Dr. Ravi Zacharias: What is the Gospel?

you know CS Lewis talks about the horror of the same old thing and then he goes on in a Screwtape Letters to have the senior devil instructing the junior devil he says though work on their horror of the same old thing because the horror of the same old thing is the greatest passion we have put into the human heart what he means by that is when people get accustomed to hearing about something and I have been there done that heard it before there's a there's a resistance towards it and I think that's what's happened with the gospel so much of it went into the popular media it was made into a come here solve all your problems it was thrown in along with a self-help worldview and so on and it became I think cheapened and somehow diluted if not polluted and so an average person who view asked them what do you think the gospel is all they'll say you know is the same old thing you're a sinner you're heading to hell you know you need help and God will help you this is the image an average young people would give to you that's the way they think about it but the fact of the matter is the gospel talking about it literally means the good news it was a good news of God and what is the good news every young person knows life is actually completely empty no matter what you do no matter how you pursuit no matter which direction you go you come away empty-handed just recently I was watching a documentary on the life of Kurt Cobain who committed suicide at the age of 27 he'd been there done that done everything and his last album he wanted to call I want to die that's precisely what the Gospel addresses it addresses the fact that the human heart in its own pursuit will end up empty and lonely and destitute and that destitute situation comes from being in a situation where in this body and in your mind life does not ultimately bring you satisfaction why because it is violating the very purpose for which God has created us created view you and me for the for the relationship with himself and for the sacred we don't like the word sin but we'll use words like evil and wicked and conniving and scheming and bad and what it really means in gospel terms is that we're in alien were alienated from God we're separated is the same way we see it in the world there's an alienation there's a separation there's an isolation and when you're separated from God the good news of the gospel is that in your own effort and by your own good works you cannot rebuild that bridge it is God who has reached out to you and to me in the provision of His Son Jesus Christ who is able to offer forgiveness to you and me and help us to rebuild a life in that sacred relationship with him that's the good news we are lost in and of ourselves God makes the move to bring us back to himself in the relationship that begins with God it moves out then horizontally and changes the very lens in the worldview from which you view reality what is reality you have to answer four questions origin meaning morality and destiny where do I come from what gives life meaning how do I differentiate between good and bad and what is my eternal destiny the gospel addresses all these in the correspondence to truth and a coherence of life and that is provided by the offer of Jesus Christ in your salvation and mind that is the good news of the gospel you will not be desolate you will not be destitute you are not alone in this world Christ offers your relationship with himself you look at any other world view you will not see these terms you will not see this offer so it's good news that you are not alone God offers you his presence in your life

Channel: 4regeneration

Views: 158,971

Rating: 4.8526249 out of 5

Keywords: dr ravi zacharias, What is the Gospel, Gospel explanation, basic bible, Christianity, What is Christianity, Who is Jesus Christ, ravi zacharias interview

Id: enXBnnFbDpM

Length: 3min 49sec (229 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 02 2012