“Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” Luke 2:10
Dear Ones:
Why and how is the Gospel of Christ…good? First of all, we need to look at the Author and Finisher of Faith, who has designed the Gospel, and who was the very accomplishment of it. He IS Good. Every aspect and consideration of His being is intrinsically good, wholesome, with no flaw, evil or wickedness, in Him. There is nothing, with regard to intent, purpose, means, or power, that is less than good in Him. Every expression of His nature, every aspect of His work of redemption, and salvation, is perfectly good, and couched in that goodness. So then, when the angel of the Lord brought the salutation to the shepherds on the night of Christ’s birth, that he was declaring to them “good” tidings of great joy, what did he mean? And how would effect the entirety of mankind?
Goodness is not just a characteristic of the nature of God. It is also an influence, an effectual force, or power, upon mankind, which brings that which is good to the individual, the family, and the nation. The revelation of God’s goodness is not only that man should have knowledge of it, but that he should benefit from its presence and action, not only in this life, but for eternity. The Apostle Paul wrote: “The end (or purpose and objective) of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of a faith unfeigned.” (1 Timothy 1:5) Is not the “end” of God’s goodness to communicate to the heart of man the very love of God, not only to be known about, but to be experienced and lived? And how is that love to be expressed? Certainly by its power to give…and that freely.
The gospel is first of all “good news,” the greeting of God to mankind. It is the summation of truths coming from the heart of God to man, by which, if he believes them, believing the One who gave them, will result in the power of God given to men “…to become sons of God.” (John 1:12) It is by the “preaching,” or heralding, of the truths of the Gospel that God has chosen to reveal His righteousness, His reproof, and judgement of sin. Consequently, the revealed truth of a singular “Savior, which is Christ the Lord,” is also unveiled. The revelation of this Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world, and His purpose and commitment to save that which is lost by accomplishing a perfect work to deal with all of the enemies of the souls of men, is good news indeed. This singular Shepherd of our souls is revealed in the Gospel as One who has come, not only to pay for our sins, and give to men the power to become sons of God; He is also that one who has demonstrated in the most complete, and clearest manner, that His ETERNAL WILL is that all men be saved, as he has tasted death for ALL men. This is good news, that the ultimate expression of the One who IS eternally good, has gone beyond every possibility of man to save men by His precious blood, and the regenerating power of the Spirit, has done so because of His love for mankind, every individual.
Dear Father, Indeed, Thy Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, for in it is revealed the truth of man’s lost condition, but also, the singular and perfect declaration, and accomplishment of the work of the Savior of the world, Thy Son. Give us grace to grasp the significance of such truth, and to believe Thee for the full outworking of Thy goodness and love in and through us, especially towards those who do not know Christ, that they might taste of Thy goodness. We thank and praise Thee in the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
Love, Dad