Harmony預覽

Harmony Between God and Mankind

Restoration is an important thing. Just about everyone can think of something that they wish had not been broken, lost, or destroyed. According to the Bible, mankind’s relationship with God is something that has been broken, causing all people to be lost and leading everyone toward destruction. Thankfully, God loves humanity far too much to not offer a way for people to be restored to living in harmony with Him.

Before diving into how this has been accomplished, it is crucial to understand what exactly is being restored. To shed light on this, consider these words from Timothy Keller: “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known but not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God.” These words ring truer than you may realize. According to 1 John 4:8, God is the epitome and very essence of love. Simultaneously, Psalm 139:1-6 reveals His perfect and complete knowledge of each and every person. Who wouldn’t want to be known and loved by someone who is perfect in every way and powerful beyond all measure? The problem is that, while God has been faithful to humanity, humanity has not been faithful to God.

In Genesis 3, the first humans did the one and only thing they were told not to do. This caused their relationship with God to be severed. From that point on, all of humanity has been corrupted, seeks evil things and constantly acts on their evil desires. (This is called “sin.”) The Bible says it best. Read Romans 3:10-18 (along with verse 23) and consider the portrait of humanity that it paints. Each and every person has rejected God by choosing their own wrong desires over Him. Even if everyone on earth was given the ability to live their life 1,000,000 times over, everyone would still come up short 100% of the time.

Being so hopelessly separated from God leaves all people, including you, completely unable to help themselves. Regardless of what they may accomplish or experience in life, all people will one day have to face justice and be punished for their wrongdoing.

The good news, however, is that God is still the radically loving God that was mentioned previously, and He is eager to help humankind. 1 John 4:10 reads, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” This is explaining that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save us. This Jesus, whom all have betrayed and rejected, responded to mankind’s hostility by taking on their guilt and punishment as His own so that He could invite them to come back into relationship with God. That is what the phrase “an atoning sacrifice” means: Jesus took the punishment in our place. The one and only person who has ever walked this earth without doing anything wrong was the very one who took the guilt of all humankind upon His shoulders and was punished in the place of others. After dying in your place, Christ rose back to life (was resurrected), allowing all who would follow Him to do the same and eternally live with God. Through His death and resurrection, Christ opened the door for anyone to go from guilty to clean and from death to life.

This information about Jesus forms the backbone of the most important message in existence—the gospel (the good news of God undoing the power of sin and death over all creation). Read Colossians 1:21-23 and consider what it is saying about this message. Many who were once distant and alienated from God have been reconciled to Him. Where there was no way, Jesus himself has made a way by being the way. All should be grateful that verse 23 doesn’t demand excellence or an unfailing record of good works after being saved, as everyone would be disqualified. Instead, the command given is to continually place your faith and hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us that—although the message of the gospel will inevitably transform our lives, minds, and behavior— salvation is ultimately God’s work alone. No number of good things you do could earn it, and no amount of wrongdoing could invalidate Christ suffering and dying in your place. You’re not extra-saved on your good days nor rejected by God on the bad ones, because what truly brings you into harmony with God is the work that He himself has accomplished on your behalf. So, with complete faith in Jesus and His saving work, let’s press onward and joyously walk in the harmony with God that has been made possible through Christ.

Discussion/Reflection Questions:

1. What does it mean to be in harmony with God? What does it look like when you are not?

2. Describe your relationship with God right now. Is it broken, non-existent, or in harmony?

3. Have you put your faith in Jesus and His finished work?

4. How has/should the Gospel change you?

5. Who can you share this message with and what will you say to them?