The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world: 1. Humanity’s Condition: All people have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). All in this context means all. 1/8

“I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.  (Isaiah 43:25) 3 And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. 4 And being unable to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof over where He was; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the mat where the paralytic was lying. 5 And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? 9 “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your mat and walk’? 10 “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your mat, and go to your home.” 12 And he got up and immediately picked up the mat and went out before everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”  (Mark 2:3–12) Their error was not in the premise that only God can forgive sins. That premise is true and agrees with Isaiah 43:25. Their error was failing to recognize that Jesus, the Son of Man, possesses divine authority to forgive sins on earth. In Mark 2, Jesus does not merely assert an invisible claim; He publicly confirms it through a visible miracle. The healing of the paralytic functions as evidence that His word of forgiveness is authoritative. Therefore, the passage reveals that Jesus exercises God’s own prerogative to forgive sins, revealing that He is more than a prophet or teacher. He is the Son of Man with authority on earth to forgive sins. Therefore, the question today is not whether Jesus has such authority, but whether we recognize and receive Him as the One who does. The gospel announces that the same Christ who spoke forgiveness to the paralytic has secured forgiveness through His death and resurrection. Forgiveness is grounded not in human effort or worthiness, but in the saving work of Jesus Christ: His perfect obedience under the law, His atoning death, and His bodily resurrection. To come to Him by faith is to come to Jesus Christ Himself: the only begotten Son of God, who became man, identified with us in our humanity, laid down His life as a man, rose bodily from the dead, and now reigns in glory with authority to forgive sins. Therefore, the proper response is not merely to admire the miracle or acknowledge His authority, but to confess and trust the One whom the miracle revealed: “…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

As I’ve gotten older, I found I’ve also grown to find April fools more and more stupid. 😂

Is God’s grace merely making salvation possible, or actually bringing it about? And: Is the difference between belief and unbelief ultimately located in God or in man? Some assume: If God determines the outcome, then all human responsibility is lost. That assumption must be demonstrated from Scripture. Because Scripture continues to hold people accountable for their unbelief, even while affirming God’s decisive role in salvation. Scripture attributes the cause of salvation to God, and the guilt of rejection to man, without presenting those as contradictory. Our decisions are real and truly ours, and we are accountable for our unbelief; yet Scripture does not attribute the transition from death to life to our decision, but to God who works in us to will and to act. This salvation is described not merely as a decision, but as union with Christ—being in Him, and having Him in us, or else not belonging to Him: Consider: “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” (Romans 8:9) “to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) Even our being brought near to God is not attributed to ourselves, but to Christ: “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13) Those who were: “alienated… having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12) are not said to bring themselves near, but to be brought near by Christ. But also consider: “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,” (Philippians 1:29) “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) “But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—” (Ephesians 2:4–5) “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8–10) While man is responsible for sin and unbelief, Scripture consistently attributes the cause of salvation to God alone in Christ Jesus, so that no one may boast.

1 When He had completed all His words in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum. 2 And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. 3 Now when he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they were earnestly pleading with Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him; 5 for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.” 6 Now Jesus was going on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not good enough for You to come under my roof. 7 “For this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 “For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 9 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him. And He turned to the crowd that was following Him and said, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.  (Luke 7:1–10)

Jesus said to Nicodemus, a Pharisee and teacher of Israel, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3; cf. 3:10). Nicodemus, despite his position and knowledge, does not understand these things. In this context, Jesus teaches that apart from new birth, one cannot see the kingdom of God. In another context, Jesus says, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). Hebrews likewise says that the patriarchs “saw” the promises from a distance by faith (Hebrews 11:13). In these texts, Abraham is described as one who does “see,” and that sight is directly connected with faith. Scripture not only describes Abraham as believing, but also shows the character of that faith. He “believed God” (Romans 4:3) and was “fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:21). Scripture also speaks to the source and nature of faith. It says that faith is granted (Philippians 1:29), that we are saved through faith and that this is “not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9), and that Jesus is the founder and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:2). It also says that “the natural person does not receive the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

The great goal of redemption is not simply the formation of the church, the blessing of believers, or even the spread of the gospel considered on their own. Those are real and necessary, but they are not ultimate. What stands at the center (and at the end) is the glory of God made known in Jesus Christ. As we read Acts 2, that becomes increasingly difficult to miss. When Pentecost happens, Peter does not treat it as an isolated spiritual event. He interprets it in light of Christ. The risen and exalted Jesus, having received the promised Holy Spirit from the Father, has now poured Him out (Acts 2:33). What the crowd is seeing and hearing is not random; it is the direct result of Christ’s exaltation. And what does the Spirit produce? Not spectacle for its own sake, but speech. People are declaring “the mighty works of God” (Acts 2:11). The moment is oriented outward, toward proclamation. At the same time, Peter anchors the entire event in what had already been spoken; this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel (Acts 2:16-21). So both the event and its meaning are governed by God’s prior Word. That matters. It shows that God’s works are not meant to stand alone; they are meant to be understood through what He has already revealed. Consider it this way: Pentecost is not to be defined by what they experienced; it is about God’s self-revelation. It is about the gospel of Jesus Christ. God was making Himself known through what He has done in Christ and was now doing in a public and visible way by His Spirit. This moment is unique in redemptive history, as what God had promised is now being fulfilled publicly (Acts 2:16-21). It marks the open manifestation of Christ’s saving work and the formation of a people who proclaim what God has done. This also fits with the broader pattern of Scripture. God’s glory is not something abstract or detached; it is made known in His Son. He shines into hearts “to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). The glory of God is known as Christ is known. And that revelation is inseparable from Christ’s work. Because He humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross, God has highly exalted Him. The result is that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that confession ultimately results in the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:8-11). So the movement is consistent: from Christ’s work, to His exaltation, to universal acknowledgment, to the glory of God. That helps clarify something important. The glory of God is not limited to visible manifestations, such as fire, wind, or other signs (cf. 1 Kings 19:11-12). Those may accompany it at times, but the glory itself is known most clearly in the revelation of God through Jesus Christ (John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 4:6). It is about who God is, made known in what He has done in the man Christ Jesus, the eternal Son of God who became flesh and dwelt among us and was crucified. And as that glory is seen, it does not leave people unchanged. Those who behold the glory of the Lord are “being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Spirit works through the revelation of Christ to produce real change in those who believe. That same pattern shows up in Acts 2. The Spirit is poured out, the Word is proclaimed, and people respond. But the responses are not neutral. By the time Peter reaches his conclusion, the call is direct: repent and be forgiven (Acts 2:38), be saved from this crooked generation (Acts 2:40). Those who receive the word are baptized (Acts 2:41), while the promise itself makes clear that salvation belongs to those who call on the name of the Lord (Acts 2:21; cf. Joel 2:32). So the revelation of God’s work in Christ does not simply inform; it also divides. It brings people either into salvation or leaves them outside of it. There is no middle ground. The direction is unmistakable. Everything is moving away from man as the center and directing hearts and minds to God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ for all who believe. The focus is on what God has done, what God has revealed, and what God will be praised for. Even the final picture of redemption is not centered on human experience, but on a multitude giving glory to God and to the Lamb (Revelation 7:9-12). In light of that, it is necessary to reckon with how Scripture itself frames salvation. It does include real blessings for those who believe (peace, growth, service), but it does not present those as the center. Rather, it presents God’s glory in Christ as the end toward which all of it is ordered (2 Corinthians 4:6; Philippians 2:11). That creates a point of alignment that cannot be ignored. To the extent that our thinking treats our own experience as ultimate, it does not yet fully reflect the way Scripture speaks. So the question that follows is not drawn from personal reflection alone, but from the text itself: do we think about salvation in a way that accords with its stated end, or do we subtly re-center it on ourselves? And this is not abstract. When I think about salvation, do I instinctively place myself at the center, or am I reminded of the way this passage presents it: ordered toward the glory of God in Christ?