“But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known…This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all those who believe,” Finally the good news!
Christ died on the Cross and rose from the grave and through Him we can be righteous before God and assured of eternal life. God has made a way of salvation for the lost.

Obviously, this truth cannot be taken for granted as being accepted in our world (and even in the church) today. Pluralism dominates the global religious landscape, and the prevailing idea is that if there is a God, He has provided many ways of salvation for the lost.

A girl asked a man this awhile ago: “Are you telling me that if I don’t believe in the Jesus you’re talking about, I will go to hell when I die?”

He took the time to collect his thoughts and gave his response: “we all have sin in us that separates us from God. No matter what we do, we can’t overcome our own rebellion. Thats why Jesus died on the cross-to save us from our sin and ourselves. So, yes, apart from believing in Jesus, you will not go to heaven.”

Her response : That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. who are you to say that your faith is the only way to God and the rest of us are all going to eternal damnation?” With that, they walked away.

The man had, had better days.

That was the first of many conversations with that girl. That man was asked question after question from her about Jesus, who God was, how Jesus is different from every other religion, what about all the people who have never heard about Jesus. The man tried his best to answer all her questions, but it often seemed like his words were bouncing off a brick wall.

After one of these many conversations the man began to think, Do I even really believe this? I don’t want to be arrogant or narrow-minded. Am I just believing what I was raised to believe? Is this true? Is Jesus the only way to God?

The man was humbled by her conversations and wrestled with those questions for months. A year later that man came upon that same girl, and at once she said “I need to talk to you.” She told that man that over the past year she had come to an understanding of her sinfulness before God. She had also come to an understanding of the sufficiency of Christ to cover her sin. She said, “I have trusted Jesus for my salvation and now I know when I die, I am going to heaven.”

God makes a way of salvation for the lost. Not a way, but the way. And this is the good news-the gospel.
But the question still remains. What about the people who never got to hear what this girl heard? That leads us to our last two truths.