The Gospel is Transformational not Transactional
I have been teaching Justification by Faith Alone in Christ Alone for years as the gospel or good news. I have used the tickets to eternity as an illustration of justification. (see the home page The Good News) A person very dear to me pointed out that this version of the Gospel or Good News sounds transactional, like something you would do at a store counter. What I’ve attempted to explain is a spiritual rebirth. Justification is transformational not transactional. In the Gospel according to John we find a spiritual leader named Nicodemus interacting with Jesus. Jesus attempts to explain the transformation of the spirit to him.
*John 3:1-6 “1Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
4“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”
The only way for your spirit to be reborn was through a free gift we don’t deserve (Grace). In Ephesians 2 verses 1-3 Paul tells us our spirit was dead because of sin. In verse 4-10 he tells us how our spirit comes to life. This spiritual birth is not accomplished by things we do, it is by God’s grace (a free gift we don’t deserve).
*Ephesians 2:1-10 “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
We were spiritually dead in our sins. *Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. God saw that everyone born with the sin nature would desire sin, and once they chose sin they would be spiritually dead. God loved you so much he created a plan to save you. The bible says in John 3:16 that God loved you so much that He gave His one and only Son(Jesus). Jesus, God’s son, came to this earth. His spirit was alive he had to choose to sin or not to sin. *Hebrews 4:15 says that we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet he did not sin. Now that we know Jesus was sinless, we know he qualified to be our substitute sacrifice. *2 Corinthians 5:21 “21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
*Romans 4: 25 “ 25He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Don’t miss the main point Jesus took our sin into his account and gave us the righteousness that was in his account. This is what we call Justification. The one and only thing that causes this to happen is faith.
*Romans 5:18-21 18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The transformation is from spiritual death to spiritual life. This allows us to enter a relationship with God that was impossible before. Once your spirit is reborn you have a new connection to God. The Gospel according to John says.
*John 1:12-13 “12Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
Remember that believing or “faith” requires 3 things knowledge, understanding, and the last and most important is personal trust. We must believe that all that Jesus did here on earth was to provide us a way to heaven. Once you trust that as your way to get to heaven the bible says you are God’s personal child. Think about your earthly parent. Now try to imagine a perfect parent. One that doesn’t make mistakes and loves us without measure. God is now your spiritual parent. You are God’s own child. You have entered a loving, caring relationship. You choose not to sin because you love God and He loves you. When you were a child you tried to do things that made your parents happy. Most of us attempted to avoid behavior that would disappoint our parents. That is because we loved our parents. When your spirit is reborn you enter a relationship with God. That doesn’t mean you will be perfect. There will be times you sin. We have all done things that disappointed our parents but that did not mean they were no longer our parents. It meant we learned from our mistakes and did better next time. God loves us more than our earthly parents ever could. Read how the Jesus describes this relationship.
*Matthew 7:7-12 7“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
The transformation is from spiritual death in sin to spiritual life with Christ. Once you accept this truth the bible says your spirit is born and that you become a child of God.
*New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011
