The Gospel in a Nutshell
Our Human Dilemma
Today, wherever we go, the world is in trouble. Men and women everywhere are seeking the solution to insurmountable moral, personal, social, national, and international problems. Underneath is a longing to know the real meaning of life and the future.
People are asking where the world came from, how life began, why men are continually at war, and why there is so much hatred between various races and ethnic groups. Is there no hope for lasting peace? Why is human nature torn between ideals and actions, between hope for something better and the perverse inclination to do something worse?
Unaided by some power outside of himself, man has never been able to find a satisfactory answer to these problems. But there is hope. Implanted in every human heart is a measure of faith, a desire to worship some higher power, a desire to seek after God. God indeed has the answers.
‘What Must I Do?’
His wonderful plan of salvation is revealed through His Word, the Bible. In Matthew, the first book of the New Testament, chapter 19:16-26, we read the story of a young man who came to Jesus with a question, which is on everyone’s minds: “What good thing must I do to get eternal life?”*
In response, Jesus answered, “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” In other words, if you think you can earn eternal life — salvation by your good works — you must keep the commandments. Since this young man was a Jew to whom the commandments meant the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, he wanted to know to which of the commandments Jesus was referring. Jesus’ answer summed up the last six commandments of the moral law, the Ten Commandments, “Love your neighbor as yourself” [Leviticus 19:18].
Because he had been raised a strict Jew, this young man replied, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” In other words, is there anything lacking in my performance that will deprive me of heaven? To this Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect [i.e., if you really love your neighbor as yourself], go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have [my] treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
What a bargain! But this was more than the young man was willing to do. He was rich and had great material possessions. He turned away sorrowfully and went home without the assurance of eternal life.
The disciples of Jesus witnessed this incident, and Jesus used it to show them that when it comes to salvation, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” [verse 26].
When Human Effort Fails
Because sin is a deceiver, many have been misled into thinking that they can save themselves by their own good works. In a recent survey in three cities of America, the question was raised: Who goes to heaven and who goes to hell? The typical answer in every city: those who are good go to heaven and those who are bad go to hell.
But the Bible clearly teaches that “by observing the law [trying to be good], no one will be justified [declared righteous]” (Galatians 2:16). Paul repeats the same statement in Romans 3:20, and then adds, “Through the law we become conscious of sin.”
The Jews of Christ’s day made the tragic mistake of believing that they could be saved by keeping the law. For this reason, in the beginn
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