in a nutshell

Do you know the Gospel in a nutshell? Sometimes I use a set of colors for the illustration.

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Gold

God exists. He is who he is. That is to say, his nature is not determined by our wishes.

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And he is holy, perfectly holy. But consider this: if he were all mercy, where would the justice be? If he were all righteous, where would the love be? How can these seemingly opposing attributes coexist? And why is that a problem for us?

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Black

We are not holy. And that a problem for us with grave consequences (no pun intended). We are under a severe penalty, without a way to overcome it from our own side. The only one who is able to solve this problem is God, himself.

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Red

So he sent his son, Jesus, (Within the nature of the one God, there are three eternal persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.) to fulfill God's requirements for all who believe in him. So Jesus died on the cross to satisfy the righteous wrath of God, and when he rose from the dead, proved that his sacrifice was accepted by the Father. The exchange of our sin to the cross, and Christ's imputed righteousness is freely given to all who believe (have faith) in Christ.

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White

Believing in him, is not just believing about him. It means humbling oneself and trusting in him exclusively, and completely (what he said and did, who he is, etc.). Those who do, are sealed for salvation and indwelt by the third person of the Trinity; the Holy Spirit.

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Green

The Holy Spirit continues to change us, conforming us to God's standards (making us more like Jesus).

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There are other elements of the Christian faith that are important, but I would say this is the most essential foundation of what Jesus Christ's followers are proclaiming. That is where I am coming from. That is what I represent. And I can't make anybody change, but I would love to see as many as possible loving God the same way.

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(If anyone wishes to make a private comment, rather than on the open blog, feel free to use the email address from my profile.)

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For more about saving faith, see my post called wheelbarrow

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You will find an alternative view of death at dead bird

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Image: broken nutshells by Tiago Salgado