News is always a past-tense reality
One of the greatest sentences in scripture must surely be the line Jesus said on the Cross, "It is Finished." (Tetelestai).
Jesus had now completed all that he had been sent to do by the Father. Nothing was left unfinished. Everything was complete. Right?
"Tetelestai" (Greek) literally means the work is complete.
To the Father, Jesus even said this out loud just before his Crucifixion, just in case anyone wasn't sure. He said:
"I have finished the work you gave me to do" (John 17:4),
And part of that work was that the WORLD would be judged (a decision was to be made).
Jesus announces this plainly, shortly before the Cross. He said, "Now is the time for this WORLD to be judged..." and then in the very next verse he describes exactly when and how this will happen: "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me." (John 12:32)
So, a decision (Judgement) was made over the "WORLD" - that's everyone - when Jesus was "lifted up" (when he was Crucified on the Cross).
This was the very reason why Jesus came - To reconcile ALL THINGS to God.
"For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in him should all the fullness dwell; and through him to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; " (Col 1:19-20 ")
Question: When were you judged and reconciled to God?
Wrong Answer: When you gave your life to Jesus and became a Christian.
Wrong Answer: When you had built up enough faith to believe the Gospel.
Wrong Answer: When you started going to church regularly.
Correct Answer: It happened at the Cross!
God demonstrated his opinion of you (and the whole world) by declaring, "all things" to be reconciled to Himself.
This was ALWAYS Gods opinion of us. There was never any separation from Gods side. It was man who's mind needed to be renewed back to this reality.
Note: He draws (or drags - Greek) us all back to him... not Himself back to us. He never left us in the first place. It was always our religious darkness that caused us to separate ourselves from Him. He even said it like this in the Old Testament - "I will never leave you or forsake you."
We must see past the lie of Religion that always invents a separation or distance between you and God that you need to close by doing any one of a variety of weird and wonderful things. The Cross didn't change God's mind towards man - He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
To add to this, Scripture says that the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world and that the cross was merely manifest in our times as a display for mankind to believe again. (1 Pet 1:20)
Religion wants you to believe in a works-based Salvation - something you need to do to bridge the distance of separation to reconnect to God again. This is NOT the Good News of "peace on earth for all mankind" that the angels declared at the birth of Jesus.
You could never earn your Salvation because Salvation is not some external thing, like a badge or a certificate. Salvation is the experience of knowing you are fully loved and accepted by your creator. It's living in the knowledge that you are created in the image and likeness of Love. You never lost this from God's point of view. He knows exactly who you are, what you are capable of being to the world, should you realise the freedom you have.
The Gospel shouts out this freedom to you, and the rest of the World.
A free gift (grace) that announces - You are Complete! You are loved unconditionally! You are a light in the darkness! You are a lover of the Hated and despised. You are Free to be whole and to heal blind who do not yet see this.
But Mankind is mostly like the prodigal son. In his mind he had become a failure and useless to his Father but Jesus tells us this story to show what the Father is really like. The Father in his story NEVER EVER thinks this of his son. He only loves him fully and completely, regardless of his "sin". This is the Gospel. The Good News. This is the true revelation of God that Jesus completely reveals.
Religion will always only ever point out your sin for you, and how you fall short of the standard "God requires." But the Gospel wants to point out God's love for you (and mankind).
Religion wants you to earn God's acceptance (like the Prodigal son thought he needed to grovel to earn his father's acceptance)
The Gospel renews your thinking so that you trust that God always finds you perfectly acceptable and declares you a target for his embrace!
Question: When did God make Peace with you? (and mankind)
Wrong Answer: When you put your faith in Jesus.
Correct Answer: It did not happen when you put faith in Jesus. It happened at the Cross, long before you had any say in the matter: "For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in him should all the fullness dwell; and through him to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; (Col 1:19-20)
Common comment: "But that leaves nothing for me to do to complete my Salvation?"
Correct Answer: That's correct! Jesus already said that the work he was sent to do was completed. It is Finished.
Scripture says that Jesus is the Saviour of the world! One died for All, Therefore ALL Died (2 Cor 5:14)
Do you remember dying in Christ on the Cross? Did you put your faith in him back then? Did you earn the right to live out Salvation?
No, you did not. Yours and the world's reconciliation had nothing to do with you, but everything to do with the faithfulness and love of God.
Scripture, in fact, says that at that time, "you were Dead in sin, but He made you alive together with Christ" (Eph 2:5)(Col 2:13)
Question: It says that you were dead, but you were made alive TOGETHER WITH Christ. When were you "with Christ"?
Correct Answer: At the cross! When he drew you and the rest of the cosmos into himself. We died together with him, and sin was judged. Then we were all declared to be Alive (Alive = Salvation: Sozo ) together with Christ.
Question: When were you made alive?
Wrong Answer: when I went to church and "gave my life" during the alter call.
Correct Answer: God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven. (Eph 2:6)
"And you—being dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh—He made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all the trespasses," (Col 2:13)
But Andrew!!! You're making this all about Jesus, and nothing about me!! Surely I have to do something to prove my faith. Surely I have to produce fruit to prove that I am saved??
That line of thinking is NOT a result of the Good News. It is a result of a religious treadmill, and it denies the finished work of Christ. It is "Anti-Christ".
It is NOT noble or noteworthy to feel the need to add to the completed work of Christ with our "Evidence of Salvation". The need to produce evidence or "fruit" shows clearly that one has not grasped the gift of the finished work of the cross.
This is a free gift to humanity. When your mind is renewed by the Gospel you will never feel the need to prove it. You will live it - trust expresses itself through unconditional love.
As Paul writes, "we are compelled by Love". True Fruit can never be forced or coerced to produce itself. It is an UN-containable reaction, fueled by the revelation of God's love for you presented in the Gospel.
It is for the sake of Freedom that Christ has set us free - do not go back under a yoke of religion. Jesus came to end all religion.
Stay Free in the Gospel!