriptures of the Bible is this: if God is holy and can have nothing to do with sin, if God is righteous and must always come against sin, then how could we ever be reconciled to God? The Bible teaches in Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Now, you can argue with my terminology, but you can't argue with the truth of it. We see evil in this world. If you don't believe what I'm saying, simply turn on the news, or read your newspaper, or study something of human history and you will see that it is a history of humans doing horrible things to humans, of sin abounding, of ruin, of nations being lifted up, and nations being destroyed, of people's being oppressed, a violence occurring for no apparent reason. It's the result of sin.
How can sinful man be reconciled to a just God whose justice demands that they be punished?
The answer is found in the person of Jesus Christ.
The Bible teaches us that God is a Trinity. God the Father, God the Son and, God the Holy Spirit, and that to bring about the salvation of man, God would do something miraculous, outstanding, unspeakable, incomprehensible.
He would show us His love, and He would do so by doing this in His righteousness. He condemns our evil, but in His love, God becomes a man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, a historical person.
God intervening into human history and this Jesus of Nazareth lived the perfect life that you and I could never live, could never live, have never lived, and then He goes to a cross.
Now most of you know about the Roman cross. You've probably seen movies about it, how Jesus was nailed there, and a crown of thorns was placed on his head, and all of this was done for our sin. But what's impossible to show, even in the best of movies, is that it took more than the physical death of Christ to pay for our sins on the cross.
Our sins were laid upon Him and then all the punishment of a holy and righteous God fell upon the head of God, the Son. He suffered it to its fullness and then right before He died cried out, "it is finished," which means paid in full. We owed a debt to God because of our sin and that death was suffering eternal punishment, but on the cross, God himself, He took our place, bore our sin, and suffered the wrath of God that we deserve. He extinguished it. He put it away and on the third day rose again from the dead. Then He ascended up into heaven, and this Jesus, the Son of God, sat down at the right hand of God. And now the Bible teaches that Jesus is, "the way, the truth, and the life, that no man comes to the Father except through Him" (John 14:6). "There is one God and one mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5).
You see, the Christian is the only person, the true Christian, who can say that they're going to heaven without being self-righteous. Why?
In other religions, how do you get to heaven? You get to heaven by being good, by earning it.
In Christianity, you're not reconciled to God through your own virtue or merit, but you're reconciled to God through the virtue and merit of His Son.
If I died right now, I have great assurance of being reconciled, of being accepted to God, why?
Because 2000 years ago, the Son of God died in the place of this sinner and paid my debt. I do not trust in myself, my good works, my church, my religious duties, it is Christ alone.
And you say, "Well, you don't understand. I've sinned so much." We've all sinned so much!
But His death is more powerful than any sin we could have committed. His death is sufficient to pay for all your sins.
You say, "Well, what must I do?'
You know, to be to be saved the Bible says you don't have to do some heroic feat, like climbing up to heaven, or descending down into hell.
Believe trust in Jesus Christ abandon all hope in your good works. Abandon all hope in your religiosity and trust in the person and work of Christ on your behalf.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have ever lasting life" (John 3:16).
That's the promise of God to the greatest of sinners.
