WHAT IS THE TRUE GOSPEL?
Mankind’s Hopeless Condition The Bad News of our Condemnation
When Adam sinned through disobedience, he became alienated from God. Adam sinned freely and was not constrained by God in any way. (James 1:13-15) Adam, plunged the entire human race into sin and death (Genesis 2:17; 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21). As Adam’s human descendants, all humans, from their conception, (Psalm 51:5) are spiritually alienated from, and dead to, God (Colossians 1:21; Ephesians 2:1-3), All human beings are unholy and condemned before their Creator and Judge by their inherited Adamic nature (Romans 5:12-19) as well as their own sinful acts which inevitably follow. (Romans 1:18-3:20)
Man’s fall is total in breadth [I Kings 8:46; Psalm 14:1-3; Isaiah 1:2-6, 53:6; Romans 3:9-20] and depth [Ecclesiastes 9:3b; Jeremiah 17:9; Mark 7:14-23]. Like a drop of filth in a cup of water, Adam polluted the entire race. All the faculties of man’s heart [his reason, will, and emotions] are morally contaminated by sin and perversity [Genesis 6:5; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Ephesians 4:17-19] Mankind is therefore utterly hopeless and helpless to bring about within himself, any kind of reformation. Men cannot save themselves. [Isaiah 64:6-7; Jeremiah 13:23)
Man, in his “natural state,” is so pervasively corrupt and wicked, that he is unwilling and unable to believe or understand The Word of God apart from the Holy Spirit’s help. No man can merit salvation by any good works or religious ritual. Eternal separation from God and punishment in hell are the consequences of the natural man’s nature and sinfulness. (John 15:5; Rom. 8:7; 1 Cor. 2:14; 2 Cor. 3:4-8)
God’s Gracious and Loving Provision The Good News of God’s Compassion
Because of the pervasive nature of sin and death that came upon mankind through the fall, salvation must be entirely a “work of God.” Good works and religion (Is.64:6) are entirely rejected by God. Even God’s own law, as summarized in the Ten Commandments (Gal 2:16) is unable to bring about the salvation of any man or woman from eternal damnation in hell. The Law of God was given to reveal our hopeless state and condemn us before a perfectly righteous God.
Romans 3:19-20 19 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; 20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
Justification: Because mankind is morally bankrupt and spiritually dead, he is unable to pay the debt of guilt he has inherited by nature and incurred by personal rebellion. Being justly condemned by both his nature and his deeds only the undeserved and unearned mercy and kindness of God will ever bring about the salvation of any man or woman. This salvation (justification) is received by trusting [faith] only in the finished work of Christ. (Eph. 1:1-11; 2:8, Romans 3:28; Gal. 2:21; Titus 3:5) By an act of undeserved grace, God, the Righteous Judge declares sinners, who have trusted (put faith in) Christ alone…. “to be righteous!”
Imputation and Propitiation: God in mercy and love, imputes [applies] to His Sinless Son, Jesus Christ, the sin of His chosen children. (Isa. 53:3-10) God then applies [imputes] the righteousness of Christ to those same children (II Cor. 5:21) In this way Christ became the payment or propitiation [I John 4:10] to satisfy the justice and righteousness of God, by paying the debt of your sin. Christ does all this solely because He is a God of grace, love, compassion and mercy. Salvation is absolutely free from any human merit. Man contributes absolutely nothing whatsoever to His own salvation.
Titus 3:3-7 3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?
There are no works to do! Faith is not something you do like praying a prayer or believing a certain doctrine. Faith is the Greek word “pistos” which means “trust.” So when Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” [John 6:29], He was instructing you and me to trust only in His work on the cross for salvation and to trust nothing that we ourselves ever do.
When the Philippian jailer asked Paul how to be saved, Paul said, “Believe [Trust] in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” [Acts 16:31]
Every sinner’s prayer should be awash with these truths. Jesus took sin that was not His and gave us righteousness that is not ours. We must come to Him empty handed that we might receive Eternal Life.
WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST?
Regeneration or New Birth, is a spiritual resurrection from death to life. [Eph. 2:4-5; I Pet. 1:3] When a man is brought from spiritual death to life there is immediate realization of sin causing repentance. There is a genuine desire to pray which produces expressions of faith and affirmations of trust in and love for Christ. These are the things that eternal life produces in us rather than being themselves the cause of eternal life. It is impossible to separate them because the creation of life is instantaneous and the evidence of life exists at the exact moment that life begins.
Ephesians 2:4-5 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved-
Ephesians 2:10 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
All who trust Christ alone for their justification and “put no confidence in the flesh” are saved by Faith alone through the Grace of God alone and for the Glory of God alone!