In this episode I’m am going to present the Gospel, as I understand it, in the form of a dialogue. So listen for the questions followed by the answers.
First question: so what is the problem with this world? Why do we feel miserable, lost, empty?
Because no matter how good we think we have it in life, we know we are going to die. That fact casts a long shadow reflected in how we feel deep within. But it's not just the death at the end of the road we feel. We feel the absence of life within us right now. We feel empty because each of us was created to have a unique friendship with God––the Source of Life––but He is absent from our lives.
Why is He absent?
Because either we don't believe He exists or we don't believe it would be rewarding to seek Him out. We might even attribute our misery or the evils we see to Him, so we are certainly not interested in friendship with Him.
But more than that, we act out our fear and frustration on ourselves and each other and thereby sin against Him and His love for each of us.
You mean we break His rules? What's with the rules?
First, He gave them to us to help defeat the deception in our lives about Him.
How so?
Read the rules and you will begin to see that He is on the side of good, not evil. Look more closely at them and you will realize that they are all about love––God's love for us, returning that love, and loving our neighbor.
And second?
The rules also help break the deception we are under about ourselves. We know we are going to die but we fool ourselves into thinking that it's not our fault, or that we're not that bad, or that in our case––at least––the punishment of death doesn't fit the crime.
So?
Well, we think we are loving until we see the kind of love those rules are talking about.
What kind of love is that?
Perfectly self-giving, self-sacrificial love for God, and for every man, woman, and child, 24/7.
Impossible. What's with the perfect-or-doesn't-count standard?
Because God loves like that. Our self-centered nature and God's perfect self-giving nature don't mix. Under those circumstances, friendship with Him is impossible.
All right, I've heard it said that if you don't keep the rules it's straight to hell with you!? Sounds like a manipulative ploy to me! Love me or else!
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