Beginning with this message, we will have four messages on the truth of the gospel. When a person first receives the gospel, he usually is not very clear concerning the truth of the gospel. Therefore, after preaching the gospel, we need to declare the clear truth of the gospel to those who have believed so that they may truly know the gospel. When they are clear about the truth of the gospel, the salvation of the Lord that they have received will be clearer.
The most important thing to know concerning the gospel is who Jesus is, because Jesus is the center of the gospel. Without the Lord Jesus, there would be no gospel. The meaning of the word gospel is “glad tidings.” These tidings are blessed because they tell us about our Savior. Without the Savior, these tidings would not be a matter of blessing. We need to know the Savior who is spoken of in the gospel. If we do not know who He is, it will be very difficult for us to understand the truth of the gospel.
The Savior spoken of in the Bible is truly wonderful. The Bible even says, “His name will be called / Wonderful” (Isa. 9:6), because He is so wonderful. He is wonderful in His being, that is, in what He is, in who He is, and in what He does. We need to spend time to see who He is because He is such a wonderful Savior.
Throughout the last two thousand years of human history, many have studied Jesus. Even when Jesus was on the earth, the disciples who followed Him were studying Him, and even though they were with Him for three and a half years, they still did not understand who He really was. The Lord Jesus even asked His disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?” (Matt. 16:13). They responded, saying, “Some, John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (v. 14). These opinions showed that many did not know who He was.
Throughout the generations historians have studied Jesus, but many people still do not know who Jesus really is. Even when people look in secular books, they can find many different views about Him. One early Chinese dictionary says that Jesus is merely the founder of the Christian religion. Later versions speak of Him as a revolutionary in Judaism, and other dictionaries say that Jesus is a Western saint. These different views show that it is not easy to know who Jesus is. In spite of this, almost everyone is willing to admit that Jesus is a special and extraordinary person. Over the last two thousand years of history, it is difficult to find another person who is more revered or respected. Countless people on earth praise the excellence of Jesus. His wonderful excellence is related to who He is.
In order for us to know the Lord Jesus, we must consider the matter of sovereignty in the universe; that is, we must speak of God in the universe. When we use the word God, we understand this to mean that God is the unique sovereign Lord in the universe; this is the highest denotation of the word God in the Chinese language. In order for us to know the Lord Jesus, we must know the sovereign Lord in the universe. The sovereign Lord in the universe is God. In the universe there is only one God. While this is clearly spoken of in the Bible, the principles and laws of the universe also point to this.
If we look at hundreds and thousands of different matters and things in the universe, we will realize that this universe is in harmony because it is one in nature. Many scientists have considered whether the universe is monistic or dualistic in nature. After much study, the majority of scientists conclude that the universe is monistic in nature. Even though there are myriads of matters and things in the universe, the universe is one because everything is altogether in oneness, not in confusion. This oneness proves that the universe is monistic in nature. For example, when a country has two governments, there will be confusion rather than oneness, and if a city has two mayors, there will be confusion because there is a dual government. When there is only one administration, confusion is avoided. Hence, a country has only one government, and a city has only one mayor.
The entire universe is governed by this principle of oneness. The principles and laws of the universe are not in confusion but in order. The administration of the universe is monistic in nature, and this monistic administration proves that there is only one God. If there were two Gods, there would be two sovereign Lords, and with two sovereign Lords, there would be two administrations, two sources. If the universe were dualistic in nature, I am afraid that it would not be safe to live on the earth. Many scientists have shown that the distance between the earth and the sun is just right for human existence. If the earth was just a little closer or just a little further from the sun, it would be impossible for human beings to exist on the earth. This order in the universe proves that the universe is one.
There is only one God in the universe because the administration of the universe is one. If we extend this logic to all the matters in the universe, whether big or small, the same principle applies. For example, there can be only one leader in a country. No country in the world has two leaders. Whether the leader is a king, a president, or called by another title, there can be only one leader. There can be only one father in a family. If a family has two fathers, this would be a serious problem. Likewise, there can be only one principal in a school. There can be only one general manager in a company. This is an unchangeable principle. These examples illustrate the principle that there is one sovereign Lord in the universe.
It would be terrible if there were many sovereign Lords in the universe, because everyone could be God. If a Chang could be God, then a Lee can also be God, and a Wang and a Liu can be God as well. This would be terrible. If everyone in the universe is God, the universe would be in utter chaos. Thankfully, there are not many Gods in the universe. There is not a God who has a last name of Chang or a God who has a last name of Lee. In the universe there is only one God, the sovereign Lord, the Creator of the universe. Today mankind is building spaceships to go to the moon. Even though landing on the moon would be a marvelous matter, it would not change the fact that God is the sovereign Lord. God created the sun, the moon, the heavens, and the earth. This wonderful universe come into being through Him, not through any human being.
We should also consider our wonderful body. Many biologists, medical experts, and chemists have endeavored to study the human body, but in the end their studies produce more questions than answers. I once asked a medical expert what is missing in the body of a dead human in comparison to the body of a living person. He said that the same elements that are in a living body are present in a dead body. So then I asked, “Why does a man die? Something must be missing after he dies.” He said, “The only difference is that a living person can breathe.” When I pressed him for a further explanation, he could only say that more research was needed. If we do not fully understand our own body, how could we be God?
Even our lack of understanding of the human brain shows that we are not qualified to be God. We do not know how many hairs are upon our head or how many cells are in our body. If we do not know even these things about ourselves, it is foolish to think that we could be equal to the sovereign Lord in the universe. Only the Creator and Administrator of the universe can be the sovereign Lord and God. Only He is God, and in the universe there is only one unique God.