Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

                                                                                                                         Jonah 3:4 

Jonah’s message for Nineveh was brief and rang with certain clarity. Unless the city turned toward the Lord, they would suffer invasion and be overthrown. In the days under the old covenant, this scenario played out over and over, even for the nation of Israel. For Nineveh, the news was bad and the outlook bleak however God was offering this great city an opportunity to experience redemption rather than decimation. Today, we live under the new covenant, which was bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross. But the message is still the same. Unless we repent and call on the name of the Lord for salvation, we too will suffer loss, even eternally.

This spiritual reality is often met with skepticism and scoffing. Our modern society has reached a point in which the truth of the gospel is frequently rejected. In its place, mankind has offered up a plethora of religious and philosophical ideas, all falling short of having the ability to save our souls and bring us abundant and eternal life. But for those who will hear the message preached and respond with open hearts and minds, redemption, forgiveness, healing, and spiritual freedom are theirs to claim and enjoy.

The gospel (good news) always begins with the bad news. This is a necessary part of preaching good news. If we do not accurately identify the problem, we cannot successfully engage in the solution. Consider an individual standing in waist-deep water at the shallow end of a pool with his/her feet firmly planted on the bottom of the pool. Throwing this person a floatation device would be considered foolishness, not only to the person in the shallow end but to all of the other patrons at the pool. Everyone knows that only drowning people or those at risk of drowning need assistance from a lifeguard. As long as mankind believes themselves to be spiritually secure and void of needing any spiritual assistance, the gospel will seem like foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18). But for those who are very aware of their current spiritual state and admit that they indeed are sinners, the gospel rings with the glorious anthem of salvation and acceptance by God.

We can sum up our problem in one simple phrase. Consider the gravity of James’ words: 

And the person who keeps every law of God but makes one little slip is just as guilty as the person who has broken every law there is.

                                                                                                            James 2:10 (TLB) 

This simple yet powerful truth does not sit well with the religious and those who equate acceptance from God with morality. After all, it seems quite unfair for the people who have lived a more wretched existence than we to be offered the same love, forgiveness, and redemption that we have been offered (keep this in mind as we later examine Jonah’s reasons for running). Often, humanity cannot look beyond the misguided belief that there are “good” people and “bad” people in this world. “We are not the same,” they would argue. “Good people should go to heaven and bad people should go to hell.” But James tells us the truth when he says that when we slip up just one time, we become as guilty as the person who has broken every law. Preach that message and watch the power of God bring people to the foot of the cross.

And just as we can sum up our spiritual problem in one simple statement, the solution is as easily explained. Consider the words of Paul (a former legalist): 

Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

                                                                                                         2 Corinthians 3:4-6 

As Christians, we are to have confidence toward God. It is not ourselves in whom we place our confidence. It is our confidence in Jesus that gives us this boldness and power to live. Adequacy can be defined as being sufficient, satisfactory or acceptable in quality. In other words, as believers, we are acceptable in the eyes of God. Religion says that this is true if we always do the right thing. The gospel says this is true even when we don’t.

As Christians, we are servants of a new covenant. This covenant is described as not being based on the letter (the Law) rather this covenant is rooted in the Spirit (God’s Holy Spirit). Paul reminds us the letter (the Law) kills (spiritually and physically). Contrast that with the power of the Spirit, which brings life. If we are not enjoying abundance in our life perhaps we are simply serving a doctrine, a philosophy, or a theological bent but not the gospel. Our adequacy toward God is in the power of the finished work of Christ on the cross on our behalf. 

On our own, we are desperately in spiritual debt to the God who created us. But just like in the days of Jonah, God is offering us redemption in place of spiritual decimation. His name is Jesus and He will save any who call on His name. Have you secured your place in the eternal kingdom of Christ?