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One Verse: The Bad News & The Good News
Romans 6:23
The life-saving, life giving message of Gospel is the greatest news the world has ever known (and will ever know) and having a concise grasp of this message is vitally important because –
1. It spiritually protects us. There are many misunderstandings and intentional deceptions. Knowing the Gospel protects us from being led astray!
2. It helps all of us to be prepared to clearly and concisely communicate the news of forgiveness of sin and eternal life. People all around us need to hear the Good News and we need to know how to comfortably and accurately communicate it.
Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV) –
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
The Romans Road – Romans clearly, powerfully and repeatedly communicates the message of God’s grace, of the Gospel.
Romans 3:23 (ESV) –
“… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...”
Romans 6:23 (ESV) –
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 5:8 (ESV) –
“...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us...”
Romans 10:9-10 (ESV) –
“...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Romans 10:13 (ESV) –
“...everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
The Gospel isn’t about what we DO it’s about what Jesus has DONE!
Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) –
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Romans 6:23 (ESV) –
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
To understand the Gospel, we must understand the Bad News first and then the Good News. What we deserve, what we have earned because of our sins is death. Eternal life is a gift. It’s the opposite of what we deserve and we cannot earn it. This message compels a personal response and needs to be proclaimed to a lost and dying world.
1. The Bad News is horrible – For the wages of sin is death...
The paycheck that all of us deserve for our sin is death. That’s spiritual death – everlasting conscious punishment. All of us have sinned, every one of us has personally rebelled against our Creator and chosen to go our own way.
Isaiah 53:6 (ESV) –
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way...”
Genesis 3:21 (ESV) –
“And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.”
Genesis 7:21 (ESV) –
“And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind.”
Leviticus 4:32-33 (ESV) –
“If he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish and lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering.”
Matthew 25:46 (ESV) –
“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
2 Thessalonians 1:9 (ESV) –
“They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might...”
Revelation 20:15 (ESV) –
“...if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
2. The Good News is glorious – ...the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Bad News is that sin leads to death and The Good News is glorious. The free gift of God is eternal life! This gift of eternal life is freely offered to undeserving sinners.
Jesus died as our substitute. He died to freely offer eternal life to all and secure it for all who will ever believe.
John 17:3 (ESV) –
“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
Jesus’ substitutionary atonement, His death and victorious resurrection is the only way to forgiveness of all our sins and eternal life.
John 14:6 (ESV) –
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Acts 4:12 (ESV) –
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Romans 6:23 (ESV) –
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
3. This leads to the question – How do I need to respond?
I often suggest reading the Gospel of Mark, I like to say – On your Mark, get set, go!
Those of us who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior ought to be filled with compassion for those who don’t yet know Jesus, with compassion for those who don’t yet know the Good News.
Matthew 9:36 (ESV) –
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
We’ve been equipped to share clearly, concisely, confidently and with joy. We’ve looked at three practical tools – The Romans Road, DO or DONE and The Bad News & The Good News in Romans 6:23.
To understand the Gospel, we must understand the Bad News first and then the Good News. What we deserve, what we have earned because of our sins is death. Eternal life is a gift. It’s the opposite of what we deserve and we cannot earn it. This message compels a personal response and needs to be proclaimed to a lost and dying world.
4. The Lord’s Supper
Because Christ’s body was broken and His blood was shed, forgiveness and eternal life have been freely offered. Because of Jesus’ substitutionary death we can live. He died for us!
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (ESV) –
“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”
We need to examine ourselves when coming to the Lord’s Supper. We need to ask – Am I a believer? And then we ought to ask – Am I aware of sin that I need to repent of right now?
As we eat and drink together let’s remember The Bad News and celebrate with thanksgiving The Good News.
Romans 6:23 (ESV) –
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”