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		This page below will examine the most fundamental theme of the Bible: namely "the gospel" (lit. "good news"). The gospel will be explained in terms of: a] man's problem, b] man's rightful destiny, and c] God's power to change things.
		Many people today have no hunger for the message of the gospel. This is because the "modern gospel" tells people that Jesus will repair their broken marriages, remove their drug problems, and satisfy the longing of their hearts. And whilst this is gloriously true, it severely limits the gospel's field of influence. If people think the message of the gospel is only for those with broken marriages, drug problems, and feelings of emptiness, then many will never see their need of the Saviour until it's too late.
		In truth, the gospel tells us we are sinners in need of forgiveness and law-breakers nearing a day when justice will be done. Thus, the gospel is for those with broken marriages and those without broken marriages, those with drug problems and those without them, those who want to believe in something and those who don't, those who hate their sin and those who love it. Once you realise your need for God and the joy that he can bring, the gospel will be the greatest news you've ever heard!
		...the problem...
		God created human beings to be free, thinking agents. However, most of the time, our freedom is used only to rebel against God's Laws. The Bible calls this sin (1 John 3:4), saying that,
			"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way." (Isaiah 53:6)
		Today's society prides itself on the 'freedom' it offers people. However the truth of the matter is that our nation is filled with clinics for every kind of vice imaginable: eating too much, not eating enough, drinking too much, not sleeping enough, sex addiction, shopping addiction, drug addiction, and even chocolate addiction. You name it, we run a clinic for it.
		Just as the Bible prophesied, we have become "lovers of our own selves" (2 Timothy 3:2). And sadly, much of modern day psychology only worsens this problem via its introspective focus. The Bible, however, gives us God's diagnosis, saying that:
			"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick." (Jeremiah 17:9) "Whoever commits sin becomes a slave to sin." (John 8:34)
		Maybe you find this statement offensive. But stop and think about man's history, with its wars, tyrannies, and continual failure to learn from its mistakes. Think about the number of times you've done the kinds of things you hate seeing other people do. Think about the general appetite of our society these days: the contents of the average soap opera (with its lust, adultery, jealousy, and deceit); the contents of the average computer game; and the kinds of films people like watching. Think about the kind of music people like listening to, and the way the people making this music behave. Then think about the fact that 50 years ago, Elvis Presley was regarded as 'outrageous'. Think about the kinds of things people like reading and gossiping about. Then try to imagine what life would be like without all these things. We like to distance ourself from some of the things that go on in the world around us, however the truth of the matter is that (to a greater or a lesser extent) we are all part of the problem.
		...the consequence...
		The Bible is right when it refers to man as a 'slave to sin' (John 8:34). Yet the Bible warns us that the pleasure of sin is momentary, and its ultimate consequence 'death' (Romans 6:23; Hebrews 11:25). Moreover, 'death' in this context means not just physical death (i.e. separation of the soul from the body), but spiritual, eternal death (i.e. separation of the soul from its Maker).
		Sin runs contrary to all that God is, and all that He stands for. This means that sinners will forever be excluded from the joys of Heaven. And since God is the source of all that is good and pleasurable in this universe, separation from Him will (quite literally) be Hell.
		...justice...
		But shouldn't God be a bit more tolerant? The answer is "No". After all, what kind of judge would turn a blind eye to crime? Or associate with criminals in his spare time? A good judge will ensure that sin is punished; and the better the judge, the more thorough the job he'll do. So it's perfectly reasonable that, as the Bible says,
			"No fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." (Ephesians 5:5-6)
			"Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God...and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone." (1 Cor 6:9-10; Rev 21:8)
		After all, if God allowed sinners into Heaven, it wouldn't be long before it started looking like Earth again. Yet who can claim that they are the above verses do not refer to them? How many lies does it take to make someone 'a liar'? And how many acts of adultery does it take to make someone 'an adulterer'? The answer is 'just one'; just as it only takes one murder to make someone a murderer.
		Yet despite our failings, the Bible tells us that "most men will proclaim their own goodness...for the way of every man seems right in his own eyes" (Proverbs 20:6; 21:2). Even now, your wounded ego will probably be trying to find a way of justifying itself. You'll probably be telling yourself that lying is OK in certain situations. Or that there were special circumstances surrounding your particular acts (or thoughts) of adultery. Or that stealing time from your employer doesn't really count as theft. Or that your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds. However the Bible warns that,
			"He who exalts himself will be humbled, [whilst] he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:12)
		Tragically, pride will be the very thing that excludes millions from the Kingdom of God. People would rather rely on their own goodness than God's, for there is nothing that most people like less than having to admit that they need help.
		...the solution...
		However the good news of the Gospel is that man can be saved from his sin: not by 'self help' programs, but by being 'born again'. Church attendance and changes in lifestyle can a life look OK from the outside. However being born again is about a much deeper change. It is about having a spiritual 'heart transplant' that changes not just our actions, but also our inner desires. Born again Christians find that they no longer want to obey their old master (sin), but their new Master (Jesus Christ). This is not to say that people become perfect overnight. But there is an immediate change in outlook. If you want to find out more about how Christ's death on the cross can save you from sin, please see take a look at our bread+wine pages. In the meantime, , here are some promises from God's Word for you to mull over:
			"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame...[and] whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:9-13) "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new...For [God] made [Christ], who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
		This doesn't mean that life as a Christian is a piece of cake. What it means is that, ultimately, there is no better or more satistfying way to live life than in the love and service of the Lord Jesus Christ:
			"For whoever drinks of [the] water [of this world] will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst...[for it] will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:13-14). "My peace I give to you, not as the world gives [but as] I give." (John 14:27) "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
		If you have heard enough, then please click here right away. If not, then why not or come along this Sunday evening? We'd be delighted to hear from you either way, or just to meet up with you for a chat at a place of your choosing. May God bless you. From all of us at Collier Row.