There is a story which has impacted human life in a way that nothing else ever has or ever will. It is a story that starts with splendor, sinks into hopelessness but then rises to the greatest news of all time. This is the story of God's relationship with humanity. Using just a napkin and a pen, it is possible to diagram the highlights of this story over lunch with a friend to allow another person to hear the greatest of stories.
The beginning
The story begins with the eternal God having created humanity. Our status before God begins with us being pure and in relationship with God. We can perhaps illustrate our state before God graphically with a figure wearing a white rope.
Enter the plague of sin
But unfortunately, the events of the garden of Eden are played out in each one of our lives. Temptation knocks at the door and at some point each of us makes the choice to do what we know is wrong. The garment of our heart which had been so perfectly clean becomes stained with sin. If we are honest, each one of us knows that we are guilty of wrong. Sin is a universal problem. Romans 3:23 We are aware that we are guilty because of our words, thoughts and actions. Guilt causes us to want to hide the truth about what we have said and done from our parents, friends or loved ones. We are guilty of wrong and we know it.
The Consequences of Sin
Sin brings consequences. Often we can see some of sin's consequences in our human relationships. Lies, stealing, gossiping, jealousy, fits of rage, etc. break down and destroy our relationships with other people.
But even more significantly, our sins separate us from God. Having been stained with sin, we can no longer approach God claiming that we have righteously served Him. Since God can not be in fellowship with any aspect of evil, our sins separate us from God resulting in our death. Isaiah 59:2; Psalms 5:4-5; 15:1-2; Habakkuk 1:13; Romans 6:23; Genesis 3:3
Humanity's futile attempts to handle sin
Human beings have become experts at trying to handle sin in order to span that expanse between being guilty to being declared righteous. Just like king Saul who failed to obey the Lord (1 Samuel 15:13), one tool that is used involves denying that anything wrong has been done. We have all heard people who, although they are guilty of some offense, claim "I have done nothing wrong" or "there is nothing wrong with _______________." God detests calling evil good. Isaiah 5:20 The attempt to belittle sin or sweep it under the carpet does not make its stain go away. This is simply the proverbial ostrich syndrome.
At other times, people try to handle their guilt by blaming someone else just as Adam, Eve, king Saul and so many others have done. Genesis 3:12-13; 1 Samuel 15:15 However, this second tool does not exhaust humanity's ingenuity at trying to free himself from guilt. Some resolve to stop sinning or even try to do good as a means to make up for what was done wrong. All of our attempts, which are based upon what we might do, in order to resolve our problem of guilt are bankrupt. For even if a person stops sinning and begins to live a wonderful godly styled life, this does not change the facts of his or her history and the wrong which has been committed. The guilt remains. The chasm we have constructed between God and ourselves looms large. None of us are capable of rebuilding a bridge that will unite us with God.
When scripture speaks of works in a negative sense, it is describing the attempt to approach God based upon who you are and what you have done. Although it is common for people to make such statements as, "she is such a good person, she must be saved" such human opinions are not biblically accurate. We can not be good enough to save ourselves because being good is not a detergent for the evil we have already done. Because of our failures, even the attempt to follow God's law is powerless to bring us back to God. Ephesians 2:9; Galatians 3:10-12; 2:16; Romans 8:3-4 Left to ourselves, the story of humanity is bleak and pessimistic.
Side note on works: Scripture speaks both negatively and positively of works. E.g. Romans 3:20 and 1 Thessalonians 1:3 Context reveals what is meant by "works." Whether scripture refers to works in a positive or negative manner often depends upon whether a principle of salvation is being described or if the author is describing the faithfulness which comes from trusting in Christ. The effort to save ourselves by what we do (salvation by works) is futile. Ephesians 2:9 However, once God has saved someone, God gives that person general functions to perform. He or she is to do good (Ephesians 2:10), be loving and generous (1 Timothy 6:18; Galatians 5:13) and glorify God through his or her life and worship. Matthew 5:16; 1 Corinthians 10:31 To do such works is not the basis of our salvation, but the healthy and appropriate responsiveness of faith. Since salvation is not based upon us doing good, faithful service to God results in us being unworthy servants who have merely done our duty (Luke 17:10). Once salvation has been granted because of receiving the benefits of Jesus' death, those who faithfully live out the Christian life will "lay up treasure in heaven" and "work out their own salvation" (1 Timothy 6:18-19; Luke 12:32-34; Philippians 2:12-13), while failure to serve the Master's purposes will result in being "a wicked and lazy servant" who at the end will be thrown out into darkness. Matthew 25:24-30; 24:45-51
God's love has provided a righteous solution for our situation which involved Jesus coming to live among us
There is great news! Because God loved humanity and did not want us to perish, God accomplished what we could not do for ourselves by sending His Son. God crossed over and became flesh. The wonderful story of God's salvation rapidly unfolded as a baby was born to Mary in Bethlehem. The angel had told Mary that the one to be born of her would be the Son of the Most High as a result of the Holy Spirit overshadowing her. And so the Son of God was laid in a manger. The story of Jesus' birth is good news of great joy because the Savior had been born. The word which was in the beginning with God and which was God had become flesh and would live among us. John 3:16; Luke 1:32,35; 2:10-11; John 1:1, 14
Not only did Jesus live a sinless life, but he demonstrated authority over all the types of forces which might bind man. He vanquished evil forces, released those held by sicknesses and forgave sins. Acts 10:36-38; Mark 1:25, 34; 2:5-12 In conjunction with all of these wonderful works, Jesus also taught the exact message which God had given him to teach us. John 3:34; 7:16-18
God's love has provided a righteous solution for our situation which involved Jesus dying upon a cross
By dying upon the cross, Jesus gave his sinless life as a perfect sacrifice for our sins to bring us back to God, that is, Jesus' death redeems us. Through His sacrificial death, Jesus' blood became "a detergent" to remove the stain of sin from our lives. His blood has the power to make perfect forever those who are being made holy. 1 Peter 3:19; 1:18-19; 1 John 2:1; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:22, 28; 10:10, 12-13; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, 21
God has provided the means of reunion as God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. 2 Corinthians 5:19 As Isaiah had prophesied hundreds of years earlier, "by his wounds we are healed ... my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities ... he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." Isaiah 53: 5,11,12
This salvation which God has provided through His Son is a gift of grace. We do not deserve Jesus dying for us. We do not deserve to be forgiven. Through Christ's death, we are saved as a result of God's grace and not as a result of our efforts. Titus 3:4-7; Ephesians 2:8-9
God's love has provided a righteous solution for our situation which involved Jesus' resurrection and lordship
As the New Testament reveals in quoting the Old Testament, God would not allow His righteous one to see decay. So on the third day, God raised Jesus from the grave revealing him to be Lord, Messiah (Anointed One/ Christ) and the Son of God. Acts 2:27, 31, 36; Romans 1:4 Christ has been exalted to the right hand of God where he also has been given headship over a community, the community of those which his death has purchased and cleansed of their sins. Accordingly, he is therefore their Savior. Acts 2:32; Ephesians 1:20, 22-23; 5:23; Colossians 1:18
Those who respond to the good news of Jesus, God adds to this community which belongs to Christ. They are now children of God. The Bible describes these who have become children of God by relying upon Christ as being born again or born of God. The old life with all of its sin has been left behind, and the new person is to give himself to serving God. Acts 2:41, 47; 2 Corinthians 5:17; John 1:12, 13; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 5:1; Romans 6:17-18, 22 .
The biblical way to describe those who are in the community of Christ is with phrases such as: the body of Christ or the church of Christ. All spiritual blessings are found in Christ Jesus. Salvation and grace are given to those in Christ. Their names are written in heaven. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. This is where a person should want to be! Ephesians 1:3; 4:12; 2 Timothy 1:9; 3:15; Hebrews 12:23; Romans 3:24; 8:1
Truly the story of Jesus is good news for a world of lost people!
God's love has provided a righteous solution for our situation which involves our relying upon Jesus and his blood
The Christian world is united on affirming that Jesus provides salvation. It also tends to be united on claiming that salvation comes from relying on Jesus and the blood of his sacrificial death. Romans 3:24-25 The New Testament is unequivocal about the necessity of relying upon Jesus in order to be saved. It is by trusting/ belief in Jesus that we are saved/ born again. John 3:16; John 5:1; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 5:1 This reliance upon Jesus resulting in being released from sin is also described as involving some form of obedience. Hebrews 5:9; 1 Peter 1:22; Romans 6:17-18
Unfortunately, there is disagreement about how someone should rely upon Jesus. Different ideas have been proposed for what causes people to cross over God's bridge of salvation in order to enter the saved community in Christ. My recommendation is to simply present how the Bible calls us to trust in Jesus. In order to assist with those situations where another answer might be encountered, there are a few notes at the end of this section.
God wants people to rely upon Christ and his death by expressing their faith in Jesus through being baptized. This is the clear and unequivocal Biblical message through both example and theological teaching.
This final graphic captures well Paul's message to Titus in Titus 3:4-8.
Responding to another answer you might encounter:
Many will claim that God wants people to rely upon Christ and his death by saying a sinner's prayer and inviting Jesus into their heart as Lord and Savior.There are no examples in scripture of anyone being saved/ born again by saying a sinner's prayer and accepting Jesus into their heart as their Lord and Savior. Although some might mistakenly appeal to Romans 10:10 or the thief on the cross, there are also no verses which teach this principle of being saved by simply saying a prayer and inviting Jesus into their heart. To claim that someone only needs to say a sinner's prayer/ invite Jesus into their heart in order to rely upon Jesus for salvation is foreign to scripture and early church history. It's roots originated with Ulrich Zwingli in the 1500's.
"It would shock a lot of people both in our fellowship and beyond to learn that when Martin Luther spoke of 'faith only' he was referring to a system of faith as opposed to a system of works. (It was Catholicism's works-orientated religion against which the reformers protested.) .... the fact is that Luther - as well as virtually all the other reformers - believed that baptism was absolutely necessary for a person to be in the kingdom. In terms of what it takes to become a Christian, not even the reformers themselves believed in what is now being taught so widely as 'faith-only salvation.'" F. LaGard Smith, "Who's My Brother?" Cotswald Publishing, 1997, p. 39
The story of Jesus is the greatest story ever told because it reveals God's love & salvation and because it describes our only hope from our wretched sinful condition. Using a napkin or a piece of paper, I hope you will share Jesus' story and its meaning for us with someone you know.
Other Articles Which May Be of Interest:
Jesus is Good NewsBrief Responses to Objections That Baptism Is Necessary For Salvation
Copyright © 2002 Barry Newton