Redemption: A Declaration For All Not a Choice For a Few

Isn’t it amazing that the gospel is such Good News that even people who don’t believe it wish it were true? The Apostle Paul said the gospel is not about how to become righteous, he said it is a “revelation of righteousness.” Nobody has ever been made righteous because of their belief in Jesus; but everybody ought to believe in Jesus since He first loved us and made us all righteous in God’s sight. The degree to which we believe or acknowledge Christ’s completed work of redemption is called being saved. Being saved is a wonderful experience and discovering the treasures revealed in Christ are prime reasons for a jubilant renewing of the mind, heart, and will. Being saved can alter the opinions of how we look at others and the way we view ourselves. However, apart from the faith of Christ, human belief never could trigger a righteous standing before God. Human belief never could initiate gospel truth about redemption, but declaring gospel truth can teach others about being saved. What is gospel truth? It is the redemption of the world by Christ, the entire human race.

Our redemption never rested on older “times past” covenants between God and Man but on the New Covenant between God and His Son. Their plan centered on Jesus, Man’s High Priest, and His finished work. When Christ, having been made LORD of all died and arose, all died in His Body, all arose born from above, and all were made a new creation in Him. Only then was God satisfied, when in the twinkling of an eye, all were spiritually re-created righteous in high places….in God’s sight. Their gospel of redemption never included an option for Man’s permission. Their gospel added no if’s, no and’s, no but’s, no maybe’s and no plan B. Their gospel is not an offer to become righteous for a few but is a declaration of Man’s righteous standing, not essentially before men, but in the opinion of God. Their gospel defined is the Gospel of Grace which means unmerited favor that comes from God and the Gospel of Peace meaning a cessation of hostility.