Family, friends, and all those that dwell on this fallen earth. I tell you these things because I care for you.

Gospel. You've probably heard that word before, it means "good news." You probably knew that too. If you didn't, welcome to Christianity. It's a weird world we live in filled with muddled, confused people unsure and unable to differentiate the truth of the Word of God from the traditions passed down from the past generations of equally confused believers.

There are a lot of "Christians" who think they have it right because they attend church once a week, or twice a week, or even every day. That's not what makes a Christian. There's a lot of "Christians" who think they have it right because they open that sixty-six love letter every night called the Bible and give air to empty phrases filled with the hollow tones of a man standing before a courtroom, bound to tell the truth on a book he doesn't really care to open up. That's not what Christianity is, and if that's all they think it is, it's honor-bound, Hell-bound duty. I relish in the fact that I get to burst your little bubble by informing good people don't go to heaven. Not in the sense that you think anyway. Why does this give me so deep a pleasure? Simply because it's the beginning of illumination. Just because you worked and slaved doesn't guarantee you anything. Karma isn't any realer, than the synthetic carbohydrates you see on the shelves in the stores.

So what are these Christians? These people that you see walking down the street with the tracks in their hands trying to convince you that this Jesus guy died thousands of years ago and came back to life. After all, last time you checked your great-great-grandma was still in the grave. Why should Jesus be so special? The truth is some of them are fakers, not truly knowing Christ, but proclaiming him anyway. There are others though, people who are genuine believers, with genuine spirit-breathed faith. Where did that come from?

You've probably heard the story of that little baby born in Bethlehem, the city of David. Born, grown, living the perfect life and imparting us with wisdom not our own. Then dying a death he did not deserve on a cross that was his to have from the dawn of time. Why? Why did Jesus die? I hope you're insisting. Here's where things get tricky, it's why the "good news" tends to be a little too "good" to swallow. According to the Bible and its revelations, the reason Jesus died is because you, frankly, suck. Just to be clear, it isn't just you but every single person, with Christians included. The Lord Jesus spoke and told us that if we committed but one sin, that guilt was enough to condemn us of them all. It's not that Christians have some type of diplomatic immunity from the wrath of God because they wear nice clothes every Sunday and sing songs that rhyme quite nicely. No. They've accepted that they can't save themselves, that Jesus died for them and living a perfect life took on all of their sin. They've asked him to work in their hearts, to remove their sin and abide within them. It's not that they're perfect, because heaven knows there are plenty of genuine Christians that make mistakes. But, if you're a Christian, you're being reformed to the image of God. This is the Gospel.

I don't expect you find it easy to accept all of this. If you do, then you're not truly looking yourself in the eyes. Every day I get up, walk into the bathroom, look in the mirror, and see a guy that I think looks pretty good. That's sin at work though, and it's not natural for me to see that I fall short of God's glory. I want to believe that I'm perfect. I earnestly do. It's only by God's grace that He makes me take a second look in the mirror. This time, with Gospel powered lenses, I see my full despicable self: a rotting corpse covered with sin. It's only as God's grace washes over me that I am made clean... Clean in the image of the one who saved me, Jesus of Nazareth.

People confuse the Gospel. It happens. It's the critical struggle of the church throughout the ages, not baptism or communion. You'll meet a lot of people on this side of eternity that say they're Christians. Some of them will be, others won't be. If you're a Christian, keep in mind the truth of God's word. Look for it. Cling to it. Do not let it be confused with rite and ritual, a man made religion. If you don't know God, run to Him, and when you do, run to the truth, run to the Gospel, because when you realize the full weight of your sin and your inability to be flawless, the Bible becomes not only a book, but marvelous, glorious, good news.