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The Simple Gospel
Why is it that men have such a difficult time accepting the simple gospel of Jesus Christ? It seems as though God’s way doesn’t meet the expectations of many people and, as a result, they tailor the simple gospel to conform to their satisfaction. However, an altered gospel is not the gospel of Jesus Christ at all! It is a counterfeit - a forgery.
Paul wrote to the Galatians in Galatians chapter 1, verses 6 and 7:Galatians 1:6-7, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.”
Gospel means “good news.” Paul is saying that there is only one good news of Christ. Following His “good news” is what will save a person. Any deviation from the teachings of Christ is not “good news” but is “bad news.” It is not the gospel of Christ. It will not save - only condemn those who follow its teaching.
Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
What “is the power of God to salvation?” Paul tells us that it is the gospel of Christ. The gospel is what God uses to save men. Salvation is found in Christ and no other. Jesus said:John 12:48, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”
The words of Jesus will be the standard by which men are judged. A person’s salvation or condemnation will be based upon whether he accepted and obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ or whether he rejected it. It’s an individual decision.
Luke 6:46-49, “But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
A person has no right to call Jesus “Lord” if he doesn’t do the things Jesus has told him to do. On Judgment Day, Jesus will not recognize those who felt they needed to add to His word nor will He receive those who disregarded the commands they didn’t like. It’s sad when people feel that the simple gospel of Jesus is not good enough. May we all appreciate the simple gospel of Christ for it is God's plan for the salvation of man.
God's Plan for Saving Man
God created man and placed him in the garden of Eden. Man was sinless and enjoyed a close relationship with God. But soon he disobeyed God. Man was now no longer sinless. His willful disobedience to God’s command had changed his relationship with God. Sin had separated him from God. Since the day Adam and Eve first sinned in the garden, no one was able to live a sinless life before God. Each individual committed sin and separated himself from God. Man needed a way to remove his sins so he could once again be in a right relationship with God. However, it was not within any man’s power to create a plan that could take his sins away. Only God had the right to set the conditions that man must meet in order to restore his proper relationship with God. If man was to be saved, God would have to provide the means for accomplishing it. And that is just what He did. He didn’t have to but because of His love for man, God provided a way for man’s sins to be forgiven. He provided man with His plan of salvation. One can read God’s plan of salvation in the New Testament of the Bible.
A person’s actions - his sins - are responsible for separating himself from God. As a result, it’s only reasonable for God to require the person who has sinned against Him to do something to have those sins forgiven. God’s plan of salvation involves action from the sinner and from those who were sinned against. God’s plan for saving man involves the following:
God’s Grace - Ephesians 2:8
Jesus Christ’s Blood - Romans 5:9
The Holy Spirit’s Gospel - Romans 1:16
The Sinner’s Obedience - Hebrews 5:9
The Christian’s Faithfulness - Revelation 2:10.
God has done His part. He has extended His grace to all men who will accept it.
Jesus has done His part. He shed His blood for us that our sins might be forgiven.
The Holy Spirit has done His part. He inspired the writers who penned God’s word.
Deity’s part in God’s plan for saving man has been completed. The gospel of Jesus Christ has been revealed in God‘s word. It’s now time for man to do his part. Romans 3:23 teaches that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Since every person has sinned, then every person must be obedient to the gospel of Christ in order to have his sins forgiven. To obey the gospel, a sinner must:
1) Hear the gospel of Christ - Romans 10:17
2) Believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God - John 8:24
3) Repent of his sins - Acts 17:30
4) Confess before men his belief that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God - Matthew 10:32
5) Be baptized for the remission of his sins - Acts 2:38
Once a sinner has done these things, his sins are forgiven and the Lord adds him to His church - Acts 2:47. He is now a disciple of Christ, a Christian - Acts 11:26.
The final step in God’s plan for saving man is for a Christian to remain faithful to Him for the rest of his life - Revelation 2:10.
In conclusion, God has established a plan for saving man. His plan requires every person to obey the gospel of Christ and then remain faithful until he dies. If he does, his soul will be saved and he will spend eternity with the Lord in heaven - Hebrews 5:9; 1 Peter 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:17.
If you have not obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ, why not? God doesn’t want any one to perish (2 Peter 3:9) but He wants all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Be obedient to God’s word and follow His plan for saving man. Obey the gospel today.
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Biserica lui Hristos (Church of Christ)Periam Romania