John 3:16 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
What makes the atonement and redemptive work of Jesus Christ unique among all other religions, and why is the gospel called the Good News? It has to do with righteousness, which means being in a right standing before God. If we truly grasp what righteousness is, we will be assured of our salvation, passionate and eager to share the gospel, and confident in prayer.
The Bible says that God loves the world, not a select group of people. Genesis 12:3 reveals that God wants all the families of the earth to be blessed, even though He chose the Jews to be His covenant people to bring forth the Messiah. That’s God’s love, His plan for the salvation of mankind, and to restore our relationship with Him. The blessedness mentioned in Genesis 12:3 refers to the restoration of a right standing before God through faith in Him, achieved through the atonement carried out by Jesus.
God is loving, but He is also a just, righteous, and holy God who must judge sin. God respects our decision as free moral agents. Therefore, those who reject the only way back to God will perish, enter an eternity without Him, and be tormented in the lake of fire. Hell exists for the unrepentant who choose not to accept the gospel because there is a penalty for sin and consequences for wilfully rejecting the gospel. When we come before the Lord to acknowledge Him as our Lord and Saviour, we are declaring that we are spiritually bankrupt and cannot earn a right standing before God with our own strength.
We all need to respond by trusting in Jesus for our salvation, and since we have discovered a great treasure in Jesus, we also want to share the Good News with those around us. We have been entrusted with the ministry and the word of reconciliation. Nobody can call upon the name of the Lord unless they hear the gospel through us.
Romans 1:16-17 (NKJV) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
The righteous live by faith in the living God. Understanding how God has justified us will have a powerful impact on our walk with Him. Because God wants to do great exploits through every disciple of Jesus Christ, we are all unique and have a specific calling on our lives.
The gospel is God’s power to save. We can only receive a revelation of God’s righteousness through His Word.
Sermon Series: Righteousness: Religion or Reality
认识义的真义
约翰福音 3:16 神爱世人，甚至将他的独生子赐给他们，叫一切信他的，不至灭亡，反得永生。
是什么使耶稣基督的赎罪与救赎之工在众多宗教中显得独一无二？为什么福音被称为“好消息”？这与“义”息息相关——义的意思是“在神面前有正当的地位”。若我们真正明白“义”的含义，就会对自己的救恩有确据，对传福音充满热忱与激情，并在祷告中充满信心。
圣经说，神爱世人——不是只爱某一小群人。创世记12:3 启示我们，神的心意是要地上的万族都得福，虽然祂拣选以色列人为祂的立约子民，为的是让弥赛亚从他们中间而出。这正是神的爱——祂拯救人类的计划，恢复人与祂之间关系的旨意。创世记 12:3 中所说的“得福”，指的正是藉着信心恢复与神的正确关系，这份福分是借着耶稣完成的赎罪之工而实现的。
神是慈爱的，但祂同时也是公义、正直、圣洁的神，必须审判罪恶。神尊重我们作为自由道德主体的选择。因此，那些拒绝回到神面前的唯一道路的人，将会灭亡，进入一个没有神、永远受痛苦的地方——火湖。地狱存在，是为那些顽梗不悔改、拒绝福音的人预备的，因为罪必须被追讨，而故意拒绝福音也会带来后果。当我们来到主面前，承认祂为我们的主和救主时，我们是在宣告：自己在灵里是贫穷的，靠自己无法在神面前得称为义。
我们都需要以信心回应，信靠耶稣得救。而当我们发现耶稣这无价的珍宝时，我们自然也渴望将这好消息与周围的人分享。因为神已经把“劝人与祂和好的职分和道”托付给了我们。若没有人传扬，世人就无法听见；若没有听见，就不能求告主的名。
罗马书 1:16–17 我不以福音为耻，这福音本是神的大能，要救一切相信的，先是犹太人，后是希腊人。因为神的义正在这福音上显明出来；这义是本于信，以至于信，如经上所记：‘义人必因信得生。’
义人是因信活着——他们信靠那位永活的神。若我们明白神是如何使我们称义的，这将深刻影响我们与祂同行的生命。神渴望借着每一位耶稣基督的门徒成就大事；我们每个人都是独特的，都有神在我们生命中的特定呼召。
福音是神拯救的大能。唯有通过祂的话语，我们才能真正领受关于神之义的启示。
讲章系列：公义：宗教要求，还是救恩的确据？