1 Thessalonians 1:5a

1 Thessalonians 1:5a
The word gospel comes from the Greek word euangelion which means good news. What is this good news? It is the news that Jesus died for our sins, defeated death, and is coming again. This means, if we trust in Him, we are saved! What news could be better than that??!! 

Unfortunately for many, the gospel message does not set well. It is offensive to many. Why? Because the gospel states that we are wrong in our life of sin, must confess that sin, and declare there is salvation in nobody other than Jesus. Contemplate on that fact for just a brief moment with our current society. Many believe, somehow, that the Old Testament means nothing if we just simply believe. The New Testament itself speaks against this, not only that the Old Testament is wildly relevant today, but simply believing can be called into question without a visible life change and living out how Jesus challenged us to live. There is power in the gospel to free from bondage, deliver from eternal death, and heal our brokenness apart from our Creator. Regardless of how it is received, it is good news. It simply takes humility to recognize how good it is, but regardless, the constant, if we are taking a scientific approach, is the gospel. It does not change. It stands on its own. 

If I was to come up with one character trait that exemplifies what us believers must possess, clearly it must be humility. It takes humility to recognize we are lost, we are broken, we have messed up, and thus, we need a Redeemer. It cannot be on our own. It must come from outside ourselves. This takes humility. 

Furthermore, if I was to state the one letter in the English language that can make or break us, the most pivotal letter in the English language possibly is another way to view it, it would be the letter “d.” We can be humble as we recognize our failures in sin and the need for the sacrifice of Jesus, the ultimate Passover Lamb, to obtain salvation and eternal life, or we can be humbled at Judgement and experience eternal separation from communion with Him. The letter “d” separates humble from humbled. The beauty of it is we have absolute free will to make the decision to be humble or be humbled. 

This is why the gospel is truly good news! If we have recognize it, confess it, and live it, we humble ourselves before our Maker and Creator compared to being humbled at Judgement to experience separation. The time is at hand. Open your eyes to what is going on in our world and see that God is actively seeking our attention because our King is Coming Soon! It is time to get our houses in order. Trim the wick, fill the lamp with oil!

Well, I meant to get through verses 5-10, but I obviously went on a tangent with 5a.