“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” (Hebrews 12: 2NIV).

“You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:20-21).

The above, were solemn words pronounced by the apostle Paul in his farewell speech to the elders of the churches in Ephesus. The good news of salvation contained in the Gospel encloses in itself two fundamental aspects: the first regards the holiness of God, who can’t tolerate sin but must punish it; the second regards the grace of God, who forgives the sinner who repents.

To be saved, each individual must acknowledge being a sinner and be willing to accept the gift of salvation made possible through the sacrifice that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God made at the cross: the just for the unjust. When we preach the good news, whether we forget or intentionally omit the first of these two aspects, we don’t preach the Gospel of the Bible. We simply seek to console people with pleasant words to the hearing. We speak about the love of God, His goodness, and His mercy. In regards to sin, we reassure our hearers affirming that, “God is so good and kind; after all, He will forgive us…” Such a message snuffs the conscience. It is a cheap grace!

The gravity of sin and the holiness of God are undeniable aspects that are as real as is His love. To avoid speaking of God’s justice and that He abhors evil is a deceitful position, which promotes the falsehoods of another gospel. Initially, the apostle Paul faced this problem within the Galatian churches: “Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned (Galatians 1:8).

The true Gospel declares that man is a lost sinner. And as such, he merits divine judgment. Man’s pride makes it hard for him to accept this message. But when it is received in the conscience and the heart, it produces repent-ance that leads to salvation (cf. 2 Corinthians 7:10). That’s God’s desired will.

The Gospel is good news in that reveals that Jesus took upon Himself the sins of mankind and endured the castigation to give the eternal life to who-soever believes in Him. So that the believer may say: “I am crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20-21). Until recently, the evangelical Christian understood this.

For the last two thousand years, the cross of Christ has been the visible emblem of Christianity for every denomination. Whereas, the Gospel has been the [invisible] heart of Christianity, but just for a small minority. From within that minority many have paid the ultimate price to defend the Gospel.

Since the Day of Pentecost, the cross of Jesus has been the stumbling block first for the Jew [the religious], and later for the Greek [the intellectual]. The apostle Peter declared to the Jews: “Let all Israel be assured of this: God made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ (Ac.2:36).

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “The message of the cross is foolishness for those who are perishing, but for us who are being saved it is the power of God—Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and fool-ishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1Corinthians 1:18, 23-24).

Until just a few decades ago, most evangelical pastors were not afraid to preach Christ crucified. They were not ashamed to acknowledge the power of the blood of Jesus. Then gradually, they abandoned the message of the cross! Regardless of the reasons within the recesses of the heart, which may deter born-again Christians from proclaiming the Gospel of God, the truth remains: Silence is denial! If it is due to fear, loving God and one’s neighbor drives out all fears. The apostle Peter wrote: “It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous to bring you to God…” (1Pe. 3:17-18a).

The Apostles’ Creed is the harbinger of hope for all generations. Indeed, the devil hates God. Thus, the spirit of antichrist is working relentlessly to deny the finished redemptive work of His only Son—Jesus Christ. And since Satan abhors the blood of the New Covenant, he is using his ministers to con-fuse the minds of unsuspecting people all over the world. Yet, he is doomed!

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish or go to hell, but have eternal life or go to paradise. God demonstrated His love in that, while we were still sinners Jesus died for the ungodly or sinners. Therefore, Christ Jesus is the only way.

Attempting to circumvent the cross of Calvary is a grave affront to God. In effect, is trampling underfoot the blood of the Son of God. It’s a sacrilege!

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36). And since God’s wrath is just about to be unleashed upon this vile world, why not run beneath the cross of Jesus acknowledging that by His wounds we are healed?

PS ~ Prayer support ~ Biblical counseling freely available