There is no need to guess what the “Gospel” is because the Bible plainly tells us . . .
1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”There you have it, the GOSPEL is three things:
(1) Jesus DIED on the cross for our sins.(2) Jesus was BURIED.(3) Jesus bodily RESURRECTED from the dead three days later.The only requirement is to acknowledge that you are a guilty sinner in God's sight. You need to know what you're being saved from! All men are horrible sinners, deserving of the wages of sin, which is death (Romans 6:23). We all must die the first physical death; but no one needs to die the second death in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:1-15). God in His love has made a way of escape from the wrath to come. Romans 5:8-9, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” God wrath is stored up and reserved for all Christ-rejecters, who die in their sins without a Savior! Please don't go that route dear friend! God wants to save you (2nd Peter 3:9).
Many Ministers Get the Gospel Wrong
I once heard a visiting missionary (Phil Hunt from Africa) say at the Harvest Baptist Church on Guam, that there are two things that a person must absolutely believe to be saved: 1) That Jesus is the supreme Lord of the universe; 2) That Jesus raised up from the dead. That was it. That's his shallow plan of salvation. No wonder he has no converts! He didn't mention the cross. He didn't mention the fact that all men are guilty sinners under the condemnation of God's law, deserving of Hell. And he added the unscriptural requirement to surrender to Christ's supreme Lordship to be saved. That is NOT the Gospel! So few people have a clear understanding of how salvation works. Let me make it very simple. YOU ARE A SINNER! Unless you accept Christ's payment for your sins, you will spend eternity burning in the fires of Hell. Please read: 3,000 Souls Saved In One Day! (Acts 2:41 says 3,000 people simply believed and were saved!).Unless you trust JESUS CHRIST ALONE for your salvation, you CANNOT be saved. I don't think Chip Ingram is saved. I also don't think Billy Graham was saved. The biggest lies are always sandwiched between two truths to conceal them. I don't think David Cloud is saved. These well-meaning men all require HUMAN EFFORT, that is, forsaking sinful behavior, to be saved, which is a false Gospel. If we have to repent of all our sins to be saved, then we're all going straight to Hell. Repentance unto salvation is “a change of mind,” not a change of behavior. I recently heard Evangelist Tom Ferrell preach that a person is not saved unless they've been changed, and if they've changed they have declared “Jesus as Lord.” That's the Devil's lie of Calvinism (aka, Lordship Salvation)!
A changed life is the FRUIT of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25), not a requirement to get saved. But you ask, couldn't a person still be saved even though they are confused about salvation? No, because they have a wrong mindset and are not completely trusting the redemptive work of Christ. If you don't believe what I say, consider how closely Seventh-day Adventism comes to the Gospel, yet they are light-years away. If you believe wrong then you trust wrong, and unless you are totally resting in the precious blood of Jesus that washes our sins away (1st Peter 1:18-19), then you haven't been born-again by the Holy Spirit of God.
Please remember that a man named Cornelius in Acts chapter 10 was a devout religious man. Cornelius feared God, prayed, tithed and fasted, yet he was a lost man on his way to Hell. God sent the apostle Peter to witness to Cornelius and thankfully he got saved later in the chapter. God is good!
There is a cross-less Gospel which has crept into today's churches which merely says to “trust Jesus” or “invite Jesus into your heart” or “commit your life to Christ” to be saved. You can do all of these things and go straight to Hell when you die. Judas was one of Christ's very apostles, who followed the Lord everywhere He went, but still died in his sins and went to Hell forever! Matthew 27:3 says Judas even repented (i.e., he turned from his sins). That is not how you get saved! My friend, the Gospel truth is that Christ:
“Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1st Corinthians 14:3b-4).Surrendering to Christ's Lordship is NOT a requirement to be saved. Forsaking the world and having intent to reform is NOT a requirement to be saved. Inviting Jesus into your life is NOT a requirement for eternal life. All God requires is that you admit you are a guilty sinner in God's sight and BELIEVE the Gospel. Believing is the way to be saved, which simply means to trust, to rely upon. Forsaking sinful behavior is NOT part of the Gospel.
A Christian SHOULD serve Christ; not MUST (that is works); not WILL (that would be Calvinism). Romans 12:1 calls serving Christ a believer's “reasonable service,” but it's not mandatory to be saved. Eternal life is a gift from God, to those who BELIEVE. Whatever changes that God expects in a new believer is the Holy Spirit's department and you can be assured He will attend to that. It is a horrible mistake and evil, to change the Gospel in an attempt to force men to reform their sinful ways. The Gospel is a free gift, and a gift need only be received. If there are any additional obligations or requirements, then it is not truly a gift. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Unbelief is the only sin which can keep you out of Heaven. Just take God at His word and claim His salvation by faith. Believe, and you will be saved. No church, no lodge, no good works can save you. Remember, God does the saving. All of it!
Trusting Jesus is meaningless without the cross. You must believe that Jesus died, was buried and rose again. 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 teaches that the Gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. God's simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner. Therefore, unless you believe on Jesus Who died in your place, you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on Him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and His gift of eternal salvation by faith.
You say, “Surely, it cannot be that simple!” Yes, that simple. It is scriptural; it is God's plan. My friend, believe on Jesus and receive Him as Savior today. If you've never been saved, then now is the time to believe upon the name of Jesus, the Christ, that your sins will be blotted out forever and you can know that your name is written in Heaven.
Christ died for your sins. You are a sinner by nature and by choice. Jesus took your sins and charged them to His own record. He went to the cross and paid the penalty for your sins. He says if you're willing to receive Him in faith; He will transfer His payment to your debt, and His righteousness to your sins. He will impute to you His goodness, and impute to His own record your sin; if you in faith will trust Him as your Savior.
No comments:
Post a Comment