The Graphic Gospel (4): Salvation

SALVATION

Through Christ,
God in perfect love,
great mercy, and amazing grace
made a way where there seemed
to be no way.
Because of Jesus’ death
and resurrection,
salvation is available to
all who by God’s grace
put their faith in Christ.

For the grace of God has appeared,
bringing salvation for all people.
Ti. 2:11 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy,
because of the great love with
which he loved us, even when
we were dead in our trespasses,
made us alive together with Christ. . .
For by grace you have been
saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works,
so that no one may boast.
Eph. 2:4-5a, 8-9 ESV

If you confess with your
mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that
God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
Rom. 10:9 ESV

God has provided the way out.
He has shown light
into the darkness.
Because of His great mercy,
he has caused us to be born again
to a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead.

Taking the Truth to Heart

What an indescribable,
immeasurable gift
God has given
to us in Christ.

He has not only saved us from
death, darkness, and destruction,
He has given us life, light,
restoration, and every spiritual
blessing for eternity!

When we were transferred
from the kingdom of darkness
to the kingdom of light
our entire operating system
was replaced.
We were given a new heart
and a new mind.
We were given the heart and
mind of Christ.
When we look in the mirror
we may look the same,
there may not be any
outward visual change
but we on the inside we are
an entirely different.
We are in Christ
and Christ is in us!
This is transforming truth.
May we be transformed by it.

(For reference: 2 Cor. 2:9-16,
Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 1,
1 Peter 1:3-8)

“See what kind of love the
Father has given to us that
we should be called
children of God!”
1 Jn. 3:1 ESV

It is so hard for us to
see ourselves now for who
we are. We only see in part.
But …
“whoever puts their hope
in Jesus and in these truths
purifies himself as He is pure.”
1 Jn. 3:3 ESV

For now we see in a mirror
dimly, but then face to face.
Now I know in part;
then I shall know fully,
even as I have been fully known.
1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV

Close in Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
Please grant me the grace
to SEE you and
SEE your love for me.
The more I see, the more
I want to be transformed.
The more I see, the more
I can enjoy you.

Please grant me the grace to
be able to respond
in word and deed so
that others may see you
and put their faith in Christ.

In Jesus’ name I pray.

 

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The Graphic Gospel (3): Jesus

JESUS

Jesus Christ came, lived a
perfect life, bore the wrath we
deserved, died in our place,
and rose again, overcoming sin
and death that we would
have life eternal.

For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should
not perish but have eternal life.
Jn. 3:16 ESV

He himself bore our sins in his
body on the tree, that we might
die to sin and live to
righteousness.
By his wounds you have
been healed.
1 Pt. 2:24 ESV

For our sake he made him
to be sin who knew no sin,
so that in him we might
become the righteousness of God.
2 Cor. 5:21 ESV

For if while we were enemies we were
reconciled to God by the death of his Son,
much more, now that we are reconciled,
shall we be saved by his life.
Rom. 5:10 ESV

While we were still
E N E M I E S
God had mercy upon us.

When we were
D E A D
in our trespasses and sins
God had mercy upon us.

While we were
A L I E N A T E D
and
H O S T I L E
in mind
God had mercy upon us.

In His love
God sent His son Jesus.
He is the propitiation
for our sins;
and not for ours only,
but also for those of the
whole world.

J E S U S
R E C O N C I L E D
us in His body of flesh
by His death.

He suffered.

He took the wrath of God
in our place.

He paid the penalty we deserved
suffered.

He was crucified.

He died.

He was buried.

He was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures.

J E S U S
presented us holy and
blameless and above
reproach before him.

When we put our faith in
Jesus we were forgiven.
We are forgiven of all our sin.
All of God’s wrath, judgment,
and the condemnation and shame
we deserved was poured
out upon Jesus. He became sin
that we might become the
righteousness of God.

Taking the Truth to Heart

Have you fully considered
all that Jesus accomplished
for you on the cross?

Do you truly put your trust
in the work that He accomplished?
Are you trusting in His
righteousness?
Or are you still working to
make yourself righteous?
Do you still feel
the pressure to be perfect,
or the need earn God’s favor?

Will you make the time today
in your thoughts
to meditate upon what Christ
accomplished for you
on the cross?
Will you take the
truth of the Gospel to heart?

Ask God for His mercy
and grace to not only comprehend
what He did for you
but also for the ability to respond
in gratitude…
with your lips
and with your life.

Close in Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
help me take the time today
to meditate upon what Christ
accomplished on the cross.
Help me believe
God’s Gospel not man’s gospel.

Please grant me the grace to
be able to respond
in gratitude…
with all my heart,
all my soul, all my mind,
and all my strength.

In Jesus’ name I pray.

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The Graphic Gospel (2): Man

MAN

Man was created good,
but fell prey to temptation and
sinned against God,
bringing death to his soul.

Therefore, just as sin came into the
world through one man,
and death through sin,
and so death spread
to all men because all sinned.
Romans 5:12 ESV

For the wages of sin is death. . .
Romans 6:23 ESV

And you, who once were alienated
and hostile in mind,
doing evil deeds . . .
Colossians 1:21 ESV

And you were dead in the
trespasses and sins in which you
once walked, following the
course of this world,
following the prince of
the power of the air,
the spirit that is now
at work in the sons of
disobedience. . .
Ephesians 2:1-2 ESV

Taking the Truth to Heart

When God created Adam and Eve,
He established mankind’s rule
and dominion over all the
creatures and the earth.
He placed them in the Garden of Eden
and explained to them that they could
eat of any tree in the garden except one.
One tree was off limits.
One.

They were in the midst of a
beautiful garden and
in amazing companionship
with God and one another.
No pollution, no crime, no credit card
debt, no taxes, and no red tape.
There was no death, no dying,
no cancer, and no ugliness-nothing
to complain about, nothing to fear,
nothing to blame God for.
Nothing bad had happened.

Along came a serpent
to tempt Adam and Eve
to doubt God.

Despite all God had given them.
Despite having been formed and
created in the image of God.
Despite being in perfect fellowship
with Him,
Adam and Eve listened instead
to the lies of a serpent
and disobeyed God.

Listening to his voice,
they questioned whether God
was really as good as He seemed to be.
They questioned if what He said was true.
They questioned whether God
would love them and take care of them.
They doubt God and His goodness.

They believed the lies,
disobeyed,
and rebelled against
God.

In the process, they lost their lives,
their purity, and their position.
And they have passed this on
to each of their children.

Through Adam, sin came,
and sin came to all. Through sin,
death came, and death came to all.
Romans 5:12

“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together
they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
Romans 3:10-13

Close in Prayer:

Lord,
please have mercy on me a sinner.
I don’t want to listen to the voice of
the “serpent.”
I don’t want to question You
and Your Word.
I don’t want to disobey You
because I think I know better.
Help me see my sin as you see my sin
Help me repent of my
rebellious ways.
Please grant me the
grace to repent.

In Jesus’ name I pray.

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