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Participatory Study Series Pamphlets Gospel Tract: What is the Good News?
Are you wondering what it means to be saved? What is humanity's relation to God? Paul writes in his letter to the Romans that "All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory." (Romans 3:23). This doesn't say that:
It does say that we, as human beings, have fallen short of the glory of God.
God hasn't separated Himself from us, we have separated ourselves from God. (See Luke 15:11-32) Who is Jesus? Let's ask first what Jesus did.
Jesus has shown us the glorious purpose God has for us and how we can attain it. God's Son has all the brightness of God's own glory and is like him in every way. (Hebrews 1:3) What does it mean to surrender my life to Christ? The idea of surrendering control of one's life to someone else is very frightening to some. But what is it that God is actually asking of us? Think of someone standing by a high cliff. There is a choice to be free of the laws of nature and jump, or to accept them and take proper care. To choose life by surrender is not to give up anything good. One simply accepts the physical laws that exist and by which the universe runs. Accept them and live; reject them and die. It is the same thing with Christ's moral laws: accept and live or reject and die. Today I am giving you a choice. You can choose life and success or death and disaster. (Deuteronomy 30:15) What does it mean to live a Christ-like life? Jesus said that the most important commandment of the law was: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. . . . The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, 'Love others as much as you love yourself.'" The Bible also teaches that we must put this love into action (1 John 4:20,21). Children, you show love for others by truly helping them, and not merely by talking about it. (1 John 3:18) What about heaven and hell? For many people the point of Christianity or any religion is to assure one's place in another world. But there is much more to following Jesus than that. Jesus showed as a good way of life here and now! The Bible tells us about an eternal reward and eternal punishment, but what it tells us most about is following Jesus in this world. By following Jesus in this life we are preparing to be in His presence for eternity. (See John 14:1-3) What about doctrines? What about those theological terms? Do I need to believe specific things about God in order to be saved? When Jesus was asked a question about this very topic he responded by using an illustration about a shepherd separating sheep from goats. He said of the ones who would be accepted into the kingdom: "Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me." (Matthew 25:31-46) What is repentance? Repentance means "to turn away." If we find we are going the wrong direction, we will not be able to get where we are going no matter how fast we go. In fact, we might be considered foolish for not slowing down. If we want to accomplish our goals we need to be unafraid of acknowledging when we are going in the wrong direction. This is why Ezekiel tells the Israelites that God doesn't want anyone to die. "I enjoy seeing them turn from their sins and live." (Ezekiel 33:11,12) And this is followed with a promise: "And remind them that when wicked people stop sinning, their past sins will be completely forgiven, and they won't be punished."
What should I do?
You know God's laws, and it isn't impossible to obey them. . . . Today I'm giving you a choice. You can choose life and success or death and disaster. . . . On the other hand, you might choose to disobey the LORD and reject him. So I'm warning you that if you bow down and worship other gods, you won't have long to live. (Deuteronomy 30:11-18 selected) Using God's Good News for You! Parts of the text of this pamphlet are available in an outreach tract called God's Good News for You! available from Energion Publications. To use that pamphlet:
Salvation Prayer Dear Father in Heaven, We offer a shorter version of this pamphlet for use in outreach ministry. It's called God's Good News for You and is available in PDF format. As with all these pamphlets, you are free to print as many as desired without charge. Energion Publications |