What is the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? I have asked this of my Christian friends over and over throughout the years, and their answers have never satisfied me.
First, it seems I have to buy into the idea of some version of total depravity, or even a less extreme world-view that is marred by an acceptance of "original sin". Once I "realize" that I am just a worthless wretch deserving of hell, THEN here comes the supposed Good News - there's a way out! Just put your faith in Jesus, and now you no longer have to dwell in your sinfulness.
Except that I have never accepted that I am anything less than a child of God, fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image. Do I sin? Yes. Do I feel guilty when I do sin? Yes. Do I dwell on it? Not really. Because when I have "tried to be more religious", I have ended up scrupulous about every little thing and focuses all my attention on how I am failing as a human being, leaving myself no room to actually envision a future where I am serving God. To serve God, one must first see oneself as worthy of such a high calling!
But let's say that I acquiesce and "admit" to being nothing but a sinner in need of God's mercy and forgiveness (which I do need, of course, but that is not "all" that I am). The next hurdle of the supposed Gospel was that in spite of being a sinful nobody, not worthy of eternal happiness in the presence of my Maker, God has agreed to accept Jesus's innocent suffering on the cross in place for what would've "rightfully" been my consequence for my sins. Do I really want to spend eternity with a God who would even entertain the idea of a scapegoat? Where is the justice in that? I thought God was just? Where is the love in that? I thought God is love?
Even framing the idea of salvation as retaliatory (I know there's a better phrase for this but it escapes me; the idea that we can only be saved if God's wrath is appeased.) from the perspective of the "willingness" of Jesus to "offer" Himself on our behalf, rather than for the Father to "demand" that He do so... is still not the image of an unconditionally loving Creator-God.
Finally, even if I could get past these first two hurdles, the last remains: I cannot possibly bask in the knowledge of being "saved" by a "loving God" if other people are not. I believe in universal salvation. I believe God does not create people with whom God does not intend to spend eternity.
Ok, so I've covered what I do not think the good news is. So what is it? Universal salvation - that sounds like good news. But salvation from what?
Comparisons and judgment and guilt. Religion and the bondage of the uphill battle of trying to merit paradise. When Eve and Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, sin was born. The Tao Te Ching says that when morality enters the picture, people start sinning, though that's not the terminology they use.
At any rate, God is good. All the time!
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