The heart of the matter

Considering Christ’s teaching in the Bible can be a bit like getting to grips with IKEA instructions. You know they are correct, but there’s lots of information. So, the temptation is to assume what is being said. And the danger is that what you end up with wasn’t what was intended by the maker.

For this reason, I am writing this to clarify the heart of what Jesus taught. Jesus helps us by summarising his message himself. Just before he ascended up onto heaven, Jesus said:

1. Jesus’ message is about the forgiveness of sins.

The goodness of God.

The need we all have for God’s forgiveness can be hard to accept. The infinite size to our universe points to the infinite nature of God as the Creator. And so, he is infinitely righteous. That means he will always do what is right. And so, he will always choose to act justly towards what is wrong, wherever it occurs. That’s how supremely perfect, pure and good he is.

So, the Bible describes God as a consuming fire. Like fire with impurity in metal, he will always react to burn up sin no matter how small. That’s why Jesus stressed we need his forgiveness not just for outer acts, but for the evil reflections of our hearts.[1]

The seriousness of sin.

Christ’s diagnosis is that we are far worse than we realise. Consider the ease with which even seemingly upright people prioritise self, ignore the needy, harbour grudges, put people down, and lie, shout at, or seek to control others. And then there are the dishonest, adulterous or even murderous things we contemplate, that we might well put into practice if opportunity came.

But most serious, is our refusal to thank or honour God for the many things he gives, or bring these sins to him in sorrow and a desire for help and change. The Bible talks of how God’s power and nature are displayed to everyone in the created order. Yet we all suppress that knowledge in order to carry-on living our way without giving him much thought at all. This means that we are without excuse.[2]

And because these sins are against an infinite God, they are far more serious than we could ever grasp. Jesus therefore warned that he will judge everyone after death, and that unless they receive God’s forgiveness, the penalty they must face is a terrible reality in which they will experience the just sentence their sins deserve, with a severity corresponding to its seriousness. He called this “hell,” describing it as an everlasting punishment where the “fire never goes out.” And his concern for us was seen in his frankness about it. He taught that there people will experience destruction of body and soul, and suffer great anguish at forever being shut out of God’s kingdom of light and blessing.[3]

The wonder of the cross.

Its an incredibly difficult truth. But we believe it because we are convinced about who Jesus is, and he teaches it. Our greatest need is therefore God’s forgiveness. And the wonder is that God made this possible by sending his Son to become a man as Jesus Christ.

This is why the cross is at the very centre of Christianity. Jesus taught that there he endured and absorbed the punishment deserved by all who would come to him so that they could be forgiven. And that forgiveness is the doorway to everything else we need and long for: life lived now with God as a perfect Father, and forever with him and his people after death in a renewed world of joy, free from all evil and suffering.[4]

As an infinitely righteous God, God will always choose to punish sin of whatever degree, yet as an infinitely loving God, he has made a way to forgive it, by taking that punishment himself - in his Son.

2. The forgiveness of sins is received only in Christ’s name.

The need to respond to Christ.

To say forgiveness is “in Christ’s name” means not only that he enables this forgiveness and all that flows from it, but that it cannot be ours unless we come to him for it.

Let me put it another way to ensure this is understood. Apart for those lacking capacity like younger children, Christ teaching is that if someone dies without having responded to him with repentant faith, they have forfeited the forgiveness and salvation he offers, and will therefore have to face the punishment for their sin themselves in hell.

No other way but Christ.

Some wonder why responding to Christ should be so necessary, and why God wouldn’t just forgive sincere people who try hard at life. But when you think about it, salvation must come by responding to Christ.

1. If escaping hell depended on attaining a certain degree of morality or religiousness, then there would be no hope for the mass of people who don’t do well at life. And we would all be horribly burdened with anxiety and fear over whether we had done enough.

2. Forgiveness is about restoring a relationship with the God who is actually there. And so there can be no true forgiveness without actually recognizing and coming to him as he has come to us in Christ.

3. The result of that forgiveness is to be filled with new spiritual life that transforms us now and brings us through death. But that life is bound up with Christ. So, expecting it without coming to him for it is like a light expecting to light up without being plugged into the grid.

The fact is that in the most profound love, God has made a way for absolutely anyone to be saved from the penalty they deserve, no matter how bad they have been. But that way – the only way, is by actually responding to Jesus Christ. The famous verses below stress this throughout:

Dealing with the difficulty.

Now this can be quite unsettling when we grasp its implications for the world. So, a number of things need to be said.

1. Only God knows someone’s response to Christ as they die. He is so gracious that he is willing to forgive even those who sincerely seek it at the last minute. And in his kindness, he has ensured that many in the world know at least something of Christ that might move them to seek his mercy as they face death. So, if we have lost loved ones who weren’t Christians, we still cannot be sure what their final destiny is.

2. God knows every heart, and is well able to ensure that any who truly seek him get to hear about Christ so that they can be saved. This might be through causing them to move to another country or meet a Christian in their own. The Bible records an instance when a man has a vision that moves him to seek someone who can tell him Christ’s message (Acts 10-11). And we hear reports of similar things today in countries with little Christianity.

3. Before Jesus lived people could still believe in Christ by joining the nation of Israel in believing the promises made about the Saviour to come, and seeking forgiveness from Israel’s God. And even before that, there was a line of humanity that called on the true God. In other words, God has always ensured there are people he could draw others to, so that they could hear about him.[5]

3. The forgiveness of sins is received by repentance towards Christ.

A spiritual U turn.

The word repentance refers to a change of mind and heart that causes us to turn from sin to Christ. It’s a spiritual U-turn in which we decisively change our thinking about him and how we are going to live with respect to him. It is therefore evident in two things.

Trusting in Christ.

First, repentance is expressed in faith or belief. This is not a vague or baseless sense there must be a god. It’s a firm trust that Jesus really is God the Son come to us as a man, with a conviction grounded in all he said and did, and especially his resurrection from the dead.

So, those who repent have changed their mind about Jesus and so turned from unbelief to trust him in everything: in what he teaches about his identity, work, and what he would have for us all. And they continue to trust him throughout their lives. They trust his promise of forgiveness when they do wrong, they trust in the wisdom of his purposes when life is hard, they trust in his presence to help as they pray, and in the truth of his teaching as they decide how to live.

Turning from sin.

Second, repentance is proved by obedience and service.[6] We need to be clear that we are not saved by how well we do at these things, but simply by trusting Christ for his forgiveness. This is a huge relief as we daily get things wrong. Nevertheless, those who truly trust Christ will never be content to stay the same. And so, their acts prove whether their faith is genuine.

Having risen from the dead, Jesus now reigns over all things as Lord and calls all people everywhere to follow him. Through faith Christians therefore welcome him as their Lord and God. They recognize that he will call everyone to account for their lives, but in love left heaven and endured the horrors of the cross so they could be his. And so, they readily follow him and want to please him.

It is the risen Jesus who enables this transformation. His Holy Spirit fills every Christian with new life, increasingly seen in a love for God, for his desires, and for others. This is what moves new Christians to join a church and eagerly embrace the things of the Christian life. The whole purpose of their life is now to live knowing and serving the one who made them, gave his life for them, and has called them to be his.

This is the heart of the matter. And my prayer is that in reading this you will respond as Jesus calls us to. Nothing is more important.

[1] Hebrews 12v29, Mark 7v20-23

[2] Romans 1v18-23, Romans 2v1-11

[3] Matthew 25v46; Mark 9v43; Matt 8v12; Lk 13v28; Matt 10v28; Luke 12v47–48; Matt 11v20–24

[4] Matthew 26v28, 1 Peter 2v24, Isaiah 53v4-12

[5] For these three points, see Luke 23v39-43, Acts 17v26-27, Acts 10-11, Romans 4v1-8

[6] For these two sides of repentance see Acts 20v21 and 26v20