The gospel (good news) is for every person and it is really simple. Intellectual religious types stumble over its simplicity and twist it to try to control behavior by bringing guilt and shame. Take the following verses in Hebrews…

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

SIMPLE EXPLANATION: The book of Hebrews presents Jesus as the Savior of the world and the Great High Priest of Israel. He is the AUTHOR of our faith that God will save mankind and that God will FINISH what He promised. We have a great cloud of witnesses that died without having experienced what they had been promised. All those promises will be fulfilled when Jesus returns to resurrect the dead.

RELIGIOUS EXPLANATION: We have a great cloud of witnesses who are looking over the balcony of heaven and watching our every move and cheering us on when we do good and shaking their head in horror when we sin. So we better go to church, quit drinking, smoking, chewing, cursing and having too much fun in the world because Grandma is watching our every move. We are in a race for our eternal destiny and how we live and the choices we make will determine whether we are saved to sit with Jesus at the right hand of God in heaven or burn in hell for all eternity.

One explanation gives peace and hope and is the promise of God - the other is an attempt to scare the hell out of us. Paul, however, opted for peace and hope…

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us” (Romans 5:6-11; Romans 8:30-21)

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future…It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. Prescribe and teach these things.” (Jeremiah 29:11; 1 Timothy 4:9-11)

Today is my 64th birthday and I asked myself what I have learned after 64 years of life, 40 of which was spent reading and studying the Bible? I am not talking about going to Sunday school and church but actually making a conscious effort to read and study the bible, every word of it, over and over for 40 years...here is part of what I have learned:

God has spoken to mankind in various ways, but especially through His only Son, Christ Jesus. Mankind responds to God in only one of two ways...they either believe Him or they do not believe Him.

God through Christ Jesus is the Creator and Savior of the world which includes all mankind. So both believers and unbelievers are saved. The only question is the “means” that God uses to bring people to the KNOWLEDGE of their salvation.

Some come to the knowledge of their salvation by the GRACE of God through the gift of FAITH in his present age. For most people, however, the means God uses to give them the knowledge of their salvation is the indisputable visible EVIDENCE which will be presented them after their resurrection. Both of these “means” or “channels” by which people come to the KNOWLEDGE of Salvation are GIFTS from God....this knowledge does not come from works or decisions men make.

Believers and unbelievers alike come into JUDGMENT with regard to their motives, decisions and words. Those motives, decisions and works will be shown to be either good or bad at that time. Good deeds are rewarded in a subsequent age...bad deeds will be the source of shame in subsequent ages.

But there is to be an END to the ages...the consummation of God's purpose for those ages. At that point in time both friends and enemies, believers and unbelievers will have been reconciled to God and glorified in the completed image of God who will then be ALL in ALL. God will have won the voluntary love and acclamation of all of His creation...then follows the really good stuff of immortal, eternal life....

“...as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Corinthians 5:1)

All sane people understand the simple truth that if they live, they will also one day die. That is also biblical truth and is verified by experience so every sane person believes it whether they believe in God or not. But those who believe God also believe that after a man or woman dies there is another life “eternal in the heavens”. This helps us live righteously.

”For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad…he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” (2 Corinthians 5:10, 15)

Even though all mankind has this eternal house in the heavens guaranteed to them, there is also going to be a day of reckoning when we receive that new “house”. All will give an account to Christ for the things done in this life and be shown whether it is good or bad. 

If people were aware and believed that fact, then it would take care of our daily walk and relationships in this life. But most just do not believe they will have to give an account…even Christians have this insane idea that because they have made some “wise decision” to “accept” Christ they will be exempt from this examination.

“…all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Chris…God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the ministry of reconciliation…For he hath made him to be sin for us…” (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)

The good news is that although ALL will give account, God was in Christ at the cross reconciling the whole world to himself and is not imputing the bad things we do against us in terms of punishment beyond death.  He wants us to tell people this...that is a believer’s "ministry". Christianity and all other religions fail miserably in this regard because they simply do not believe God. Sin will not prevent us from being "saved" and receiving our “house…eternal in the heavens”, but we may gain or lose “reward” based on our actions.

”Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:13-15)

The good works mankind does will be rewarded. As for the bad works, they will not be rewarded and we will be "ashamed" of them, even though the person “shall be saved”.

“And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.” (1 John 2:28)