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THE BEST NEWS IN THE WORLD
“How that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (I Cor. 15:3, 4).
The best news the world ever heard is not considered of great news value by most men. It is not about something that happened just yesterday, but it is of supreme importance and is of as immediate concern to us as if it had just been announced in the latest news flash.
This “Good News” is the Gospel of Christ. The word Gospel means good news, and its story is the best news any one ever received.
All the world, and that includes every one of us, is “under sin” (Rom. 3:9), “guilty before God” (Rom. 3:19), “under the curse” (Gal. 3:10), and “without excuse” (Rom. 1:20). By nature we are “the children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3), “without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12). We are “dead in trespasses and sin” (Eph. 2:3), “and cannot please God.” (Rom. 8:8).
The Gospel of Christ declares unto us, “How that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3, 4). And “the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16).
About Whom Is This Good News It is about Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Mary, the Son of God, Who was and is the Christ (the sent one from the Father, the promised Messiah and redeemer) (Matt. 16:16; John 4:25, 26; John 20:31). He was and is the Creator of all things (Gen. 1:1, John 1:1-4, Col. 1:15-17). He is Master over all substance (John 2:1-11; 6:1-13), Healer of the sick and afflicted (Mark 1:30, 31; 3:5; John 9:1-7, etc.), Master of the elements (Mark 4:35-41), and the Raiser of the dead (Luke 7:11-16; 8:51-56; John 11:38-44).
What Did He Do? He was born of the Virgin Mary (Matt. 1:22-23), was tempted, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15), suffered many things of sinful men (Luke 22:63-65; Acts 3:18; Heb. 13:12), was forsaken of God (Matt. 27:46) died (Matt. 7:57-60), etc.), and rose the third day (Matt. 28:5, 6).
Why Did He Do This? “He died for our sins.” He “gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us” (Gal. 1:4), and that He “might redeem us from all iniquity” (Titus 2:14). He took our place as a sin-offering that He might meet every requirement of God’s law, and thus provide a just ground upon which God could be just, and the justifier of those who believe in Jesus (Rom. 3:26). Because of our sins we were under the curse of condemnation (Gal. 3:10) and He took our place under the curse to redeem us from it (Gal.3:13).
How Did He Die? He died the Just for the unjust (1 Peter 3:180. He died to provide us an acceptable covering before God just as the innocent animal died to furnish skins for Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:12). He died as our Substitute as the ram died for Isaac, condemned to die, that he might go free (Gen. 22:6-14). He died as our Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7), to provide safety behind His blood as the Passover lamb did for the doomed first-born of Israel (Ex. 12:18-29).
Yes we are all sinners, guilty and condemned. But God tells us “How that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
“Verily, verily, I say unto you He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47). Have you believed the gospel of Christ? Have you believed on Jesus?
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