“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'” John 14:6 (NKJV)
Welcome to the 10th weekly devotional recap of the year. This week’s articles explained what the gospel is, showed us that believing it is the only way to salvation, and helped us see Jesus and His gospel as the only way to God.
We started the week by learning what the gospel is. The word “gospel” is derived from the Greek word “euaggelion,” which means “good news.” The gospel emphasises humanity’s helplessness and God’s intervention in saving us through Jesus’ sacrificial death (John 3:16, Romans 3:23). It underscores God’s power to save all who believe (Romans 1:16). We simply need to receive it with joy and share it with others (Mark 16:15).
Tuesday’s article showed us that the gospel is for everyone. Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, and John 3:16 says that whoever believes receives eternal life. There is no discrimination in salvation (Galatians 3:28, Romans 10:12-13); anyone who believes will be saved. It is God’s will that all men– with no exceptions– know what He did for them and are saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4), so preach and tell the whole world about it!
On Wednesday, we learnt that the entire Bible is all about Jesus and the salvation He brings. In Luke 24:27, after resurrecting, Jesus explained how the entire Scriptures pointed to Him. The Old Testament talks about the promise of salvation, while the New Testament shows how Jesus fulfilled it. Scriptures predict details about Jesus, like His birth and death, in passages such as Matthew 2:3-5 and Isaiah. When you read the Bible, focus on finding Jesus and your Bible experience will be better.
Thursday’s devotional emphasised Jesus as the only way to God (John 14:6), contrary to the idea that different religions offer different paths to Him. Different religions stem from humanity’s separation from God due to sin, and obedience to commandments couldn’t bridge this gap (Romans 8:3), highlighting the need for reconciliation. God provided the solution in Jesus Christ, fully divine and human, as the Savior. Belief in Jesus’ name and work is the only requirement to access God (Acts 14:12, 1 Timothy 2:5).
We rounded up the week on Friday with a reminder of what the gospel truly is. Christian maturity means distinguishing the real message from deceptive variations. It is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). It is the unadulterated and complete message that centres on Jesus’ work, refuting the notion of earning salvation through human effort. We must safeguard this truth and reject falsehoods masquerading as truth (Galatians 1:8-9).
Dear believer, God provided salvation as a gift only possible through belief in Jesus. Establish this as truth in your heart, and tell everyone you know about it.
Bible Reading Plan Catchup