The Gospel
This article is written with mature audiences in mind.
All biblical verses cited are from the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. This is a trusted and accurate version of the Bible that this ministry wholeheartedly recommends.
Thank you for your time, and for the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ with you.
I am merely conveying in my own words the message that I as a follower of Jesus am to deliver to you. Though the style and formatting of delivery is my own, my message is consistent with other believers.
It’s important you know the source of this information, and why it can be trusted. The source of this information is the protestant Bible, which is a collection of 66 books superintended by God.
God is three distinct Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are co-equal, co-eternal and all-powerful. This holy unity is commonly referred to as the Trinity. God is the creator of the heavens and the earth and the author of all life. He is holy and righteous, gracious and merciful, jealous and vengeful. He shares His glory with none other because there is no other like God.
The words of the Bible were indeed written with human hands, but those writers and their message were lead by God. There were no mistakes or embellishments of any kind recorded – only what God intended to be preserved.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV)
The Bible is supernaturally perfect, exactly as God intended from beginning to end. The contents of the Bible can be trusted, because God is the ultimate author, and He tells us through the Bible that He has intended to preserve His message indefinitely:
The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
Psalm 12:6-7 (KJV)
There are three common postures when it comes to opinions of the Bible:
- There are those that do not trust it to be the words of God
- There are those who trust some of the Bibles contents, but posit that it could or does contain mistakes
- There are those who trust that it is the supernaturally preserved, inerrant words of God
I am of the firm belief that the Bible is the supernaturally preserved, inerrant words of God, and I will convey the message of the gospel from this posture.
What is the gospel?
The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. The gospel entails who we are as sinners, who Jesus is, and what He has done. Trusting in the gospel, and ultimately the person and work of Jesus Christ, is the only way for people to have their sins truly forgiven, and to escape the punishment of eternal conscious torment in hell. This applies to every human being everywhere.
Stay with me. This requires some unpacking.
You, like me, are a sinner. A lawbreaker guilty of breaking God’s precious laws and you deserve eternal conscious punishment. So do I, and so does everyone you or I know and love. Every single person ever.
God, on the other hand, is truly good, just and sinless. He is incapable of breaking His own laws – the Ten Commandments. He is righteous. He is the creator of everything. He is the judge of the living and the damned.
When our first father Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden and committed the very first sin, he became a lawbreaker. And just as we inherit traits from our parents, grandparents, and distant ancestors, such as a fingers, toes, a brain – we have also inherited a sin nature. That means we are born intrinsically rebellious to God and his law.
You might not know all or even one of the Ten Commandments, but you have broken all of them.
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
James 2:10 (KJV)
If you have ever lied, stolen, looked lustfully at a person whom is not your spouse – you are guilty of sinning, and you are a lawbreaker. These are just a few offences outlined in the Ten Commandments. Your wages — what you have earned — for these crimes is eternal conscious torment.
Though sinners are in terrible danger, there is one hope of salvation: the Lord Jesus Christ. When we understand and trust who Jesus is and what He has done, we receive a full pardon and escape the punishment we deserve.
Jesus is the Son of God. Other religions call him a man, a prophet, a wise teacher. He is all of those things, and He is also the only begotten Son of God. This is the distinction between Christianity and false religions, and what you believe about Jesus will determine your ultimate destination after you die. No amount of good works or charity will grant you forgiveness in the eyes of God. Christianity is not works-based, and you will never persuade God to allow you entry into heaven because of how “good” you believe you have been. God demands perfect righteousness, something which we are incapable of, and He is demands that sinners be punished for their crime. This is because He is a just judge who does not turn a blind eye to crimes committed.
Let’s continue talking about Jesus, the Son of God specifically: Over two thousand years ago, He condescended to be born on Earth as a human infant. Still truly God, but veiled in human flesh. He did not inherit a sinful nature because He did not and does not have a human father. Nor did He ever sin. He was and still is incapable of sinning because He is God – perfectly righteous.
He lived his human life in perfect obedience to God the Father, living among us in human flesh for approximately 33 years, teaching and leading His followers who knew Him to be God the Son.
He was crucified on a tree and killed by humans despite being guiltless. He is the only truly innocent person to have ever lived. His crucifixion was no surprise – God is omniscient and has perfect foreknowledge: He knows everything. What men intended for evil (heinous evil across time, the murder of Jesus), God intended for good: the life, death, resurrection of Jesus and salvation for His followers.
This needs unpacking: How does Jesus’ death translate to salvation, and for whom?
Jesus’ death on the cross was a willing, voluntary sacrifice to satisfy the need for punishment for His followers. His vicarious death settled the debt that His followers owed. His sacrifice was the ultimate, final sacrifice that cleaned the slate of all of His followers, past, present, and future.
Where there is lawlessness, God demands punishment, because He is a just and righteous God. We can pay for our crimes ourselves, or we can accept the help and mercy of Jesus – the only sinless sacrifice capable of paying an otherwise impossible price. In sacrificing Himself on the cross on behalf of His followers, Jesus paid the price for those who would put their trust in Him as God and saviour.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:5-6 (KJV)
But Christians do not worship a dead god buried in a tomb. As foretold, Jesus was resurrected three days after his crucifixion, and as recorded in the Bible, was witnessed by hundreds of people as being alive once more.
His death and resurrection is of mighty importance. It demonstrates that He does indeed have the power to resurrect people. He defeated death, and He promises eternal life in heaven to all His followers. He alone has the power to offer this, because He is God. He is incapable of lying, the Bible tells us this, so we can have faith in His promise. He is all-powerful. He has made a way to be pardoned of sins.
Put your faith in Jesus, the Son of God and resurrected Saviour. Trust that Jesus is the Son of God, that He lead a sinless life in full obedience to God the Father. That He volunteered Himself as the only acceptable sacrifice to pardon the sins of His followers, past, present, and future. That through God’s almighty power He overcame death, was resurrected, and that He is seated at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. Trust that your sins will be forgiven and you will be spared eternal conscious torment when you recognise Jesus as Lord and saviour. Trust that you cannot earn this amazing pardon. No amount of good or charity that you perform will merit you a shred of mercy. God demands punishment, and will lovingly welcome you as a son or daughter if you recognise Jesus’s sacrifice as full payment for your punishment.
If you are a believer, you cannot lose your salvation. God’s love and mercy is unfathomable. You are indwelt with God the Holy Spirit – He is your wonderful helper and you are His temple. You are promised a home in heaven forever. When you die and stand before God in judgement, you will judged on the work and merits of Jesus – your Saviour. Your sins are forgotten, your slate wiped clean, because Jesus took the punishment you deserve and settled your debt. You are a child of God and member of His family. If you have true, saving faith, you are His forever.
There is no greater joy than knowing Jesus as Lord and Saviour, knowing that your sins are pardoned and you will never be separated from God, His love, and you will never know the torment of hell. Because of Jesus.
Believers are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
Study your Bible diligently. Start by reading the Gospel According to John. Pray for wisdom and discernment. Join a local church where you will be shepherded by a Pastor who knows and loves the Jesus of the Bible, and where you can grow with fellow Christians.
But I urge you to flee from sin. Test yourself to see if indeed you genuinely are a believer. Christianity is not a performance-based religion. You cannot sin one too many times to push yourself over the edge into damnation. The saved are saved to the uttermost. But a quality of the believer is the desire and drive to grow in sanctification and reject the things that God hates. If you run to sin willingly and freely, it should give you cause for introspection, and you should seek council from your pastor.