The Simple Gospel
When it comes to understanding the gospel message of Jesus, Romans 10:13 is a great place to begin:
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Romans 10:13 NIV
The gospel of Jesus is the message that Jesus lived a perfect life and died for our sins on the cross so that through His death and resurrection we can experience true and everlasting life. We can choose to believe in Jesus, and through faith experience Jesus’s undeserved gift of forgiveness and love.
The simplicity of the gospel is also what can make it controversial: We don’t have to work for or earn our salvation. It is given to us freely as a gift of God through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).
If you choose to believe in Jesus and put your faith in Him, that's it. You are saved.
If you’ve ever questioned whether or not you’re saved, then this promise can encourage you. The way to Jesus is simple. If you trust in Jesus then you are truly saved and don’t need to question it. All that is left is to continue to believe in and follow Jesus every day.
A Way in the Wilderness
Have you noticed that sometimes life feels like a desert? In moments of pain and anxiety, it may seem like there’s no way out. All we see is an endless wasteland.
The people of Israel faced their worst “desert” when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and took its inhabitants captive. Far from home, they lived for decades under oppression. In moments of anguish and despair, they remembered the prophet’s words: “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (NIV).
In the ancient Near East, a king’s subjects would “prepare a way” by going ahead of him when he returned to his city. His return implied abundance and protection. The author uses this image to announce a way out of the desert; make a path for the King of Kings, trusting that he will arrive to lead everyone home.
The prophet’s confidence finds a basis in God’s history. God freed Israel from brutal slavery—with ...