The Gospel

This presents a brief discussion of what the Bible has to say about salvation and the Gospel.

Ownership/Creation

  1. God created us along with the rest of the universe (Genesis 1), we did not evolve by chance.

  2. We believe creation because the Bible says so. Science changes as man learns. It is also biased by man's bias. God was there and can not lie.

    I realize that this is regarded as a very unscientific stance to take. There is actually good science to back this up, although it is rarely heard. For more details on this you can check out AIG.

  3. In part, creation matters because it is the foundation for God having the right to set laws for us to abide by.

  4. As a loving God, all of the rules He has made are for our own good. See Deuteronomy 30:15-16; Job 36:10-11; James 1:25

Sin, Death, and Separation

  1. God has set rules by which the universe operates (laws of physics) and rules by which we are to live. When we violate these rules, we sin. (Sin is lack of conformity to, or transgression of, God's law — Pastor Barton)

  2. The penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23; 5:12; James 1:15).

  3. Biblically, death can be understood as separation. Physical death separates our soul from our body. Spiritual death separates us from God.

  4. Sin brings both deaths. It immediately separates us from God, because God is holy and can not tolerate sin (Ephesians 4:18; Colossians 1:21; 1 John 1:5). Sin also brings about physical death (Genesis 3:22-24; 5:5).

Hell

  1. So every sinner is dead spiritually and will one day die physically. This will then leave their soul in hell for eternity.
    Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

  2. Hell is a real place. It has been prepared and people will be sent there. Matthew 25:41

  3. Hell is a terrible place. A place of eternal torment (Luke 16:22-26).

    Hell is so terrible that if gouging out your eyes could save you (it can't, see below), it would be well worth the loss (Mark 9:47-48).

Working my way to heaven

  1. Hell being such a terrible place, nobody wants to go there. Most people try to avoid going to hell by doing good things. This can be the don't sin approach or the enough good things to outweigh the bad approach.

  2. The don't sin approach doesn't work because we are all sinners (Romans 3:10, 12, 23). One sin is just as bad as a thousand (James 2:10-11), because the punishment for just one sin is death (Romans 6:23). So we are all headed for hell because, as sinners, that is what we deserve. (Galatians 3:10 )

  3. The enough good things to outweigh the bad does not work either. We owe a debt we can not pay, — we owe our lives. Good works are nice, but they don't pay for our sins.

  4. Besides that we can't really be good. Isaiah 64:6 says ... all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags... We can't even fathom true goodness, God's purity and holiness is far beyond what we can attain.

  5. So, there is nothing we can do to save ourselves from hell (Galatians 3:11-12). Ephesians 2:1 says ... who were dead in trespasses and sins. Dead men can't do anything to change their state. Sinners are dead spiritually and can't do anything about it.

  6. Appart from God, we have no hope. And we have no right to expect help from God, we after all are the ones who have broken the law. We are bound for Hell and their is no way we change it!

Christ's payment for my sin

  1. Romans 5:6-8 - We had no strength to save ourselves from the terrors of hell, but Christ intervened for us. We were without hope, then Christ stepped in.

  2. He paid the debt we could not pay.

    Psalms 49:6-9 They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None [of them] can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (For the redemption of their soul [is] precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) That he should still live for ever, [and] not see corruption.

  3. The following two passages both give a definition of the Gospel, each focuses on a slightly different aspect:

    • Romans 1:1-4 Person of Christ

      1. Jesus became human, otherwise he could not die.

      2. Jesus is God or he could not give us eternal salvation.

      3. The resurrection is proof of Him being God.

    • 1Cor 15:1-4 The Work of Christ

      1. For our sins - He died in our place. Because Christ lived a perfect life, He did not owe the debt of death, but He died anyway to pay our debt. (Romans 3:25; propitiation — satisfying wrath through a sacrifice)

      2. According to the scriptures - Christ fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy

      3. He rose again - He didn't stay dead, this is our assurance of salvation

  4. Revelation 1:5 — Jesus cleansed us from our sins by shedding His own blood.

  5. Galatians 3:13,14 — We are 'Redeemed': Christ bought us back from the penalty of sin and death.

  6. John 5:11-12 — Eternal life is through Christ

  7. Revelation 20:15 — Only those who trust in Christ will be saved from hell.

Our response

  1. You can't work your way to heaven, instead Christ died for your sins. Do you have to do anything then?

  2. All you have to do is accept what Christ has done for you, but what does that mean?

    1. First it means that you believe all that we have already covered, you are a sinner: you deserve hell for your sins, and Jesus died to pay for your sins and rose again (Acts 16:31; Romans 4:3) - In other words: Faith.

    2. Agree with God that He is right — You are a sinner, you deserve hell. This is a change of attitude, from I am right to God is right - In other words: Repentance.

    3. Beyond believing, you must accept Christ's payment for your sins personally (John 1:12; James 2:19). The idea here is that you are trusting Christ and His work on the cross, not something else, to save you from your sins.

Romans 10

9 - That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 - For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 - For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. ... 13 - For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Faith, Repentance, and Works

  1. Faith is believing what God has said.

  2. Repentance is a 180° change of our mind from our attitude of unbelief to agreeing with God.

  3. Note both require knowing where God stands. Romans 10:14

  4. Also, neither Faith or Repentance involve work, they involve attitude. However, both are linked to works, because they will effect our works: James 2:17,18; Luke 3:8

I realize that what I have presented above is more of an outline than full and well laid out discussion of salvation. I strongly encourage you to read the Bible references I have provided, because what the Bible says is the important part (Galatians 1:8,9). This is meant only as a guide to help you put together what the Bible has to say about this.

If you have questions about any of this you are welcome to contact me: