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The Big Picture of Christianity (5 P's that explain the Gospel)

The word Gospel literally means "good news" and can explained through 5 P's.

1. God's Plan: Relationship (we were created to love God supremely by knowing, serving, pleasing, and worshiping Him forever – Revelation 21:1-22:9)

2. Man's Problem: Sin (rebellion against God by ignoring God’s sovereignty/ownership over our life, rejecting God’s plan for our life, and breaking God’s laws that provide blessing and protection for our life – Romans 3:9-10)

3. God's Provision: Jesus Christ (His perfect blood provides the only way for sinners to be forgiven all their sin and His perfect life/righteousness provides the only means for sinners to be reconciled/restored to the personal relationship with God they were created for – Ephesians 1:7-12)

4. Man's Participation: Believe (Repentance and Faith) (covenant/commit your life to follow Jesus as LORD (master, owner, boss) through real repentance that turns from sin (stops living for SELF) and full belief/faith that turns to Jesus (starts living for the SAVIOR) -Mark 1:14-17)

5. God's Promise: Life (new life now and eternal life later – Luke 18:29-30)

The reason why each one of us value and seek human relationships is because God designed each one of us for the purpose of having relationships, but the ultimate plan and design of God was for us to have a relationship with Him (Matthew 22:37, John 17:3, 1 John 5:20). For this reason, God granted each one of us with special gifts and abilities to be used to serve God and glorify God (1 Peter 4:11). Thus, God’s plan and our purpose in life is to love Him supremely by knowing, serving Him, pleasing, and worshipping Him now and forever (Matthew 4:10).

Man's Problem: Yet, each one of us like the rest of humanity has chosen to rebel against God’s plan (Romans 3:23). Instead of loving God supremely we love ourselves, we serve ourselves, we please ourselves, and in essence we worship ourselves (Romans 1:17-32). Instead of living to glorify God, sinners seek to glorify self. God calls this idolatry, because an idol is anything that takes the praise, place, or priority away from God (1 Thes. 1:9). Thus, sin is rebellion against who God is (He is holy), His will (His Plan), and His laws (ex. The Ten Commandments)(Titus 1:9-16).

Because of sin, God commands everyone, everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). Why do we need to repent? Because sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). God is the source of all life, all love, and all knowledge. To be separated from the source of all things and everything good we enjoy is a hellish thought. The wages (consequences) of sin is death (Romans 6:23, Ezekiel 18:20). For a sinner there is a separation of knowing God and enjoying the peace and blessings of God in this lifetime (John 10:10).

Sinful humanity has tried to ignore or replace God by being the god of their own life. Through sin they seek satisfaction, but the lusts and pleasures of sin do not last (Ephesians 4:19), do not ultimately satisfy, and result in physical death (separation of the body from the soul – Romans 6:23) and eventually spiritual death (separation from God for all of eternity – Revelation 21:8) if they don’t repent (Revelation 16:9-11).

Why must I die? Because God has decreed that death is part of the curse/punishment against sin (Romans 5:12). Since He is a holy and perfect God (Matthew 5:48, 1 John 1:5, 1 Peter 1:15-16), He cannot and will not allow one sin or one sinner to enter and to taint His glorious presence or His glorious Heaven (Ephesians 1:4, 5:27, 1 Thess. 3:13, Hebrews 12:14). Therefore, God has decreed that everyone who sins will die, and after death to face a judgment (Hebrews 9:27). For all those who rejected Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior there is a second death after the judgment when God judges them guilty and their names are not found in the book of life. Since their choice in life was to be separated from God and since they rejected the blood and righteousness of Jesus, they are separated from God forever and thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20).

Ironically, everyone loves for God to be perfect in love, but in order for God to be perfect, He must be perfect in all areas, including justice (Romans 2:5, 3:25, 2 Thess. 1:6-10). Therefore, if God left even one of your sins unpunished, He would not be perfect in justice. This is why out of His love and mercy (John 3:16) that He sent His only Son Jesus to pay the penalty for your sins and to satisfy His perfect justice and wrath against man's rebellion (1 Cor. 6:9-11, Romans 5:1).

We all are deserve Hell (2 Peter 2:4-6) and God’s wrath (John 3:36) for rebelling against God because if we are honest, all of us know that God would find us guilty for breaking some if not all of the 10 commandments (James 2:10). But also consider your guilt to all the commands and will of God that are clearly spelled out in the Bible and also the general knowledge of right and wrong that God has placed on every man’s heart through their conscience (Hebrews 10:22).

Unable to earn God’s forgiveness or meet his perfect standard of righteous, man realizes they are sinners (Romans 3:20, Galatians 2:16) in desperate need of a Savior: 1. A perfect man to redeem men from sin by fulfilling all the laws of God and his requirements of righteousness on their behalf (Matthew 5:17, 2 Cor. 5:21), 2. A perfect representative who would represent humanity judicially before God and provide justification (1 Peter 2:24, Hebrews 6:20), and 3. A perfect ruler who is not only human but divine – having the authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:1-12), power over life and death (1 Cor. 15:20-57), and being eternal to provide eternal mediation between sinful men and holy God (Hebrews 7:25). But without Jesus there is no sacrifice or solution for sin as on their own everyone is guilty of sin and therefore a sinner separated, condemned, and awaiting punishment by God (Hebrews 4:1-13, 9:22, Romans 14:10-12, Revelation 20:11-15).

God’s Provision: But God is also perfect in love and did not leave us in our helpless state. “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This is why Jesus Christ left the glory of heaven to be God’s Provision to solve Man’s Problem of sin (Mark 10:45, Luke 19:10). By the sacrifice of Himself on the cross, Jesus fully and permanently satisfied God’s perfect justice and wrath against our sins (1Peter 2:24). “For Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit” (1 Peter 3:18-20).

From the time man first sinned in the Garden of Eden, God put into motion a plan to rescue humanity from the curse of sin and reconcile them into right relationship with himself (Genesis 3:15, Romans 5:10, 2 Cor. 5:18-21).

First, God showed that He loves His creation and would credit his righteousness to those who put their faith in Him (Genesis 15:6, Hebrews 11:8-19). Just like Noah put his faith in God and was saved by God’s provision of an ark (Hebrews 11:7), so also only those who place their faith in God’s provision of Jesus’ blood (Eph. 1:7, 1 John 1:7, Rev. 1:5) and righteousness (Romans 5) will be saved by from the coming and Final Judgment (1 Thess. 5:9)

Second, God established a nation, a nation through which He would bring a Messiah to pay the penalty for man’s sin (John 4:22, Matthew 5:14). Just like Abraham believed God’s promise that through His linage He would establish a nation through which the whole world would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3).

Third, God established His laws that clearly show men they fall short of God’s standards of righteousness and are justly condemned to be punished (Galatians 2-3, Romans 2-3). This is why our only hope is for God to be merciful and send a Savior who would fulfill the law perfectly and pay the decreed punishment for sin (Luke 24:44). Just like Moses received the Law of God and established it among Israel and they kept rebelling, so too none of us can keep the law, obey it perfectly, or meet God's standards of righteousness to enter heaven (Isaiah 30:9, 65:2, Jeremiah 5:23, Ezekiel 2:3).

Fourth, God established a sacrificial and priestly system (Colossians 2:15-17, Hebrews 10:1) that would be an example foretelling how Jesus Christ, similar to the Passover Lamb, would later come as the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world (John 1:29) . Jesus is also the Great High Priest, similar to the Old Testament High Priests, who made a once for all atonement for sin through his blood on the cross and who continually stands before God to intercede on behalf of men (Hebrews 4:14-15).

Fifth, God established a kingly line through the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:8-12), through which the Messiah would come to save the world and to rule the world with perfect justice and unconquerable power. Just as King David was promised that one day, a king would rule over Israel whose kingdom would never end (2 Samuel 7:8-17).

Finally, God established His Word that was given forth by His prophets (2 Peter 1:20-21) that predicated that God Himself would come to save men from their sins (Ezekiel 34, Jeremiah 23) and establish a new covenant so they could have the power to resist sin and live in righteousness (Jeremiah 31). This fits with the prophecies of David and Isaiah who predicated that the Messiah would first suffer as man’s substitute for sin by being pierced for man’s transgression (Isaiah 53, Psalm 22).

Thus, God the Father ultimately sent God the Son, Jesus Christ into the world to prove He was God by doing what only God could do: performing mighty miracles, predicating the future, knowing the hearts of men, forgiving men their sins, and living a perfect life (John 5:19-20, 8:28, 10:37-38,14:8-11, 31). So that through repentance and faith, believers receive the perfect blood of Jesus to forgive all their sins past, present, and future. So that through repentance and faith, believers receive perfect righteousness to restore them in right relationship with God (Romans 5:19).

This is why the perfect life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ was the only way to provide the perfect blood and perfect righteousness that sinners need to be reconciled to God. Jesus was our substitute in living the perfect life none of us have lived and bearing the full wrath/judgment/justice against our sins on the cross that we are deserve. Through Christ’s life and death, God accepted his blood and righteousness as the ransom price to forgive our sins and be righteous in His sight.

Not only is the death of Jesus pivotal, but the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is essential because it proved all Jesus' claims were true and that His perfect life and death had indeed met God's justice against sin and achieved victory over death and had broken the curse of sin (1 Cor. 15:3-4). This gives those who believe great hope and assurance knowing that all our sins were placed on Christ (the cause of His death was our sins not His own) so they are no longer can be on us or condemning us. And since Christ rose again, we know that God accepted Christ’s payment for all our sins and that gives us great assurance that all our sins are absolved, paid for, and cleansed so that just as Christ raised from the dead, we too walk in new life now and have certainty we will rise from the dead to eternal life when we die.

Therefore, it is faith in Jesus Christ and His life, death, and resurrection that assures us that all our sins has been paid for in full. We no longer need to fear death as it has been conquered. We know that all His claims– especially His deity, and that all His promises– especially His promise of forgiveness and eternal life – are all true and will come true. So we know with absolute certainty that He is who He claimed to me – God the Son, Lord of all, and Savior guaranteeing eternal life to all who repent and believe/follow Him by repentance and faith.

This is why Jesus Christ said, "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). It only makes sense that if you want to be forgiven you follow after Jesus Christ who died for your sins and is God’s only provision for sin. No other religious leader lived a perfect life, or offers you forgiveness and perfect righteousness to meet God’s perfect standards for Heaven. Nor has anyone else except Jesus died for your sins and risen from the dead to prove all their claims were true.

It only makes sense that if you want to conquer death, and enjoy the presence of God forever, that you follow after the only person in history who has conquered death and been accepted by God the Father to sit at His right hand in glory. So hopefully God is working on your heart to convict you of your sin and convince you that Jesus was indeed who He claimed to be - God in human flesh sent to seek and save the lost from the wrath of God. Perhaps you are asking, what exactly must I do to be forgiven my sins and receive the eternal life that Jesus promised? Hebrews 9:14-15, 2 Cor. 5:19 Gal. 1:4 1 John 2:2, 4:10

Man’s Participation: Jesus throughout His earthly ministry invited people to follow Him as His disciples. True disciples left their old life and followed Him because they believed in Him, they put their hope in Him, and they trusted Him by faith even to the point of death. The Holy Scriptures command that those who want to know Jesus, belong to Jesus, and be accepted by Jesus when He establishes His Kingdom to repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus by faith (Mark 1:16, Acts 20:21).

True repentance is more than just a one-time confession, it is more than an emotional sorrow over sin, it is a complete turning away from one’s former lifestyle of sin. It is admitting, renouncing, and leaving your former life of sin in order to follow Christ as your new Lord (boss, owner, master).

True faith is turning to Christ and following him in absolute trust, commitment, and belief in His life, death, and resurrection. One way to test if you have truly repented or have real faith is to test who or what you are living for. Are you living for Self or your Savior? The proof is in how and for whom we are living. The genuineness of your repentance and faith is shown by how and who you are living for. If Jesus is truly your Lord it will show by the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through your life to live a holy and obedient life to the commands of your Lord/master.

So ask yourself - as evidence that Jesus is truly my Lord - am I willing to obey all that the Lord Jesus has commanded in the Bible for His followers to do? This is important, because genuine repentance confesses (admits) that one is a sinner, renounces all sin as serious transgressions against God deserving Hell, stops practicing sin, and starts practicing righteousness by obeying God’s will as revealed in the Bible.

Similarly, true faith is more than just intellectual belief in Jesus, it is more than a one-time sinner’s prayer, it is a complete certainty, hope, and trust in Jesus Christ to forgive you, empower you to live a righteous life, and raise you from the dead to spend eternity with Him in Heaven after you die.

The ultimate question is... are you willing to completely turn from your former practice of sin and living for self as the false god controlling your own life? Are you ready to commit your life by faith to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might (Matthew 22:37)? Are you willing to make Jesus Christ LORD (Master) of your life?

Another way to test if Jesus is really your Lord, is to examine your life and see who’s really controlling your life (Jesus or you), who’s will you’re obeying (Jesus or your’s), and who’s glory you’re seeking (Jesus or yours). Man’s Participation is to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and His offer to forgive your sins and credit you His righteousness

Therefore, those seeking to be saved must believe and follow Jesus by faith and repentance. True followers of Jesus Christ are blessed in many ways and have everything to look forward to, as all God’s promises will be fulfilled.

God’s Promise: God promises that those who repent and place their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation will be born again to live a new life now and have a certainty of eternal life later. The new life now is a result of God forgiving all your sins past, present, and future. This is called justification, because God as the ultimate justice declares you to be justified (innocent) in His eyes of all sin.

God also marks all true believers as belonging to Him as His adopted children by indwelling them with His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit regenerates (makes brand new) the new believer by empowering them to resist and overcome the temptations of sin that previously enslaved the sinner so that they were unable to overcome or be free of sin’s hold and consequences on their own strength.

The Holy Spirit also changes and empowers the desires and actions of a believer to line up with God’s Will, so that God is pleased and glorified. Thus, a new believer is born again to live a new life that loves God and seeks to serve Him, know Him, and worship Him. The Bible describes this in 2 Corinthians 5:17. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come." God continues to sanctify (set apart) the true believer to become progressively more and more like Jesus Christ in true righteousness, so that a believer’s life is characterized by holiness, blamelessness, and love.

Finally, a believer does not fear death (or should not fear death) because after death they will be received into the glory of the presence of God their Father in heaven. The new spirit they received on earth will finally be matched with a new body in heaven so that all remnants of the curse of sin (like our old dieing bodies) will finally be history.

This is why the favorite verse of many believers is Revelation 21:4-7 which says,”He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

But also notice the very next verse of this passage that sternly warns of the coming judgment and all who reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." So now that you’ve heard a thorough explanation of the Gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ - ask yourself four questions:

1. Do I have a relationship with God, because I love Him with all my heart, soul, and strength?

2. Have I truly died to my old life of sin, by repenting of all my rebellious sins against God, His Plan, and His Laws?

3. Have I truly made a marriage-like covenant to the Lord by faith that commits my life to love, serve, know, and worship Jesus as Lord?

4. Is there evidence in my life that I have been born again and been completely changed by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in my life - marking me as a true child of God?

If you are not certain that you would go to Heaven when you die and you are now ready to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, then repent right now of all your sin, place all your faith in Jesus Christ to forgive your sins, and commit to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength.

However you express this decision (promise/covenant) to God, can be in your own words, but make sure it is a sincere commitment of your heart. Romans 10:9-13 tells you exactly how to be saved. "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.' For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'"

When you repent and place in your faith in Jesus to save/forgive you your sins and be your new Lord, remember that the first evidence or proof of your new love and relationship with God is by obedience to His commands (John 5:3). The very first command the Lord gives His disciples to prove they now belong to Him is to be baptized in water. Baptism is a public expression that you have received Christ's gift of His blood to forgive your sins and His righteousness to enter the Kingdom of heaven, and overall an outward symbol that you now belong to Christ and sincerely believe in his death, burial, and resurrection to save you. Baptism doesn't save you but it is PROOF that Jesus truly is your new boss, owner, master, and LORD.