BETHESDA BAPTIST CHURCH, Felixstowe

What exactly is "the gospel"? "Gospel" is another word for "good news" - which is very appropriate because what Christians believe is very good news indeed. And it's good news because of something called GRACE.

What is grace?

Grace is not a word used very often these days in everyday conversation so perhaps it's not surprising that people are sometimes unclear about its meaning. Just what exactly is grace... a girl's name, a ceremonial title for addressing a duke or archbishop, a short prayer before a meal, an easy elegance? Yes, it is all of these things. So why is grace so important to Christians? It is because the word has another and even more important meaning. It means also "the undeserved kindness and mercy of God." We at Bethesda have experienced this mercy ourselves and want to use this website to explain more clearly what grace really is.

The gospel of grace

The gospel of grace is good news for a world in crisis. Who would disagree that we live in a problem world? Wars, corrupt politicians and global warming make the headlines. Add to these street violence, drug abuse, school bullying, family feuds… it's not a pretty picture! A hopeless situation? It would be if it weren't for this: God has provided the solution the world needs. He tells us about it in the Bible. Here indeed is good news for a world in crisis!

God's diagnosis

Imagine you are in agony with a pain in your middle. "It's appendicitis," says the doctor. How do you react? Do you get offended and say, "How dare you tell me something so unpleasant? That's the last time I come to your surgery!" Of course not. Unpleasant though it may be, a diagnosis is the first step to a cure.

Many of us have our own theories about society's ills: "Attack poverty, no more fat cats!" Or "Zero tolerance for criminals!" Or "Give everyone an equal chance!" We all tend to pin blame on other people - be it politicians, parents or asylum seekers. But God points the finger at you and me. He says that the root of the problem is the refusal of each one of us to acknowledge and obey him as Creator and Lawgiver - what the Bible calls "sin".

Demanding justice

Justice is precious. We like to see justice done. We often think we deserve a better deal. But have you ever thought what it would be like to get exactly what you deserve - no more, no less - from God, bearing in mind that his standard is total perfection in everything we do, think and say? We judge ourselves by our own standards and can usually point to someone we think is worse than ourselves. But in God's eyes even the best of us falls short. For him to give us what we deserve would mean sending us to hell.

God's amazing gift

"How depressing!" you might say, "If God is absolutely pure and totally just, what hope is there for anyone?" Well, amazingly there is hope! Yes, the situation is desperate, but God has already done something about it. The Bible says, "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." ⁽¹⁾ God sent his own Son, Jesus Christ, into the world on a rescue mission. How did he do it?

The penalty has been paid

If you do a day's work, you have a right to be paid for it. But we don't like to hear of young criminals getting a free holiday - it doesn't seem right somehow. Imagine then this scenario:

A high court judge sentences a young murderer to life. The judge then goes to gaol himself instead of the murderer so that the criminal can be released. Meanwhile he arranges to adopt the youth as his son. He gives the young man a share of his property large enough make him rich. That would really shock us, wouldn't it?

But what God has done is even more shocking. As we've said already, the gospel is the good news of God's grace. Grace is God's kindness free-of-charge to those who deserve the opposite. The gospel of grace is the astonishing message that God himself has paid the penalty that allows his enemies to go free. He has done everything necessary for them to become his friends. More than that, they become members of his family - his own sons and daughters with a share in his riches.

The great exchange

For everyone who believes this message, a great exchange has taken place. Jesus has taken their disobedience and rebellion - the sin that makes them offensive to God - on himself. He has endured the full force of God's justice against them on the cross. In exchange for their sin, Jesus gives them his own perfect righteousness, like a new suit to wear. This makes them fully acceptable to God.

God gives them a new heart so that they love God and hate sin. They look forward to a secure future beyond this life, happy forever with God in the new heavens and new earth which nothing can spoil.

Has it happened for you?

In the Bible, God invites you to believe this message. His favour is not something you can earn or deserve. He's not open to bribes. He urges you to acknowledge your sin, to turn from it and to believe in his Son, Jesus Christ. The only way to be saved is gratefully to accept God's offer of grace.

None of us knows how long we have to accept God's invitation. The Bible teaches us that ". . . He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead." ⁽²⁾

Wouldn't it be wise to accept it now?

⁽¹⁾ John 3:16 ⁽²⁾ Acts17:31

A WORD FOR APRIL

A DEBT TO PAY

Dear friends,

Matthew 25:34-46

Kings aren’t normally known for associating with the hungry and thirsty, the weary and the homeless. Yet Jesus knew each one of these situations. He suffered a great deal while here on earth and he has never forgotten what it was like. He says in Matthew 25:40, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' The Lord accepts any kindness we may do for others as though it was done directly to him.

Here then is one of the ministries of the church - of each believer - a ministry to reach out to those who may be in need, to move from the self-centredness that is so characteristic of our age, from an attitude that is so easily imbibed, and to see the needs of others as opportunities of ministering to the Lord.

When we think of judgement, we often think of the sins we have committed, but we need to realise too that there is also the sin of omission, judged for the things we have not done. We may be condemned, not simply for the actual sin we have been involved in but in what we have neglected to do – for example, if we have passed by on the other side, if we have seen somebody in M&S and we know they have problems yet we have slipped down another aisle when a word of encouragement may have been just what they wanted. Or maybe we have talents and gifts that God has entrusted to us, but the fellowship or other people are not benefiting from them. Such things involve condemnation.

As believers we often talk about righteousness. Jesus says it is the righteous who are there to help one another – verse 37: Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?’ In other words, it is only as we are really right with God that we are merciful to men. Righteousness and being merciful go together.

Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to stir our hearts, to determine to follow Christ in this ministry to mankind. It’s true we can’t help everyone, but that ought not to prevent us from helping those who come within the orbit of our lives. Let us remember that what we do for others, we are actually doing for him, and what a great debt we owe to the Saviour. When did we last pay some of it off?

Your friend and pastor,

Peter

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