The Gospel

Are you certain that you are going to heaven when you die?

If you answered yes, then is there anything that you could do to forfeit heaven?

If you answered yes to the last question, and no to the heaven question, I would like to present you with the Gospel of Christ, a gift of God given to those who place their trust in God’s plan of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:  1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

We can know that we will go to heaven through the scriptures.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God 1 John 5:13.

SIN

Sin separates us from a Holy God. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. God is perfect. We all have an inherited sin nature from Adam. 

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;Romans 3:23.

The wages of sin is death and eternal separation from God in the lake of fire.  

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord – Romans 6:23.

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fireRevelation 20:15

We must be perfect to go to Heaven, and no one is.

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect – Matthew 5:48.

And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life Revelation 21:27.

We need a new spirit to enter into Heaven. We must be born again, as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God John 3:3.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again John 3:7.

GOOD WORKS WILL NOT SAVE

We cannot merit eternal life through our own efforts. No amount of good works, including baptism, going to church, giving to charity, saving the planet, turning from sins, finding the cure for cancer etc can merit heaven for anyone.

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast – Ephesians 2:8-9.

The Holy Bible tells us that our heart is wicked, so not to be trusted.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?  Jeremiah 17:9.

Hollywood is satanic and hates the true God, so it spreads lies like ‘good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell’. Most of us believe this common delusion so that we continue to trust in self, and not Jesus Christ’s finished work that grants salvation. It is impossible to go to heaven via a meritous scale, because we are imperfect due to sin and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags before a Holy God.

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away Isaiah 64:6.

THE ROLE OF JESUS CHRIST

God, who is Jesus manifest in the flesh, loves us so much that he died for us, rather than live without us.

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us Romans 5:8.

Jesus said that anything is possible with God.

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible Matthew 19:26.

Because of sin, we cannot live a perfect life. We can try to follow God’s laws like many organised religions today, like those of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Catholics, Muslims, Buddhists, New Agers etc, but this is not pleasing to God, because it is a rejection of Christ Jesus, who died in His sinless nature for the sins of the world.

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world – John 1:29.

Sin separates us from God, and we cannot keep the law perfectly, as we all sin daily, so God came in the flesh as Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, and obeyed the law completely then died on the cross to take away the sins of the world. 

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him – 2 Corinthians 5:21.

Jesus made complete payment for sin for everyone in this world as clearly stated in John 1:29. He was victorious and rose from the grave offering His blood sacrifice to God as a one-time payment for sin.

Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself Hebrews 7:27.

Jesus makes it clear in John 6 that believing on Him grants eternal life. This is because we repent – change our mind about God and His plan of salvation, and stop trusting in any goodness that we think we have to merit heaven, and instead through simple faith put our trust on the living God, Jesus Christ who died in our place all sin. When we believe on Him, we are immediately born again by the Holy Spirit. We have a second birth, and this nature cannot sin, because it is of God. However, we still have our first birth, our sinful flesh that forever remains until the day of redemption.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life John 6:47.

THE WORK AND WILL OF GOD

The works of God and the will of God are for every man, woman, and child to believe on the son, Jesus Christ, who imputes His righteousness onto the believer, covering his or her sin debt.

28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent John 6:28-29.

38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day John 6:38-40.

JESUS PAID FOR SIN

When Jesus said it is finished in John 19:30, He had completed the work He came to earth to do – reconcile sinful man to a Holy God, through His shed blood on the cross.

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost – John 19:30.

Jesus Christ asks us to believe on Him for the remission of sin.

To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sinsActs 10:43.

Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;Romans 3:25.

Salvation is a gift of God, given through His grace, and nothing of our works can add to it.

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast – Ephesians 2:8-9.

It takes faith to trust in what Christ has done for us, because this world teaches another gospel, one that focuses on self and good works instead of Christ’s finished work on the cross. God loved us so much that He died for us rather than live without us, and He made an amazing sacrifice for each of us. Will you trust Him today?

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life John 3:16.

JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY 

As offensive as this sounds to the ‘religious’, God will not accept any payment for sin other than belief in Jesus Christ who is pure and sinless, so will you accept His gift, or reject His gift. There is no other way to heaven. The Holy Bible clearly states that Jesus is the path to the father.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me  John 14:6.

Jesus is our mediator.

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; – 1 Timothy 2:5.

Now that you have an understanding of sin and how it separates us from God, you can see how much God loves us in sending Jesus Christ, His only begotten son, to die for our sins on the cross. Jesus died for all sin, was buried, and resurrected three day later, according to the scriptures. He did this for you, and for every man, woman, and child of this world. Will you trust Him with your soul for Eternal Life and fulfil the will of the Heavenly Father.

Do not trust in any works for salvation, but trust that Christ paid for all of your sin debt past, present, and future. Come to God as you are acknowledging that you have sinned against a Holy God, and accept Jesus Christ as your personal saviour for the gift of Eternal Life. It’s so easy to accept this free gift through simple belief.

The gospel is simple enough for a child to understand.

3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him – 2 Corinthians 11:3-4.

Unfortunately, man has complicated the truth of God’s plan of salvation from grace into grace plus works because it seemeth right.

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death Proverbs 14:12.

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death Proverbs 16:25.

Grace and works cannot mix. It is God’s grace that saves us through our faith in Christ Jesus.

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: – Phillipians 3:9.

The Holy Bible says that that gifts and calling of God are without repentance (278. ametamelétos), which means no change of mind can take place.

For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance Romans 11:29.

Therefore, there can be no loss of salvation to the one who trusts on Jesus Christ. He will never leave or forsake us.

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee Hebrews 13:5.

When the wolves in sheep’s clothing come to fruit inspect you by making you look at your works for proof of salvation, remind yourself that you are in Jesus’ righteousness and tell others of this Good News. His righteousness reconciles us to God. Even when we are faithless, He is faithful.

If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself 2 Timothy 2:13.

WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly John 10:10.

There are many false gospel messages out there today – repent of sins, commit your life to Christ, stop sinning, get baptised, give your heart to Christ…the list goes on and on, but it is important to note that any gospel message that is given that asks you to do something, other than believe on Jesus’ finished work, is an accursed gospel. Paul declared this in Galatians 1. These are enemies of the cross of Christ as detailed in Philippians 3:18, and previously in this chapter, Paul warns in Philippians 3:2 to beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. Concision in Greek is 2699 katakome, which translate as mutilation, spoiling.

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concisionPhilippians 3:2.

 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of ChristPhilippians 3:18.

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed Galatians 1:6-9.

13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ, 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works 2 Corinthians 13:15.

It is difficult for us to believe that a gift so beautiful as eternal life would be free. In reality, most of us fail to trust God completely, and instead go about our lives trying to earn our way to heaven through good works, with a sincere belief that if we have done enough ‘good works’ we may just merit eternal life in heaven. As sincere as that belief is, this is not God’s plan of salvation. Jesus Christ did not die in vain. He died to reconcile us to a perfect Holy God, because we could never complete that work. God grants us eternal life through His grace, and not our works.

After being born again into God’s family, we should serve God through good works (growing in grace), which will earn us rewards in heaven, but do not let any pastor or teacher add any burden of works onto you for salvation, which is a gift of God through His grace. Any teacher who says that you must continue in good works for salvation or to prove salvation / eternal life is preaching an accursed gospel. Instead, serve God out of gratitude and love because of what He has done for you.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith Romans 1:16-17.