Subject Six

THE GLAD TIDINGS OF THE UNIVERSE—
THE GOSPEL

Scripture: Gen. 3:9

1. God came to seek man
   1. After being deceived and having become fallen and guilty, man hid from God’s presence. Try your best to describe that it is not that men do not know God; rather, being guilty, man would prefer that there were no God. Therefore, man would not acknowledge God nor seek Him.
   2. Man hid from God’s presence, but God came to seek man. Although man rebelled and would not receive God, nevertheless, God still came to seek man.
      Much can be said here. God is seeking man at every time, in every place, and on many different occasions, anywhere and everywhere. Relate how God came to seek man that day to the way He comes to seek people today. Touch people’s feeling on this point.
2. God prepared a way for man to be saved (redemption)
   As much as we can, without contradicting spiritual truth, we should simplify spiritual terminology. For example, say “saving way” instead of “redemption.”
   God not only came to seek man, but He also prepared for man a saving way. Adam sinned and was condemned. He should have died, but God had a lamb killed in his stead, and God used the skin of the lamb to make a coat to cover his shame. This is salvation in type. In the New Testament time, Christ came to the earth as the Lamb of God, took upon Himself the sins of the world, and was crucified upon the cross to accomplish salvation. His blood cleanses our sins and justifies us.
3. God accepted sinners
   Acceptance includes both forgiveness of sins and justification. That day God not only forgave Adam and justified him, but He also accepted him. Today God also deals with us in the same way. Forgiveness plus justification equals acceptance.
4. God caused sinners to receive life
   Adam named the woman “Eve” (meaning “the mother of all living”), thus implying that God would give life to the sinners. God not only forgives us and justifies us, but He also accepts us, and at the same time gives us life, which is regeneration.