The ABC Of The Gospel

Good News –June 2019 – Grace & Truth Magazine

The ABC Of The Gospel

Perhaps you have already heard of these three simple ABCs of the gospel:

A: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23 NKJV).
B: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29).
C: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28).

These three short verses from the Bible are full of meaning, so let’s examine them a little more. We will begin with the letter “A.”

A: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).
These words sum up what is written in Romans 3:10-18, where we find the passage that begins with “There is none righteous, no, not one” and ends by saying, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Every sin that has ever been committed falls within the scope of these verses. Our verse 23, then, is the concluding statement: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

That little word “all” includes every person who has ever been born, from the first man Adam down to the present day. The dreadful, lasting effect of Adam’s sin and disobedience in the garden of Eden is the sentence of death that has come upon Adam and all his descendants. The LORD God commanded, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17). The serpent said, “You will not surely die” (3:4), but in the genealogy of Adam in Genesis 5 we repeatedly find these words: “And he died.” This proves what the apostle Paul writes in Romans 3:4, “Let God be true but every man a liar.” The terrible result of sin is spelled out for us in Romans 5:12: “Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

When we trace the downward trend of man’s history from a human perspective we see that, with all the advances in knowledge and the progress in many areas of science, mankind has only gotten further and further away from God. True indeed are the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9).

We have painted here a very sad and desperate picture. All have sinned. But what can we do about this? Is there no remedy for this terrible disease of sin? The most important question still lingers, “Who can forgive sins?” The Bible provides the answer, so keep reading.

B: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29).
Who can forgive sins? Yes, here is the answer and the wake-up call to “Behold the Lamb of God!” He is the One who came to take away sin. We must pause to consider just who this would be. Of whom is John the Baptist speaking in John 1:29? Verse 30 adds, “This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me.’” Who is this Man? The answer is not far away, for we only have to go a little farther in this chapter to read these words: “I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” (v.34). God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for you. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (3:16).

One day long ago when Jesus was here on earth and teaching the people, four men came to Him bringing a paralytic man on a bed. The house was so crowded where Jesus was that they went up on the roof, uncovered it and lowered the man on the bed down to where Jesus stood. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” The religious leaders sitting there heard this and reasoned in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mk. 2:3-7). Their reasoning was right concerning the fact that only God can forgive sins, but it was wrong as to “this Man,” for this was no ordinary Man. Jesus said to those doubting scribes and Pharisees, “The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” (v.10). Yes, this is the Son of Man, God’s Lamb, God manifest in flesh, sent into this world to put away sin by His sacrifice upon the cross. Look to Him, for He is the only One who is willing, ready and able to forgive your sins and to offer you a home in heaven with Him.

So far we have learned that “All have sinned” and the remedy is to “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Now that we know this, what should we do? What is the next step? The Bible gives the answer, and you will find it in the next section.

C: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28).
As Jesus was moving in and out among the people He saw them as sheep wandering aimlessly without a Shepherd. He sounded forth this call: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” To whom should you go? There is only One who can help, only One who can forgive sins, only One who stands ready with open arms to receive you. It is Jesus! We agree with the disciple Peter, who said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Jn. 6:68-69). He is the One who is calling you to come.

Years before Christ came into the world, this same message was proclaimed by the prophet Isaiah, with this entreaty and warning: “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool’” (Isa. 1:18). Jesus died on Calvary’s cross to pay the penalty for your sins. Come to Him and you won’t have to bear that sin burden anymore. He will take away your sins and give joy in your heart, knowing that you will spend all eternity in heaven with Him. That is His promise to all who come to Him.

Have you heard Him calling you, and have you come? Jesus does not ask you to first clean up your life, throw off your burdens and improve your ways before you come. No, simply come as you are; He is waiting to receive you. This call is not limited to a special few, but it is for all who will hear and will come to find rest in the Savior of sinners. Jesus said, “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (Jn. 6:37).

Will this loving invitation always be available? No, the day of grace is drawing to a close, so the message is urgent. When should you come? “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). Come to Him now! We can tell you how.

We have taken you through the “Gospel ABCs” – a very simple message, but the most important message you will ever hear, and the most important decision you will ever make. Remember this:

• All have sinned,
• Behold the Savior, and
• Come to Him now.

By Jacob Redekop

Come to the Savior, make no delay; Here in His Word He’s shown us the way; Here in our midst He’s standing today, Tenderly saying, “Come!”
Chorus
Joyful, joyful will the meeting be, When from sin our hearts are pure and free; And we shall gather, Savior, with Thee, In our eternal home.
“Suffer the children!” Oh, hear His voice, Let every heart leap forth and rejoice, And let us freely make Him our choice; Do not delay, but come.
Think once again, He’s with us today; Heed now His blest command, and obey; Hear now His accents tenderly say, “Will you, My children, come?”—George F. Root (1820–1895)