What is so special about the Gospel of Jesus Christ? 

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life. 

Gospel means “Good News” so what is so good about Jesus anyway? All of us has heard it said at one time or another by friends, coworkers, or relatives “I believe Jesus was a good moral teacher but how do you know that Jesus is actually God?”  There have been countless holy men and women throughout human history who have been influential spiritual teachers, prophets, miracle workers and healers…Jesus Christ, Mohammod, Confucius, and Buddha to name just a few. So, what set’s Jesus apart from all these other moral guru’s and religious founders? Jesus is more than just a good moral teacher or miracle worker; Jesus is the human face of God. 

In the person of Jesus, you must make a personal decision about who He really is: either Jesus is the Lord of the Universe, or Jesus is a liar, or Jesus is a lunatic. This famous distinction was made popular by C.S. Lewis in his book “Mere Christianity.” The argument goes something like this: Jesus claimed to be God. His claim is either true or false. If it is true, then, Jesus is God. If the claim is false, then either Jesus said it knowing it was false, in which case He is a liar, or He said it not knowing it was false, in which case He was insane. Therefore, we are left with three logical options: Jesus is either God, or a liar, or a lunatic.

To say Jesus was a liar will seem quite a stretch for most people (even unbelievers), particularly if they think He was a great moral teacher. A great moral teacher would not, by definition, lie, and certainly not tell a lie of such magnitude as to claim to be God when He wasn’t.

To say Jesus was a lunatic is also a stretch, since His teaching would appear to be the essence of sanity—and, of course, a great moral teacher is, again by definition, sane. So if Jesus was not a liar and not a lunatic, the only other logically possible conclusion is that He is God. In Jesus God became a human being so save us from sin. Alleluia!  

If Jesus is God, what should I do?

1 John 4:10-11 This is love, not that we loved God, but that God loved us and sent His Son to be the expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also should love one another. 

Love: Decide today to follow Jesus; love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. You and I can’t solve the world’s problems and make ourselves good and holy people on our own…thankfully God shows us the way in the actions of His Son: Sacrificial Love. Only in the person of Jesus does God have a human face…human eyes to see the plight of the poor, human hands to hold the broken, a human heart to love. Jesus, the Son of God in human flesh, suffered, died, and rose from the dead because humanity owed an infinite debt of sin that only God as a human being could repay. We don’t have to do anything to earn Jesus’ love and friendship…its already ours. All we have to do now is give Jesus’ love away to others.

Say I Love You by your words and actions! The parable of the rich man and Lazarus illustrates that we cannot wait until after a person dies to tell them about Jesus and say I love you. Don’t wait until your spouse is dying to say I love you…say it now! Don’t wait until your kids are all moved out of the house and on their own to say I love you…say I love you now!