What does it mean for humanity to be freed indeed? The author's slogan for his website FreedIndeed.com is "Freedom is just another word for nothing left to prove." What does that mean for this book? The author wants his readers to understand by the end of the book that they are freed from religion because of the Gospel of Grace.
The author wrote, "the good part about the gospel is that it was applied to all humanity at the cross." This is good news because it includes all people, rather than just a select few who know about God. God's grace is given; God's grace is not asked for. God's grace was never a bargain to be struck or a transaction to be conducted. Grace was a free gift imputed to all humanity at the same time. Nevertheless, religion capitalizes on grace by using it as a carrot. The very word "Religion" is derived from the Latin meaning "to bind up again," or "to rebind," and pretty well speaks for itself. In fact, religion assigns a list of disciplines its people must do to be good disciples. Pulpits preach that religion makes people free, but they place burden after burden on those people, starting with "You must believe" and ending with "you must behave." When people realize they are not free because of those burdens, they start seeking other ways to get freed.
God and man are commingled together as one identity because of Jesus Christ and the cross. That means that no one can tell where God begins and where man ends. Of course, none of this would be possible if sin did not die on the cross with Jesus. Jesus became sin before dying and then died, which killed sin forever.
Thankfully, because of Jesus's work on the cross, sin no longer exists between man and God. However, people still do evil acts to each other, which is why humanity has civil laws and prisons. Nevertheless, the wrong that people do against each other is not the same as sinning against God, which is non-existent after the cross. All humanity was redeemed at the cross, and, today, because of the cross, all people are born righteous in God's eyes and are commingled with God.
This is one of a few books that gets to the heart of the true gospel of redemption of all humanity. It is a short book, a great read and will be a superb addition to your library.
In conclusion, the good part about the gospel is that it applied to all humanity at the cross. People may not know about it, but that does not mean that it is not there within them. When people realize that they are redeemed regardless of what they have done, it is an "ah ha!" moment. It is a refreshing moment. It is an exciting moment.
When I realized that I was righteous and had been since I was born, it was so exciting to me that I was as giddy as a little schoolchild. I still feel giddy as a schoolchild, and so much so that I want to tell as many people as I can about it. Beginning with you.
By Don Bartlett
Media Manager, Gospel Revolution
