Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
We live in such a performance-based culture that when we say that salvation is free, it's a gift from God, people say, I mean, there's got to be more to it, because if you do good in our culture, you get good. It's all about performance. If you want to get into a certain school, you need to perform a certain way. You have to have a specific GPA. But in God's kingdom, it's completely turned around.
God's Kingdom is Different
In God's kingdom, we don't do good to get good. Someone was good for us, and His name is Jesus. But you see, there's one problem and it is sin. You and I are born sinners. We sin by choice, and we're sinners by birth. In order for us to stand before a holy God, we need to be perfect. Because God is holy and you and I are not.
The Good News of the Gospel
Here's where the good news of the gospel comes in. Jesus came to this earth and He lived a perfect life. He died on the cross, and then He was buried, and then He was resurrected on the third day for our justification. What does that mean? What does justification mean? It means to be declared righteous. Why is that important? Because when I place my faith in Jesus now, I'm declared righteous, and I can stand before a holy God with confidence because I've placed my faith in Jesus Christ.
Here's what happens when you place your faith in Jesus. You are now holy. You are now righteous, and there's a confidence when I approach God now because yes, I'm a sinner, but I'm saved. It says, By His grace when you believed. When I believed, here's what happened—God saved me. God redeemed me. Now He not only saves me, but He sanctifies me.
The Process of Sanctification
What does that word mean? It means to make holy. Here's what happens. We get saved, and then God starts to transform us from the inside out. One day He might be dealing with our thought life. Then the next day He deals with us, with our mouth, and then our pride and our jealousy. It's a slow process of us becoming more and more like Christ.
We're saved and sanctified. Then there's coming a day where we will be glorified. That's when we get brand new bodies and we're not going to fight sin anymore, because we're going to be in the presence of Jesus forever. That's the good news of the gospel. When Jesus went to the cross, He absorbed the wrath of God that you and I deserved. My question to every listener is simple: Have you responded to the good news of the gospel?
