TCW Short Take #5 - Week of

Well, let's say someone's tuned into the program that's never tuned in before. They're trying to make sense of all that's being discussed today about the Reformation and the Puritans and the pilgrims and so forth and sanctification. Could you just describe what you mean by what is the gospel and how someone can be made right with God and why there's a necessity for us or there's a call for us to be right with God?

That's a great question, and we absolutely must have clarity here. So we begin with who God is. We begin with this idea that there is a Creator, and this Creator has revealed himself in his word. He has made himself known in his word. And what we've learned as we look to his word is that we, his creatures, were disobedient.

This is a season of thanksgiving. Well, there's a text in Romans 1 that says we did not give him thanks. Instead, we sort of turned against God and worshipped the creation rather than the Creator. And that's our sin. That's our sin before God. It was the sin of our first parent Adam in the garden who disregarded God's word and disobeyed God, and he plunged all of us into sin. And the reality is not only are we born a sinner, but we sin and we turn our back on God. God in his graciousness sent his son, his only son, his beloved son.

And Jesus, when he came in the Incarnation, was born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus did what we cannot do. He kept the law.

He was perfectly obedient to his Father. But he also undid what we did do. And so while he was perfect and sinless and obedient, he was condemned to the cross and died on the cross. And what Scripture says about this event, this historical event, was that this was God pouring out his wrath upon sin. And so Jesus is our substitute in our place who died in our place. And as this sinless, spotless Lamb, he took upon him our sin. And so we can stand forgiven. We can have our sins forgiven. We can approach this holy Creator God that we are separated from. And it's all because of what Christ has done for us. So the gospel is very simple.

God is holy. We are sinful. We need a substitute. And that substitute is Jesus Christ. And we're coming soon into the Christmas season here.

And this is really the story of Christmas. Jesus came into this world to save us from our sin. And he is the spotless Lamb who can take away our sin. And so the gospel just points us to Christ and what he did for us on the cross. And then we're called to respond to all you just said by repenting of our sin and entrusting by faith in who Christ is and what he did for us on the cross. Absolutely. We hope you gained from this short take of the Christian Worldview radio program. To hear the full program and further connect with this ministry, visit thechristianworldview.org. I'm David Wheaton.