That title might sound cliché, but it’s the truth. Nothing radically changes things like the gospel of Jesus Christ does. We have seen this play out in the Bible with men and women that come to believe the gospel. We have seen this play out in the lives of those that have came to believe the gospel in the past. We see this playing out now with those that come to believe the gospel today. Past, present, and future genuine believers in Jesus Christ have this in common when they are born-again…everything changes.
What Is The Gospel?
The gospel comes from the Greek word euaggelion, which literally means “Good News”. The gospel is the good news according to Jesus Christ and the way of salvation. There is no greater news than the gospel of Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ, the Son of God came down from heaven and was born as a baby in the flesh, born of the virgin Mary and conceived by The Holy Spirit. HE lived the sinless life, that no human being has ever lived, HE willingly absorbed the wrath of God that was reserved for sinners (us) on the cross where HE died in our place. HE was buried and three days later HE rose from the grave proving that HE was indeed the Son of God. When we place our hope and faith in HIS finished work on the cross we are born again and receive the gift of eternal life (See 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Romans 5:6-8, John 3:16-21, 2 Corinthians 5:21, and Galatians 3:10-14). We were headed for hell and now because of the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ and HIS capturing our hearts and rescuing our souls, we are now heaven-bound and we are now God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). The gospel is the ultimate game- changer! Why do we need this good news to change us?
What Is The Bad News?
The bad news is that ever since the fall of mankind (see Genesis 3…and the continued fall out from that as you read the rest of The Bible) every human being that comes into this world has one common, primary problem. That problem is sin (See Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12, Proverbs 22:15, Psalm 51:5, and Psalm 58:3). The Bible is crystal clear, we are all born with this common, problem and this problem has serious consequences (See Romans 6:23a). We need righteousness and that righteousness is not found within ourselves or any system or program. It’s found in Christ and Christ alone! It is impossible to truly understand and appreciate how good the good news is until we truly comprehend how bad the bad news really is! This is not cheap grace; it was grace that cost God, HIS one and only Son! How do we really know we’ve faced the facts about this and truly repented of our sins and trusted in Jesus Christ?
The Mark That Must Exist
Many people claim to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, but how do we really know if that belief is genuine? There are lots of ideas “out there” (In the world) about what marks a Christian, but what does The Bible say? What’s “in there” (In the Word) that shows us who is for real and who isn’t? Charles Haddon Spurgeon was spot on when he said this, “Repentance is as much a mark of a Christian, as faith is. A very little sin, as the world calls it, is a very great sin to a true Christian.” In Matthew 3:8, Jesus says this, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” The word repentance simply means change of mind that results in change of actions. I have heard it illustrated like this, “Repentance is like a coin, it’s two-sided. On one side there is the confession of sin and on the other side there is the forsaking of sin. It is not truly repentance unless both the confession of sin and the forsaking of sin is happening. Now this does not mean that this is going to be perfect repentance. This will be imperfectly executed, but it ought to be something we are growing in as we are being sanctified (Sanctification is the process of becoming more and more like Jesus Christ as we die to self on a daily basis and walk not according to the flesh, but
instead walk according to the Spirit). If repentance isn’t a mark of our lives, we are not truly Christian. Remember, The Gospel changes everything. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 “But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” Repentance is not an optional mark of a Christian. It must exist to truly be Christian.
The Gospel and Repentance as it relates to the problem of addiction.
What does this have to do with addiction? Remember, The gospel changes everything. Everything includes addiction. If someone is in bondage to an addiction (i.e. sin, idolatry, slavery) and they are truly born-again they may still struggle with that issue, but if it is still dominating them and there is no repentance taking place they are not truly born-again. This may be hard to read, but it is the truth. As born-again, blood-bought believers in Jesus Christ we will all struggle in one way or multiple ways with sin for the rest of our lives, but if ongoing repentance isn’t a mark of our lives, we are only fooling ourselves. Biblically speaking, addiction is primarily a worship disorder that needs to be brought into order. That order comes through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” The gospel changes everything. There’s no greater news out there for the “addict” or anyone else that falls short of the glory of God!