Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:6-7)
Raise your hand if you wish to be a great putter. Some of you are probably raising both hands! Books and videos abound on the secrets to becoming a good putter. Garages and hall closets are filled with putters that once were thought to be the answer.
When you ask great putters how to putt better, they almost always say, “Right read, right speed.” To become really good at putting, you need to read greens well and match that line with your putt’s proper pace or speed.
It doesn’t matter how you hold the putter or what it looks like. What matters is the read of the putt and the pace of the putt. As one instructor confidently said, “Good read; good speed… it’s that simple.”
I suspect many of us can make a mess of “simple,” especially in putting.
Regarding the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it’s simple, too. Thousands of books have been written on the gospel, many of which wouldn’t fit in your golf bag.
Renowned theologians spend hours thinking through the gospel, and rightly so. But, for the sake of this devotion, we will keep it simple.
The word gospel is found seventy-six times in the bible and means good news. Why is the gospel good news? It is good news because it reveals our wretched sinful nature, that there is a way to be forgiven, and that there is power to overcome sin. Said more simply, the good news is the Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross is for the forgiveness of sins to all who believe.
The Bible teaches us that sin deserves death, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
In the midst of this “bad news,” the gospel is the answer for our sin-stricken hearts. God, in His amazing grace, provided salvation from our sin through His one and only Son. Without the gospel, without Jesus, we remain in our sin and are irreversibly headed toward eternal death.
However, with the gospel, there is forgiveness, cleansing from all unrighteousness, power to overcome, and adoption into God’s family.
In a sermon, one pastor said, “All the Gospel requires is repentance and faith.” That’s it. It’s that simple. To receive the gospel, we must repent of our sins and, by faith, look to Jesus for forgiveness.
Wayne Grudem explains, “Repentance is a heartfelt sorrow for sin, renouncing it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it.”
Faith is believing that Jesus is sufficient to pardon my sin and its penalty (see Galatians 3:23-26; Ephesians 1:15). To believe He’s your only hope. When we receive a new heart, obedience to the Lord and His Word is the outcome. It’s that simple.
When we, who have tasted His forgiveness and power, find ourselves urging someone to turn to Christ, we call them to repent and believe in Jesus and His work on the cross. Keep it simple. (See Romans 10:15; Mark 16:15)
Prayer: Lord! Thank you for the gospel and how your gospel has given me new life and purpose.