# What it is and what it ain't ❗



## StriperAddict (Dec 18, 2019)

What is the Good News? I’ll tell you what the Good News is NOT. The Good News is NOT that you hear about Jesus; you believe in Jesus; you love Jesus; you serve Jesus; and you die for Jesus. That’s not the Gospel. It’s not even close to the Gospel. 
The Gospel is that Jesus knew YOU; Jesus loved YOU; Jesus came as YOU; Jesus died as YOU; Jesus rose as YOU so you can be as He is in perfect union with God. That’s the Gospel. Jesus served you. He came down, stooped down, and made you one with Him.

From - Tricia Gunn 
"Unveiling Jesus"


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## StriperAddict (Dec 18, 2019)

Just to clarify the Gospel is why I share this. There's lots of religious junk keeping folks from the real deal IMHO.


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## WaltL1 (Dec 18, 2019)

StriperAddict said:


> Just to clarify the Gospel is why I share this. There's lots of religious junk keeping folks from the real deal IMHO.


I could agree with that.
The wild card is that it ALL might be religious "junk".  From start to finish.
Everything you think you "know/believe" about God, including his existence, the Bible  etc...…. has its foundation in (organized) religion.
You dont need "religion" to believe in God but religion is the one telling you what God "is".


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## ambush80 (Dec 18, 2019)

WaltL1 said:


> I could agree with that.
> The wild card is that it ALL might be religious "junk".  From start to finish.
> Everything you think you "know/believe" about God, including his existence, the Bible  etc...…. has its foundation in (organized) religion.
> You dont need "religion" to believe in God but religion is the one telling you what God "is".



Yup.  religion gives god a specific name.


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## 1gr8bldr (Dec 19, 2019)

I suppose we all can have different views on the summary of the important stuff, so I will will give my view of what I think the biblical context of "Good news" as I see it pertaining to biblical times. Setting the stage, the Jewish life was burdensome in that they had so many rules. Moreover, the super hero's or Michael Jordan's were pious religious zealots whom walked around wanting to display their goodness, as if God were lucky to have such a representative. Praying on the streets, etc, in reference of them Jesus said better to go pray in your closet in secret. No condemnation from me here since they were only doing what they thought God wanted, through being zealous for God. Paul's pride of his zealous extent was that he was so zealous that he hunted down Christians. However, this life on display made the average God seeker feel as though they could not live up to this standard. It made them feel dirty, unclean, insignificant, less than, possibly not pleasing the God they wholeheartedly wanted to please. Sinners, they felt like.
But interestingly enough, they heard of a man, in the dessert, named John the Baptist, baptizing for the forgiveness of sins. They flocked to the dessert, not to hear his preaching, not because it was the Jewish thing to do... but rather to find comfort from their feeling of having failed to live up to this burdensome set of rules, made worse by the display of the Jewish super Jews. 
To them, this was "good news". Forgiveness, right standing with God. John took advantage of this time to tell them of Greater news, that one coming after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit, an indication of "Power from on high". This they likely did not understand, that was intended to give them "the power" to stay in "right standing". of course the good new/Gospel is lots of things, but biblical use of "Good news" was not yet fully realized


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## 1gr8bldr (Dec 19, 2019)

This thought entered my mind that their might  be other contexts of Good News throughout the bible... so I looked. Acts has a context in reference to this as "jesus being raised". Hebrews has a context in reference to this as "entering into rest". So I concede that many ways of looking at this can be derived


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## Spotlite (Dec 19, 2019)

WaltL1 said:


> I could agree with that.
> The wild card is that it ALL might be religious "junk".  From start to finish.
> Everything you think you "know/believe" about God, including his existence, the Bible  etc...…. has its foundation in (organized) religion.
> You dont need "religion" to believe in God but religion is the one telling you what God "is".





> it ALL might be.


Might is a gamble.


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## WaltL1 (Dec 19, 2019)

Spotlite said:


> Might is a gamble.


Stomping on the gas pedal to get through a yellow light is a gamble.....
Having a child that turns out to be Charlie Manson is a gamble....
Buying that smaller size of jeans because you will lose weight is a gamble...
Eating Chinese food that is next door to animal shelter is a gamble.....
You get the point.


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## StriperAddict (Dec 19, 2019)

WaltL1 said:


> I could agree with that.
> The wild card is that it ALL might be religious "junk".  From start to finish.
> Everything you think you "know/believe" about God, including his existence, the Bible  etc...…. has its foundation in (organized) religion.
> You dont need "religion" to believe in God but religion is the one telling you what God "is".


Keep in mind that other religions point primarily on rules/dogmas for righteousness, the biblical message of faith points to Jesus as the once and final sacrifice and source of relational union with God.
It always humbles me that I/We believers aren't in the mix, but God did it so we could enjoy the Benifits of union life and never stress over separation.

Father made it free folks, so all can enter.
Merry Christmas, from our home to y'alls.


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## Artfuldodger (Dec 19, 2019)

StriperAddict said:


> Keep in mind that other religions point primarily on rules/dogmas for righteousness, the biblical message of faith points to Jesus as the once and final sacrifice and source of relational union with God.
> It always humbles me that I/We believers aren't in the mix, but God did it so we could enjoy the Benifits of union life and never stress over separation.
> 
> Father made it free folks, so all can enter.
> Merry Christmas, from our home to y'alls.


Would you say that either it's all from God or none of it is?


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## Spotlite (Dec 19, 2019)

WaltL1 said:


> Stomping on the gas pedal to get through a yellow light is a gamble.....
> Having a child that turns out to be Charlie Manson is a gamble....
> Buying that smaller size of jeans because you will lose weight is a gamble...
> Eating Chinese food that is next door to animal shelter is a gamble.....
> You get the point.


Sure. Just saying it ALL might not be, either.


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## j_seph (Dec 19, 2019)

WaltL1 said:


> I could agree with that.
> The wild card is that it ALL might be religious "junk".  From start to finish.
> Everything you think you "know/believe" about God, including his existence, the Bible  etc...…. has its foundation in (organized) religion.
> You dont need "religion" to believe in God but religion is the one telling you what God "is".


re·li·gion
/rəˈlijən/
The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.


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## 1gr8bldr (Dec 19, 2019)

WaltL1 said:


> Stomping on the gas pedal to get through a yellow light is a gamble.....
> Having a child that turns out to be Charlie Manson is a gamble....
> Buying that smaller size of jeans because you will lose weight is a gamble...
> Eating Chinese food that is next door to animal shelter is a gamble.....
> You get the point.


My likes are usually directed good toward good humor


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## StriperAddict (Dec 19, 2019)

j_seph said:


> re·li·gion
> /rəˈlijən/
> The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.


There's another meaning worth considering:
Re-legion,
re ... return to
legion ... bondage

That one is far more accurate. Thankfully Christ said His yoke is easy (faith) and His burden (trust) is light. I know many of y'all here get the bondage Christian message, but it doesn't exist in scripture. More, at the giving to men the advent (aka coming of, and death/resurrection ) of Christ comes the open door to relational joy. 
I get that some Christians don't have it, because they don't know the full measure of grace offered in God's agreement with Himself.


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## StriperAddict (Dec 19, 2019)

Artfuldodger said:


> Would you say that either it's all from God or none of it is?


It's God's covenant with Himself that we can humbly put our faith in.
Some say we are in the deal, but that would be quid pro quo ... and you don't have that after the death and resurrection. We get His promise of union life from His promise to Himself. If and when we start promising this or that for His favor is when the self sufficiency religious zealots come out of the woods shouting amen, and then wonder why their self absorbed promises crash and burn.
Wow, did I just say faith was the be all and end all in Christ? You bet I did.  It's impossible to please God without it.

BTW, for all those who get into the important behavior side of the gospel, it is faith in the finished work of Jesus that produces fruit of His Spirit who lives within the believer. Many religious institutions and churches refuse to teach that.


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## WaltL1 (Dec 19, 2019)

j_seph said:


> re·li·gion
> /rəˈlijən/
> The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.


Care to elaborate?
Im not getting the point you are making....


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## WaltL1 (Dec 19, 2019)

Spotlite said:


> Sure. Just saying it ALL might not be, either.


That's true.


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## bullethead (Dec 19, 2019)

StriperAddict said:


> Keep in mind that other religions point primarily on rules/dogmas for righteousness, the biblical message of faith points to Jesus as the once and final sacrifice and source of relational union with God.
> It always humbles me that I/We believers aren't in the mix, but God did it so we could enjoy the Benifits of union life and never stress over separation.
> 
> Father made it free folks, so all can enter.
> Merry Christmas, from our home to y'alls.


Half the Biblical message says that, specifically the New Testament.


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## WaltL1 (Dec 20, 2019)

StriperAddict said:


> Keep in mind that other religions point primarily on rules/dogmas for righteousness, the biblical message of faith points to Jesus as the once and final sacrifice and source of relational union with God.
> It always humbles me that I/We believers aren't in the mix, but God did it so we could enjoy the Benifits of union life and never stress over separation.
> 
> Father made it free folks, so all can enter.
> Merry Christmas, from our home to y'alls.


In reality, you are just comparing one religious "story" to another. And of course comparing differences doesn't determine anything really other than they are different.


> Father made it free folks, so all can enter.


Oh I think we could debate this one for days 
Free? Im thinking not......

And Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Geez is it Christmas time already? I better start thinking about buying gifts.....


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## hummerpoo (Dec 20, 2019)

WaltL1 said:


> In reality, you are just comparing one religious "story" to another. And of course comparing differences doesn't determine anything really other than they are different.
> 
> Oh I think we could debate this one for days
> Free? Im thinking not......
> ...


Dietrich Bonhoeffer will help you out with that.

From his book The Cost of Discipleship:


> Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.
> 
> Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.



For 213 more quotes from that book.
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2723088-nachfolge


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