South Calhoun Baptist Church
August 24, 2003 AM
Romans 1: 16-17
The Essence of the Gospel We Proclaim #1

"The Holiness and Justice of God"

The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news. But before you can have good news, you must have bad news or else its just news. The first two messages are designed to share the "bad news" of the gospel and that is God is perfect and expects perfection out of us but we are all sinners and can only do bad.

The gospel does not begin with man, but God. It is the "power of God unto salvation."

The Bible does not explain the existence of God, it assumes it. Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God…." God has always been and God will always be and all His dissenters will come and go but God will remain.

Psalm 14: 1 "The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no god.’" Someone who does not believe in the essence of God is a fool and according to Romans 1: 18 and following, without excuse.

Why is man without excuse? Because God is the Creator God and He is clearly seen in creation. The universe, seasons, the heavens and even man himself is a daily testimony of the existence of God.

But the Bible goes much deeper to describe who God is. Here are just a few of those terms to describe God:

1. He is Spirit. John 4: 24 "God is spirit."

2. He is Light I John 1:5 "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."

3. He is Love I John 4:8 "God is love."

4. He is omnipotent Exodus 6:3 "I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty."

5. He is omniscient Psalm 139:4 "There is not a word on my tongue, but behold, you know it altogether."

6. He is omnipresence Psalm 139:7 "Where can I go from Your spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?"

7. He is unchanging. Psalm 102:27 "But You are the same, and Your years will have no end."

8. He is perfect. Matthew 5:48 "Be ye perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

9. He is holy. Psalm 99:9 "Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His holy hill; For the Lord our God is holy."

10. He is just. Deuteronomy 32: 4 "He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice. A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He."

11. He is True. John 17:3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

12. He is upright. Psalm 25:8 "Good and upright is the Lord."

13. He is Good Psalm 25:8

14. He is Righteous Psalm 145: 17 "The Lord is righteous in all His ways."

15. He is Jealous Exodus 20:5 "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…"

16. He is Gracious and Merciful Psalm 116:5 "Gracious is the Lord, yes, our god is merciful."

17. He is longsuffering Numbers 14:18 "The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy."

18. He is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:29 "For our God is a consuming fire."

19. He is a God of wrath. John 3: 16-18 Those who do not believe on Him are condemned already. And God’s wrath will be poured out on this Earth and

Hell is a testimony to the wrath of God.

Psalm 103:8 "Slow to anger and abounding in mercy."

This perfect and whole God wanted fellowship with man. He didn’t have to have fellowship with man because He is whole in and of Himself. But he wanted fellowship so He created man in His image for the purpose of fellowship. He gave him boundaries in which to live safely but man chose other ways. Immediately the fellowship was broken and man had a problem with no solution – how do I restore fellowship with God again?

Out of the love of God, He gave a solution. From the blood of the animal slain to fix coverings for Adam and Eve and the blood of Abel’s acceptable sacrifice to the blood of God’s own Son, the answer to man’s restored fellowship has always been blood.

All sin must be punished and judged because God’s honor, justice and perfection demands it. Thus, there are only two ways to live with God eternally: live perfectly or trust Jesus who did.

Stop trying to live right and start trusting.