The Greatest News of All Time
✢ Anni Ponder Evans ✢
❤ If something you believe about God does not make you want to sing and dance, it is probably false. ❤
Let me say it again: If something you believe about God does not make you want to sing and dance, it is probably false.
Don’t believe me? Too good to be true?
Hang on. Let me explain.
First, I should clarify that I am not talking about our experience of earth here. There are plenty of things that happen to us that I haven’t been able to sing and dance about--yet, anyway. Some of the things we suffer are so horrible, the trauma so profound, that I am baffled by how some spiritual teachers are able to say all is well, no harm done. Most of these atrocities are dealt us by the hands of other humans, though some seem to come through nature, and even some from God’s own hand*. These hurts deserve our full attention, but are the topic for another conversation.
Right now, though, I am learning something beautiful about God’s character, and that’s what I want to share. So listen again to my proclamation, and know it is all about God:
If something you believe about God does not make you want to sing and dance, it is probably false.
Is there something about God you find terrifying, disturbing, or infuriating?
Perhaps you would be willing to do a little thought experiment. Can you conceive a thought that is better than God? Can you imagine anything more wonderful than God is? Can you think of a way God could be improved?
The answer to those questions might depend on your upbringing, or how God has been presented to you. If you answered “yes,” I have great news: God is ALWAYS better than we think! If you answered “no,” then perhaps you already know where this is going. Either way, let’s test that statement against something Yeshua said and see whether it could be true.
Join me on a tour of His beloved Sermon on the Mount. (If you need a refresher, find the transcript in Matthew chapters 5-7.)
“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” --Yeshua, in Matthew 5:20
How terrifying these words must have been to those who first heard them. Those poor people had suffered much at the hands of many--brutal foreign conquerors, their own oppressive religious rulers, the forces of darkness that tormented their souls. The Jews’ one hope of salvation was in a Messiah who would conquer these things for them…and yet, here they heard such devastating news: no matter how hard they worked, their righteousness would never suffice to ensure them a place in Paradise. God would never be pleased with them.
I can imagine the sinking of their hearts--first, Yeshua had told them they would be blessed in their poverty, hunger, and persecution, because they would receive the Kingdom of Heaven, they would be filled, they would be greatly rewarded. How they must have thrilled to hear those words!
But then, a staggering weight was dropped on them. “Unless you do better than the Pharisees, you will have no place in the Kingdom.” What?! Surely they must have wondered if they had misheard Him. Did He really just say our righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees? But, they keep the commandments to perfection! How is it possible to exceed their adherence to the law?
What He says next must have felt like nails in the coffin: beyond murder, even anger is forbidden; beyond adultery, lust; divorce is akin to adultery; swearing an oath is evil; and then, turn the other cheek. And if that weren’t enough, have unconditional love--AGAPE--for your enemies! As in, be willing to die for the pagan Roman oppressors who make your life a living hell.
I can imagine tuning Him out after this, and only vaguely hearing the next admonitions: give to anyone who asks…pray simply and humbly…fast cheerfully and without boasting…don’t love money. By this time, my head would have been pounding as I would return to the haunting thought: unless my righteousness surpasses that of the most holy people I know, I have no chance. No hope.
What’s this He’s now saying? “Don’t worry about your life…about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” Is He serious? Already the yoke on my shoulders was heavy--now He has made it impossible to bear…and here He says not to worry?! And next, there’s a plank in my eye?
It would be enough to make me stand up and walk away. Sure, His encouragement to ask, seek, and knock would have seemed inviting, but I’m sure by now I would have been among the scoffers. Do to others as I would have done to me? Sure, Yeshua. You just made keeping the law 1,000 times harder. There is just no way I can do this.
The next part makes perfect sense: there’s a narrow gate heading to life and a wide path leading to destruction. I know which way I’m headed. Maybe I’m the bad tree You speak of--my fruit will never be good enough for Heaven’s standard. Surely I’ll be among those to whom You say, “Away from Me, you evildoers.”
My house is so clearly built on a foundation of sand. Already I see cracks in the walls, a sinking floor, and a sagging roof. The situation is hopeless.
And yet, my mind returns again to the words You started with: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” I certainly feel poor in spirit. How could I not?
I study the look on Your face--so earnest, so gentle. Nothing like the harsh religious rulers I abhor. There is such compassion, such truth in Your eyes. Lord, I want to believe. I want to hope. Yet how can I, when I fall so disastrously short of the mark?
I look around at other faces and note the same expression of profound confusion mixed with longing. We want to believe! We desperately desire the Kingdom of Heaven. It has been dangled in front of us, like an impossibly expensive string of pearls before our eyes. How will we ever achieve it?
Can you relate? Has there ever been a time you have glimpsed something so beautiful, so alluring, and yet so completely beyond your grasp?
Such were the words of Yeshua.
Such is the standard of righteousness required for admission to the Kingdom of eternal life.
Such is our dilemma. Hardly good news.
Until later, when we look back on what followed the Sermon. No one knows for sure exactly when it began to dawn on His followers, but at some point after the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Yeshua of Nazareth, they began to understand the paradox: the price for admission is perfect holiness, and none of us is capable of anything remotely close to that. It is only by His righteousness that we can be granted entrance to eternity with God. Only by His perfect sacrifice may we be counted among the righteous.
The apostle Paul explains. A former Pharisee, all of his own attempts at righteousness now appear as garbage in the light of Christ’s perfection:
“I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” Philippians 3:8,9
Do you see it? The greatest news of all time? The standard is higher than the heavens--we could never, not in a billion years, attain a righteousness that would suffice for entrance into God’s eternal presence. And yet, Yeshua demands that we do it. How can we ever hope, then?
Dears, it is because He freely offers us His righteousness as our own. It is a gift--ours for the taking. All we have to do is show up and claim His perfection as our own, and we are heartily welcomed forevermore.
Doesn’t that make you want to sing and dance?
That day on the mountainside, I’m sure the people could not have grasped the beauty of this paradox, because they had yet to see where Divine Love would take Yeshua. It may not have been for years that they understood this unspeakable grace. And yet, at some point, those who stuck close to the Teacher must have realized: God is better than we think. Where we lack, God more than covers us. No wonder Yeshua told us we are the light of the world, like a city on a hill. What we have to share changes everything!
Back to our thought experiment. Are there doubts we have about God’s utter goodness? Are there portions of Scripture that would cause us to fear God is not always trustworthy? Might we be worried about how God would judge us, or others whom we love, because we fall short and are in danger of hellfire and destruction?
Then let us look closely at Yeshua on the cross, and remember again that this is the fullest portrait of God’s character. And if anything casts doubt on God’s goodness, let us remember there is more to the story than we can see now, and more will be revealed.
I’ve sat at the Master’s feet long enough to begin to truly believe that God is beyond wonderful, beyond perfection, beyond my highest and best thoughts. I’ve come to see the truth in the words of the Lord recorded in Isaiah 55:9:
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
I’ve concluded there is no way I could conceive anything that is better than God.
I cannot out-imagine God’s goodness.
So…that leaves me with a powerful conviction: since I am not capable of overestimating God’s goodness, anything I believe about God that does not make me want to sing and dance must be false. This is tremendously liberating! No wonder the Gospel is translated as “good news.” We are now free to celebrate exuberantly, as the Psalmist David:
“You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent. Oh Lord my God, I will give You thanks forever.” Psalm 30:11,12
Happy dancing, my friends.
*The idea that God allows or even wills us suffering for our own good is complex and deserves much more reflection than there is time for here. If you are struggling with this, I recommend asking Yeshua for guidance as you seek to understand how a loving, sovereign God could bring us suffering. Asking this question, along with the request “Please show me anything I believe about You that is untrue” has radically changed my life. A few authors that really helped me might also benefit you. I’ll list their work here, along with a prayer that as you confront this crisis-of-faith-in-a-question, you will be guided by Holy Spirit and led into a deep understanding of the unquestionable goodness of God, in the mighty name of Yeshua.
“How Could a Loving God Allow So Much Suffering?” by Rebecca McLaughlin
The Shack by William P. Young
Mindful Loving by Henry Grayson
Left to Tell by Immaculée Ilibagiza
Hang on. Let me explain.
First, I should clarify that I am not talking about our experience of earth here. There are plenty of things that happen to us that I haven’t been able to sing and dance about--yet, anyway. Some of the things we suffer are so horrible, the trauma so profound, that I am baffled by how some spiritual teachers are able to say all is well, no harm done. Most of these atrocities are dealt us by the hands of other humans, though some seem to come through nature, and even some from God’s own hand*. These hurts deserve our full attention, but are the topic for another conversation.
Right now, though, I am learning something beautiful about God’s character, and that’s what I want to share. So listen again to my proclamation, and know it is all about God:
If something you believe about God does not make you want to sing and dance, it is probably false.
Is there something about God you find terrifying, disturbing, or infuriating?
Perhaps you would be willing to do a little thought experiment. Can you conceive a thought that is better than God? Can you imagine anything more wonderful than God is? Can you think of a way God could be improved?
The answer to those questions might depend on your upbringing, or how God has been presented to you. If you answered “yes,” I have great news: God is ALWAYS better than we think! If you answered “no,” then perhaps you already know where this is going. Either way, let’s test that statement against something Yeshua said and see whether it could be true.
Join me on a tour of His beloved Sermon on the Mount. (If you need a refresher, find the transcript in Matthew chapters 5-7.)
“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” --Yeshua, in Matthew 5:20
How terrifying these words must have been to those who first heard them. Those poor people had suffered much at the hands of many--brutal foreign conquerors, their own oppressive religious rulers, the forces of darkness that tormented their souls. The Jews’ one hope of salvation was in a Messiah who would conquer these things for them…and yet, here they heard such devastating news: no matter how hard they worked, their righteousness would never suffice to ensure them a place in Paradise. God would never be pleased with them.
I can imagine the sinking of their hearts--first, Yeshua had told them they would be blessed in their poverty, hunger, and persecution, because they would receive the Kingdom of Heaven, they would be filled, they would be greatly rewarded. How they must have thrilled to hear those words!
But then, a staggering weight was dropped on them. “Unless you do better than the Pharisees, you will have no place in the Kingdom.” What?! Surely they must have wondered if they had misheard Him. Did He really just say our righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees? But, they keep the commandments to perfection! How is it possible to exceed their adherence to the law?
What He says next must have felt like nails in the coffin: beyond murder, even anger is forbidden; beyond adultery, lust; divorce is akin to adultery; swearing an oath is evil; and then, turn the other cheek. And if that weren’t enough, have unconditional love--AGAPE--for your enemies! As in, be willing to die for the pagan Roman oppressors who make your life a living hell.
I can imagine tuning Him out after this, and only vaguely hearing the next admonitions: give to anyone who asks…pray simply and humbly…fast cheerfully and without boasting…don’t love money. By this time, my head would have been pounding as I would return to the haunting thought: unless my righteousness surpasses that of the most holy people I know, I have no chance. No hope.
What’s this He’s now saying? “Don’t worry about your life…about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” Is He serious? Already the yoke on my shoulders was heavy--now He has made it impossible to bear…and here He says not to worry?! And next, there’s a plank in my eye?
It would be enough to make me stand up and walk away. Sure, His encouragement to ask, seek, and knock would have seemed inviting, but I’m sure by now I would have been among the scoffers. Do to others as I would have done to me? Sure, Yeshua. You just made keeping the law 1,000 times harder. There is just no way I can do this.
The next part makes perfect sense: there’s a narrow gate heading to life and a wide path leading to destruction. I know which way I’m headed. Maybe I’m the bad tree You speak of--my fruit will never be good enough for Heaven’s standard. Surely I’ll be among those to whom You say, “Away from Me, you evildoers.”
My house is so clearly built on a foundation of sand. Already I see cracks in the walls, a sinking floor, and a sagging roof. The situation is hopeless.
And yet, my mind returns again to the words You started with: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” I certainly feel poor in spirit. How could I not?
I study the look on Your face--so earnest, so gentle. Nothing like the harsh religious rulers I abhor. There is such compassion, such truth in Your eyes. Lord, I want to believe. I want to hope. Yet how can I, when I fall so disastrously short of the mark?
I look around at other faces and note the same expression of profound confusion mixed with longing. We want to believe! We desperately desire the Kingdom of Heaven. It has been dangled in front of us, like an impossibly expensive string of pearls before our eyes. How will we ever achieve it?
Can you relate? Has there ever been a time you have glimpsed something so beautiful, so alluring, and yet so completely beyond your grasp?
Such were the words of Yeshua.
Such is the standard of righteousness required for admission to the Kingdom of eternal life.
Such is our dilemma. Hardly good news.
Until later, when we look back on what followed the Sermon. No one knows for sure exactly when it began to dawn on His followers, but at some point after the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Yeshua of Nazareth, they began to understand the paradox: the price for admission is perfect holiness, and none of us is capable of anything remotely close to that. It is only by His righteousness that we can be granted entrance to eternity with God. Only by His perfect sacrifice may we be counted among the righteous.
The apostle Paul explains. A former Pharisee, all of his own attempts at righteousness now appear as garbage in the light of Christ’s perfection:
“I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” Philippians 3:8,9
Do you see it? The greatest news of all time? The standard is higher than the heavens--we could never, not in a billion years, attain a righteousness that would suffice for entrance into God’s eternal presence. And yet, Yeshua demands that we do it. How can we ever hope, then?
Dears, it is because He freely offers us His righteousness as our own. It is a gift--ours for the taking. All we have to do is show up and claim His perfection as our own, and we are heartily welcomed forevermore.
Doesn’t that make you want to sing and dance?
That day on the mountainside, I’m sure the people could not have grasped the beauty of this paradox, because they had yet to see where Divine Love would take Yeshua. It may not have been for years that they understood this unspeakable grace. And yet, at some point, those who stuck close to the Teacher must have realized: God is better than we think. Where we lack, God more than covers us. No wonder Yeshua told us we are the light of the world, like a city on a hill. What we have to share changes everything!
Back to our thought experiment. Are there doubts we have about God’s utter goodness? Are there portions of Scripture that would cause us to fear God is not always trustworthy? Might we be worried about how God would judge us, or others whom we love, because we fall short and are in danger of hellfire and destruction?
Then let us look closely at Yeshua on the cross, and remember again that this is the fullest portrait of God’s character. And if anything casts doubt on God’s goodness, let us remember there is more to the story than we can see now, and more will be revealed.
I’ve sat at the Master’s feet long enough to begin to truly believe that God is beyond wonderful, beyond perfection, beyond my highest and best thoughts. I’ve come to see the truth in the words of the Lord recorded in Isaiah 55:9:
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
I’ve concluded there is no way I could conceive anything that is better than God.
I cannot out-imagine God’s goodness.
So…that leaves me with a powerful conviction: since I am not capable of overestimating God’s goodness, anything I believe about God that does not make me want to sing and dance must be false. This is tremendously liberating! No wonder the Gospel is translated as “good news.” We are now free to celebrate exuberantly, as the Psalmist David:
“You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent. Oh Lord my God, I will give You thanks forever.” Psalm 30:11,12
Happy dancing, my friends.
*The idea that God allows or even wills us suffering for our own good is complex and deserves much more reflection than there is time for here. If you are struggling with this, I recommend asking Yeshua for guidance as you seek to understand how a loving, sovereign God could bring us suffering. Asking this question, along with the request “Please show me anything I believe about You that is untrue” has radically changed my life. A few authors that really helped me might also benefit you. I’ll list their work here, along with a prayer that as you confront this crisis-of-faith-in-a-question, you will be guided by Holy Spirit and led into a deep understanding of the unquestionable goodness of God, in the mighty name of Yeshua.
“How Could a Loving God Allow So Much Suffering?” by Rebecca McLaughlin
The Shack by William P. Young
Mindful Loving by Henry Grayson
Left to Tell by Immaculée Ilibagiza
Recent
Archive
2023
August
2022
2021
2019
1 Comment
Well said! I want to sing!