01 Jan What makes a news good?

By: Firman Rianto

During recent teenager service in the church I asked the regulars, “What did Jesus come for?” Majority of answers coming from children born to Christian parents are “to save us.” A follow up question is demanded, “To save us from what?” Generally they answer “sin.” Sins are offenses against God that bring down his wrath.

Common misconceptions toward Christianity are how weak Christ is portrait as a baby in contemporary Christmas decoration, or in movies how he never retaliate when they ridicule, spit or beat him up as he walk to be crucified. Quite seldom we consider the reality of his wrath that makes the gospel, good news.

Let us turn to Colossians 2:13-14.

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him [Christ], having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”¹

“Make sure you see this most wonderful and astonishing of all truths: God took the record of all your sins that made you a debtor to wrath, and instead of holding them up in front of your face and using them as the warrant to send you to hell, he put them in the palm of his Son’s hand and drove a nail through them into the cross.”²

Indeed, Jesus came to save us. To save us from receiving penalties of sins, God’s wrath. He did it by becoming a substitute for us. Those were the records of my sins, your sins, “the sins of all who despair of saving themselves and trust in Christ alone”² that was nailed to the cross two thousand years ago. “It did not happen inside of you, and it did not happen with any help from you. God did that for you and outside of you before you were ever born.”²

And that is a good news.

¹ Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

² John Piper. ©2015 Desiring God Foundation. http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/marriage-god-s-showcase-of-covenant-keeping-grace