Three Circles is a simple way to express the gospel. As you go through the circles and what each one means you'll see how God has organized the world to work, what's gone wrong, and how we can respond to Him.
God's Design
We see beauty, purpose, and evidence of God's design around us. The Bible tells us that God originally planned a world that worked perfectly - where everything and everyone fit together in harmony. God made each of us with a purpose - to worship Him and walk with Him.
The Bible says:
"God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:31
"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands." Psalm 19:1
The Bible says:
"God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:31
"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands." Psalm 19:1
Sin
Life doesn't work when we ignore God and His original design for our lives. We selfishly insist on doing things our own way. The Bible calls this sin. We all sin and distort the original design. The consequence for our sin is separation from God - in this life and for all of eternity.
The Bible says:
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
"For the wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23a
The Bible says:
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
"For the wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23a
Brokenness
Sin leads to a place of brokenness. We see this all around us and in our own lives as well. When we realize life is not working, we begin to look for a way out. We tend to go in many directions trying different things to figure it out on our own. Brokenness leads to a place of realizing a need for something greater.
The Bible says:
"They exchanged the truth of God for a life, and worshipped and served something created instead of the Creator." Romans 1:25
The Bible says:
"They exchanged the truth of God for a life, and worshipped and served something created instead of the Creator." Romans 1:25
Gospel
At this point, we need a remedy - some good news. Because of His love, God did not leave us in our brokenness. Jesus, God in human flesh, came to us and lived perfectly according to God's design. Jesus came to rescue us - to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He took our sin and shame to the cross, paying the penalty of our sin by His death. Jesus was then raised from the dead - to provide the only way for us to be rescued and restored to a relationship with God.
The Bible says:
"For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and only Son." John 3:16
"He erased the certificate of death... and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross." Colossians 2:14
The Bible says:
"For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and only Son." John 3:16
"He erased the certificate of death... and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross." Colossians 2:14
Repent & Believe
Simply hearing this Good News is not enough. We must admit our sinful brokenness and stop trusting in ourselves. We don't have the power to escape this brokenness on our own. We need to be rescued. We must ask God to forgive us - turning from sin to trust only in Jesus. This is what it means to repent and believe. Believing, we receive new life through Jesus and God turns our lives in a new direction.
The Bible says:
"Repent and believe in the good news." Mark 1:15b
"For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is God's gift - not from works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
"If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9
The Bible says:
"Repent and believe in the good news." Mark 1:15b
"For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is God's gift - not from works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
"If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9
Recover & Pursue
When God restores our relationship to Him, we begin to discover meaning and purpose in a broken world. Now we can pursue God's design in all areas of our lives. Even when we fall, we understand God's pathway to be restored - this same Good News of Jesus. God's Spirit empowers us to pursue His design and assures us of His presence in this life and for all eternity.
The Bible says:
"For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose." Philippians 2:13
"For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10
The Bible says:
"For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose." Philippians 2:13
"For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10
