The Gospel
The entire Bible centers on a single, surprisingly simple theme: God loves you so much that He made a way for you to be forgiven for every sin, so you can spend eternity with Him.
That’s the essence of the gospel, and the central subject of the Scriptures.
The written Word of God is intended to help us understand this “good news.”
By studying the Bible, we learn that
●each person needs to be saved (Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ),
●each person can be saved (Romans 1:16, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.),
●and God wants each person to be saved (2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some people count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that anyone should perish, but that all people should reach repentance.)
What separates us from God is sin.
No matter how good we think we are, every person is guilty of sin (1 John 1:10, If we say we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and God's word is not in us.)
Since God is absolutely perfect, no one deserves to spend eternity in heaven. Instead, we deserve to be separated from Him forever (Romans 5:16, And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.)
No amount of effort, no amount of good deeds, no amount of money, no amount of talent, no amount of achievements are enough to take away this guilt (Isaiah 64:6,We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our self-righteous deeds are like a filthy rag. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. )
Fortunately, God doesn’t want us to be separated from Him, so He made a way to fix what’s broken (John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. )
That one and only way is through faith in Jesus Christ (John 14:6, Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.)
God Himself came to earth, as a human, living a perfect and sinless life (Hebrews 4:15, For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.)
Jesus willingly died as a sacrifice to pay the debt for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21, For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.)
According to the Scriptures, anyone can be “saved”—forgiven by God and guaranteed heaven—through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:13, For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”)
This isn’t a call for blind, ignorant belief (Acts 17:11, Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.; 1 John 4:1, Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.)
It’s an invitation from the Holy Spirit to submission and trust (James 4:7, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.)
It’s a choice to let go of everything else in order to rely entirely on God.
There is nothing anyone can “do” in order to be saved.
The only way a person can find salvation is by accepting Jesus Christ as their savior.
This simply means believing that…
I am a sinner, who deserves God’s judgment (Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,; Romans 6:23Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.)
I believe that ...
Jesus Christ is God, and He came to earth as a man (John 1:14, And the Word (in Greek, Logos) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.)
I believe that ...
Jesus died, in my place, in order to pay for my sins (Romans 8:3-4, ³ For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.; Hebrews 10:14, For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.)
I believe that ...
Jesus came back from the dead, as He said He would (Romans 4:25, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.; Mark 8:31, And Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man (himself) must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.).
I believe that ...
I am trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice, and nothing else, in order to save me (Ephesians 2:8-9, ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast.; John 3:5John, Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.)
I believe that ...
As best I know how, I am turning away from my sins, putting all of my faith (trust) in Jesus to save me
(2 Corinthians 7:10, For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. ;
Acts 16:31, And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”).
That’s it!
Anyone who truly believes those things is forgiven, changed from the inside out (James 1:18, Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.; 2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.), and destined for heaven.
The gospel is simple enough for anyone to understand (Matthew 18:13, And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.), but very difficult for people to accept (Romans 1:20-21, ²⁰ For God's invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.)
The truth of the gospel means we are not perfect.
We are not in total control of our lives (Psalm 39:5, Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!)
We cannot save ourselves.
We need something “more” than us to make things right (1 Thessalonians 4:8, Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.).
Being born of the Spirit of God and becoming a believer is not about being better than others.
The gospel is for those who admit they are weak and need to be rescued (2 Corinthians 12:9, But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.)
That’s a hard truth, but everything we learn from the Bible proves this truth.
Each theme explored in Scripture points towards this gospel message of sin, redemption, and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
It’s the most important decision a person will ever make: do I accept what God offers, or do I turn my back on it (Matthew 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.)?
Which one will you choose (2 Corinthians 6:2, For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is he favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)?
The core points of the gospel.
I just became a Christian!
Now that I've put my faith in Jesus, what do I do now?
Wonderful!
Trusting in Jesus Christ is absolutely the best and most important decision anyone can ever make (John 3:16–18; Titus 3:4–7).
It's also the start of a spititual lifelong process of growth and learning.
That journey is not always easy (John 16:33), but God promises to help us along the way (Matthew 28:20; John 14:18).
Take advantage of God’s grace and you can locate a solid Bible-teaching church in your area.
I just became a Christian! Now that I've put my faith in Jesus, what do I do now?
Congratulations!
Believing Christ Jesus as your personal Savior not only changes your eternity (John 3:36), it changes your life!
However, it doesn't instantly answer all possible questions.
You may be wondering "what am I supposed to do now?
How do I follow God now that I've trusted in Jesus?"
Here are five basic ideas you can use to get started.
1) Be sure you understand your decision for salvation.
Scripture tells us it's possible to know whether we've truly been saved (1 John 5:13).
That serves two purposes.
First, it gives us reassurance, comforting us with a reminder that we're eternally redeemed.
Second, it gives us a way to recognize if we're not quite there, yet.
The basic outline of salvation, as given in Scripture, is this:
a) Everyone has sinned; every person has done things which disobey and displease God (Romans 3:23).
b) God is perfectly good and holy, so our sin separates us from Him.
We deserve to be eternally disconnected from Him (Romans 6:23).
c) Out of love and mercy, God came in the form of Jesus Christ, who died to pay the penalty we owe for our sin (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
By dying on the cross, Jesus took the punishment we deserve.
By rising from the dead, Jesus proved His message was true, and that His death covers our debt of sin.
d) Anyone who trusts in the death of Christ as payment for their sins is granted forgiveness—salvation—from God.
Those who admit their sin, sincerely relying on Jesus for salvation, will be saved (John 3:16; Romans 5:1; Romans 8:1).
That means an eternity in heaven.
e) Those who have been saved are immediately, and permanently, given the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).
The Spirit helps us to learn God's truth, through the Bible, and gives us the power to live accordingly.
Those are the core points of the gospel.
If you place your faith in Christ, as your Savior, then you are saved, right now!
That means God will never abandon you or turn away from you (Romans 8:38–39; Matthew 28:20).
A person who is genuinely saved cannot lose that salvation—ever (John 10:28–29).
If you have accepted Christ, you can be confident in your salvation and rely on His power to follow God's will.
2) Connect with a Bible-teaching Church.
The primary purposes of a Christian church are fellowship, teaching of the Bible, and worship.
Being connected to a local church is not merely a good idea: it's a command from God (Hebrews 10:25).
God never intended for people to be entirely alone (Genesis 2:18).
He also does not intend for Christians to be alone in their spiritual lives (Ephesians 4:15–16; 1 Corinthians 12:19–20).
And so, the local church is important.
The church, in this case, is not the building but the people who serve and associate with each other.
The simple concept of being together—sharing time and space—is called fellowship.
We need other believers to help us properly understand the written Word of God (Acts 8:30–31; Titus 1:7–9).
Newer believers need the wisdom and experience of more mature Christians (Titus 2:1).
This process is called discipleship.
Discipleship is crucial to living a successful Christian life.
The Bible is our ultimate guide (1 Timothy 3:16–17; 1 Corinthians 4:6), but mentors and friends are necessary to properly grasp those truths (Proverbs 11:14; Hebrews 5:12–14).
Churches are also important so that followers of Christ can thank God for all He has done for us.
This act of praising God is called worship.
Because God is holy, merciful, loving, righteous and graceful, He deserves our worship (Revelation 4:11; Isaiah 6:1–7).
3) Take time for God on a daily basis.
For a saved Christian, contact with God is like food: the longer one goes without, the weaker one becomes.
It's critical for a believer to spend time focused on God, every single day.
Some people carve out a set time in their schedule for this, often called quiet time or a daily devotion.
Whether you do this in the morning or evening, or night , at a routine time or at different moments, it does not matter.
What's important is that you commit to daily, prioritized time alone with God every day.
That usually takes one of two forms:
The first way we focus on God is prayer.
Prayer does not have to be long, complicated, or eloquent.
It does not have to use the "right" words or be organized in the "right" way.
Jesus' model prayer (Matthew 6:9–13) tells us that prayer is where we praise God, tell Him what concerns us, and ask Him to provide for those needs.
[Matthew 6:9-13, ⁹ Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread,
¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.]
The second way is study of the Word of God: the Bible.
Teachers and pastors in a church will help you learn about Scripture.
However, it's very important to read the Bible yourself.
Scripture is the most-authoritative source of spiritual knowledge.
While it does not answer every question a person could possibly ask, it does tell us everything we must know to live according to God's will.
4) Develop relationships for spiritual growth.
Being involved with a local church is important.
What's also important is connecting to individual people, on a personal level. The people you choose to spend time with will have a massive influence on your life: their approach to spiritual things will "rub off" on you.
While that doesn't mean we should cut all non-believers out of our lives, it does mean we need to prioritize relationships with those who love and honor God.
Christian relationships include simple friendship, where two people encourage each other, provide support, and even accountability.
It also includes mentorship, where a more spiritually mature believer helps a less-mature Christian grow in their faith. The more time you spend living, serving, and communicating with other Christians, the more secure your faith will be.
5) Follow God's will and be Baptized.
This step is last on the list only because it is often over-emphasized.
Baptism is not a requirement for salvation.
Nor is it a magic ritual which physically washes away sins.
Baptism is a public step of obedience: it's a way of declaring your faith in Christ.
To be baptized—from a term meaning "to immerse in water"—is to symbolically identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3–4).
It's the first and primary step of obedience which each saved person is called to follow.
If you have sincerely and legitimately accepted Christ as your Savior, you should speak with the pastor of your local church about being baptized.
Acts 2:38, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
No comments:
Post a Comment