This is an illustration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ showing the barriers that existed between man and God and what God accomplished through the death, burial and resurrection and Jesus Christ, removing each and every barrier.

1. How God
in Christ
Removed
the
Barriers
between
God and
Man
A GOSPEL
ILLUSTRATION

2. BARRIERS BETWEEN GOD AND
OURSELVES
Us GodOur Sin
Lack of
Righteousness
Alienation
from God
God’s
Anger
Spiritual
Death

3.  Our Sin
 Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities have built barriers
between you and your God, and your sins have
made Him hide His face from you so that He does
not listen.” (HCSB)
 Lack of Righteousness
 Romans 3:10 “as it is written: There is no one
righteous, not even one. “(HCSB)
 Alienation from God
 Romans 8:7 “For the mind-set of the flesh is
hostile to God because it does not submit itself to
God’s law, for it is unable to do so.” (HCSB)
 God’s Anger
 Psalm 7:11 “God is a just judge; he is angry
throughout the day.” (NET1)
 Spiritual Death
 Ephesians 2:1 “And you were dead in your
trespasses and sins, “(NASB)
BARRIERS BETWEEN GOD AND
OURSELVES

4. BARRIER: OUR SIN
GOD’S SOLUTION: REDEMPTION
Us God
Lack of
Righteousness
Alienation
from God
God’s
Anger
Spiritual
Death
Redemption

5.  The definition of “redemption” as used in the
Bible is: “To secure the release of someone
from slavery or captivity by the payment of a
ransom”
 We were in bondage to our sinful desires and
a spiritual domain of wickedness and
rebellion against God
 Ephesians 2:1-2 “And you were dead in your
trespasses and sins in which you previously
walked according to the ways of this world,
according to the ruler who exercises authority over
the lower heavens, the spirit now working in the
disobedient.“ (HCSB)
 God redeemed us and forgave us of our sin.
The ransom price God paid was the shed
blood (death on the cross) of His Son Jesus
 Ephesians 1:7-8 “We have redemption in Him
through His blood, the forgiveness of our
trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
that He lavished on us with all wisdom and
understanding.” (HCSB)
BARRIER: OUR SIN
GOD’S SOLUTION:
REDEMPTION

6. BARRIER: UNRIGHTEOUSNESS
GOD’S SOLUTION: HIS
RIGHTEOUSNESS
Us God
Alienation
from God
God’s
Anger
Spiritual
Death
Redemption
Righteousness
Justification

7.  God is righteous and we were sinful. How
could God have fellowship with sinful people
for the rest of eternity?
 God has declared us righteous (to “justify”
means to legally declare righteous)
 1 Corinthians 6:11 And some of you were
these things, but you were washed, but you were
sanctified, but you were justified in the name of
the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God
 How can God be righteous in calling us
righteous if, in fact, we are unrighteous?
 Proverbs 17:15 “He that justifies the wicked, and
he that condemns the just, even they both are
abomination to the LORD”
 The answer is that He first made us righteous
before declaring us righteous
 2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made the one who did not
know sin to be sin on our behalf, in order that we
could become the righteousness of God in him”
 Romans 5:19 “For just as through one man’s
disobedience the many were made sinners, so
also through the one man’s obedience the many
will be made righteous”
BARRIER: UNRIGHTEOUSNESS
GOD’S SOLUTION: HIS
RIGHTEOUSNESS

8. BARRIER: ALIENATION
GOD’S SOLUTION:
RECONCILIATION
Us God
God’s
Anger
Spiritual
Death
Redemption
Righteousness
Justification
Reconciliation

9.  Jesus reconciled us to God through his dying
on the cross, making us holy and blameless
before God
 Colossians 1:21-22 “And although you were
formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in
evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His
fleshly body through death, in order to present you
before Him holy and blameless and beyond
reproach—”
 Romans 5:10 “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”
BARRIER: ALIENATION
GOD’S SOLUTION:
RECONCILIATION

10. BARRIER: GOD’S ANGER
GOD’S SOLUTION:
PROPITIATION
Us God
Spiritual
Death
Redemption
Righteousness
Justification
Reconciliation
Propitiation

11.  God’s righteous anger against our sin was
satisfied by the blood shed on the cross by
the Lord Jesus Christ, as He received the just
punishment for our sin, in our place
 1 John 4:10 “Love consists in this: not that
we loved God, but that He loved us and sent
His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
(HCSB)
 In the Day of Atonement, sins where covered
temporarily. But Christ, “not through the
blood of goats and calves, but through His
own blood, He entered the holy place once for
all, having obtained eternal redemption.”
Hebrews 9:12
 Note: “Expiation” is spoken of in the Bible but
typically does not occur in English
translations. Expiation is the cancellation of
sins, contrasting with propitiation, which is
the appeasing of divine wrath.
BARRIER: GOD’S ANGER
GOD’S SOLUTION:
PROPITIATION

12. BARRIER: SPIRITUAL DEATH
GOD’S SOLUTION:
REGENERATION
Us God
Redemption
Righteousness
Justification
Reconciliation
Propitiation
Regeneration

13.  When we were dead in our sins, God made us
alive
 Colossians 2:13 And when you were dead in
trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh,
He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our
trespasses
 When God made us alive He made us righteous
 Our new man is righteous (just as our old man was
unrighteous)
 Ephesians 4:24 (LITV) “and to put on the new man,
which according to God was created in
righteousness and true holiness.”
 Regeneration includes the old man being put to
death with Christ, and our new man being
raised with Christ
 Romans 6:4 “Therefore we have been buried with
Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ
was raised from the dead through the glory of the
Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
 Philippians 1:6 (NASB) “For I am confident of
this very thing, that He who began a good work
in you [regeneration] will perfect it until the
day of Christ Jesus. [sanctification]“
BARRIER: SPIRITUAL DEATH
GOD’S SOLUTION:
REGENERATION

14.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is either a stumbling
block, foolishness or the power and wisdom of God
 1 Corinthians 1:23-24 “but we preach Christ crucified, a
stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the
Gentiles. Yet to those who are called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom,” (HCSB)
 What should our response be?
 After Peter’s first sermon on the Day of Pentecost, the
Jews “came under deep conviction and said to Peter and
the rest of the apostles: “Brothers, what must we do?”
“Repent,” Peter said to them, “and be baptized, each of
you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is for you and for your children, and for
all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will
call.” And with many other words he testified and
strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt
generation!” Acts 2:37-40 (HCSB)
 Repent: To change our minds about God, who He is
and what He has done for us in Christ
 Baptism: In this context, to be fully identified with
Jesus: the Messiah, our Lord and Savior
 Believe: Accept as true what Christ has done for us
MAN’S RESPONSES TO THE
GOSPEL