TOPIC:“The Glorious Gospel of Christ”
by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap
TEXT:II Corinthians 4:3-6
“Lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine unto them” (4:4)
H. G. Wells, the famous historian of the 20th century, was right when he said of Christ: “Jesus of Nazareth is easily the dominant figure of history.” For twenty-one centuries the entire world has concentrated its attention on Him. More books have been written about Him than any other man in history. During His own life, He was the center of every conversation and the most controversial figure of His time. People were baffled by His words, astonished by His claims, and transformed by His touch.
Now some two thousand years later Jesus Christ is still making an eternal impact on the lives of individuals today. He is indeed the greatest man this world has ever known. Pascal, the well-known French philosopher of past years, was of this persuasion when he wrote: “Jesus Christ is the center of everything and the object of everything, and he who does not know Him knows nothing of the order of nature and nothing of himself.”
But Christ is not only the greatest man who ever lived, He is the very heart of the Christian faith. He is the center of the Bible. If Christ were taken out of Christianity there would be nothing left. He is the Gospel itself. That's why the Apostle Paul writes of it as “the glorious gospel of Christ” (v. 4). The word “gospel” means “good news.” In this message I want to throw light upon five areas of Christ's life that are fundamental to our faith and part of this glorious Gospel. I call your attention to the first one.
I.
As we examine the glorious Gospel of Christ as set forth upon the pages of the New Testament we discover, first of all, this truth: He LIVED SINLESSLEY. That's good news! Nobody knew this truth better than Peter who denied Him and later wrote of Him: “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth” (I Peter 2:22).
Let's get this fact down: The Jesus who crossed the world's horizon many years ago was more than the son of a carpenter, more than a historical figure, more than a peasant prophet of Galilee, and more than a great ethical teacher. He was indeed the eternal Son of God. Thank God for the confessions of men who convincingly knew who Jesus really was. John the Baptist declared: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Andrew declared: “We have found the Messiah, which is, being . . .