I. Who is God?

A. God is the eternally existing creator. He created man for fellowship and to display His glory by man enjoying Him forever. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth. Genesis 1:1 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 God, as creator, has full rights and authority as God over all He created.

B. God Is Holy. God is perfect and without sin. Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor. Habakuk 1:13

C. God is Just. Because God is perfect and without sin, He must be be a perfect judge against any evil not in line with His holiness. If He was not, then He would cease to be holy. For the Lord is righteousness, He loves righteousness; the upright will behold His face. Psalm 11:7 God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day. If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready. Psalm 7:11-12

II. Who is Man?

Man is condemned and depraved due to his sin. Adam and Eve, the first people to inhabit the earth, both chose to disobey the command of God. They committed the first sin by humans and introduced sin to all people who came after them. When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:6 . . . through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned . . . Romans 5:12 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteousness deeds are like a filthy garment . . . Isaiah 64:6

III. A Dilemma

If God is pure and holy, and therefore has to execute perfect justice, then how can man be saved? He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them are an abomination to the Lord. Proverbs 17:15 Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the judge of all the earth deal justly? Genesis 18:25

IV. Another Aspect of God

God's Character is Holy and Just, but the Bible Also Tells Us That He is Love. All His Qualities are Perfect, and One Does Not Negate Any Other.

V. God's Response to Man

A. God Responded to Man's Dilemma in Love God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is l love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:8-10

B. God's Love Toward Man Is Demonstrated Through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was born to a virgin in Bethlehem around 2000 years ago according to the pre-determined plan of God. Jesus is God come in the flesh and came as the only one who could pay the penalty for sin. God poured out His perfect wrath and anger on Jesus. It was His anger and justice against mans' sins. Three days after Jesus' death, he arose from the grave. God fully accepted Jesus' sacrifice as sufficient payment. He (Jesus) is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked— but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin. Isaiah 53:3-10 . . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26

VI. Man's Response to God

A. Jesus Calls Us to Repentance Repentance is turning from one thing to another. In this case, it is turning from sin and reliance upon ourselves to God, and it begins with a recognition and agreement with God that what he says about us is true - we are sinners. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done this evil in Your sight— that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge. Psalm 51:3-4

B. A Recognition of Our Condition Before God Will Lead to a Hatred of Our Sin. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Romans 7:24

C. Repentance That Leads to a Hatred of Sin Will Lead to a Treasuring and Love of Jesus Christ. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-45

D. A Work of God in the Heart of a Man or Woman Produces Faith. Faith is placing yourself in the hands of God, giving Him rights over the governing of your life. Modern translations of the Bible use the word 'believe.' This is not a mere believing in the facts about Jesus, that he died and rose again three days later. It is is a trusting in Him to the point that you place everything you are under his authority. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 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. John 3:16

VII. Salvation is Continual, Not a One Time Act on the Part of a Man

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Matthew 7:16

The good news is presented in the last installment of our History of the Modern Gospel series. You can watch it below.