CHRISTIAN FINE ART GALLERY > THE GOSPEL SERIES > The Gospel (panel piece set of 8)
ONFS, Acrylic Painting on Paper
The gospel “good news” is the message of how we sinners can be forgiven and reconciled back to God through repentance and faith in the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Artist’s Reflection:
God fervently longs to have a close, personal relationship with every single one of us.
“For 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.” (John 3:16)
God is also perfect in holiness and righteousness and cannot be in the presence of sin. Sadly, because we have all sinned, we cannot even stand in his presence; thus we are separated from him, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
God, who is perfect in love and justice, declares that the just punishment for our sin is death and hell, where we will be cut off from his loving presence eternally.
“For the wages [consequences] of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
Despite the fact we are sinners; however, God still loves us and still longs to have a personal relationship with us:
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly…God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6,8)
To make the way for us to be reconciled to himself, God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to live the perfect, sinless life we could never live. Jesus then took upon himself all of our sins and bore the punishment for them through his death on the cross.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (Ephesians 1:7)
Jesus died as a ransom, a substitute, a scapegoat, for all those who would repent and believe in him. He rose from the dead three days later, eternally conquering sin, death, hell and the devil. Through his death and resurrection he has made reconciliation with God possible for us.
In order to be reconciled to God and to enter into a loving, personal relationship with him:
First, you must repent (confess, be sorry and turn away) from all of your sins. (God promises to freely forgive you of ALL your sins–no matter how many sins you have committed and no matter how bad they are. See 1 John 1:9)
Second, you must trust in Jesus to be your personal Savior. Believe in your heart that Jesus has paid the punishment for your sins through his death on the cross. When you receive him in faith as your Savior, then all of your sins (past, present and future) will be forgiven and eternally removed.
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:17-18)
If you sincerely call upon the Lord from your heart, repent and trust in Jesus as your personal Savior, you will be saved from your sins and their eternal consequences. You will enter into a loving, personal relationship with God that will last throughout eternity.
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…” (Acts 3:19)
“…for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'” (Romans 10:13)
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)