What exactly is "the Gospel"?

[Vernon]

The Gospel to me is God's plan of salvation revealed by Jesus Christ. It is very good news because we learn that God loves us and does not want us to perish but wants us to have everlasting life with Him.

The Lord Jesus asks us one question: "Do you believe in me?" If we answer yes, then He tells us to take up our cross and follow him in sacrificial dedication to God the Father.

Jesus does not leave us alone in this world, but God fills us with the Holy Spirit who comforts us and leads us into the knowledge of his grace and truth.

Christ be with you always.

 

[michael56]

Oh, and yes, God does forgiven sin when we confess sin, too. 1 John 1:9 says, if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. That is what the passage says. 1 John 1:7 says if we walk in the light as he is in the light then the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Light is in reference to obedience to God's good ways (See 1 John 2:3-6); And darkness is in relation to not loving your brother (See 1 John chapters 2-3).

Jason, in regard to God forgiving sin when we confess sin. I am assuming you believe until the sin is confessed a persons right standing with God is at least threatened.

Under the old covenant if sin was confessed and a sacrifice made God would forgive a persons sins. Therefore, do you believe the only difference between the old and new covenants is sacrifices no longer have to be made for sins?

 

[BradC]

Faith without works is dead. For the devils also believe and tremble. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. He that committeth sin is of the devil. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For Jesus said you will know a tree by it's fruits. For He said, you cannot serve two masters. For you will hate the one and love the other. Peter identifies the false prophets in 2 Peter 2:1, 14 as those who have eyes full of adultery and who cannot cease from sin. Jude 1:4 NIV says there are those who have turned the grace of our God into a doctrine of immorality.

This is not the gospel and you are using these things to bring strife and confusion into the gospel and into the faith we have been given. This not a light matter and you can't just quote scripture to justify your grave error for that is an evil thing.

 

[Viligant_Warrior]

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. It is the fact that all are guilty of sin and condemned to spend eternity in a place of torment. But God, because of His love for the world, has made a way for man to be forgiven for their sins.

John 3 NASB
16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." ​

He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take the sins of man on Himself through death on a cross.

1 Peter 2
24 ... He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.​

In placing our sin on Christ, God ensured that all who will believe in the name of Jesus will be forgiven.

Acts 10
43 "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins." ​

This is the gospel of Jesus Christ: The good news is that God provided the way for man to be freed from the penalty of sin . But not all people will be saved from hell; only those who place their faith in Jesus will go to heaven when they die. It is not complicated.

Preach it to someone you love today.

 

[JaumeJ]

Believe Jesus Christ.

 

[forsha]

The Clear and Simple Gospel

Part 1:What is the Gospel?
1. Romans 1:16 - the Gospel is the power of God for salvation to all who believe.
2. Eph 1:13/14 - the Gospel is the Word of Truth, which upon believing, seals us for redemption, and guarantees an eternal inheritance.
3. Col 1:22/23 - the Gospel reconciles us to God through Christ's bodily death, so we can be presented as holy in God's sight.

Together these verses show the Gospel as: the perfect life, atoning death, and glorious resurrection of Jesus - which is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.

But Scripture is even more clear about exactly what the Gospel is: 1 Cor 15:1-8
v1 Gospel declared, received, held to = saved.
v2 hold to the Gospel for salvation (let's not switch topic to "loss of Salvation")
v3 we deliver (preach) what we receive: the Gospel
- and here it is in this verse: Christ died for our sins!
v4 Christ was buried (proof of His death), and rose again!
v5-8 He was seen afterwards! (evidence of His Resurrection)

The simple Gospel is: Christ died for our sins, and rose from the dead.
^ this is the Good News that saves!
And we know that this simple Gospel is all we need to preach to the unsaved, and all we should preach to the unsaved: 1 Cor 2:2

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The four gospels are inspired instructions written to instruct Cod's children as how they are to live their lives while on this earth. They also inform us as to how that we have been eternally saved(delivered) from this sinful world to heaven and are not instructions on how a dead alien sinner can achieve his eternal salvation. Throughout the gospels are many scriptures dealing with salvation instructing us how we can be delivered(saved in a timely manner, while we live here in this world). Most of the salvation scriptures are telling the eternally saved people how to enjoy that good and abundant life in our journey here on earth. When God's children are enticed by satan in their lusts of worldly things, they will lose their relationship with God, not their eternal salvation that Jesus secured on the cross, until they confess and repent of that sin which results in a timely salvation(deliverance) when God forgives them of the sin. Paul preached to the children of God, not to the eternally unsaved instructing them how to live their lives. Paul is asking for the prayers of the Thessalonian brethren as he is preparing to leave on a mission, saying, in 2 Thess 3:2, "And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, for all men have not faith. Romans 8:9, Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his". Paul's preaching would fall on deaf ears if he preached to the carnal man, void of the Spirit, because according to 1 Cor 2:14, the carnal man can not discern anything that is of a spiritual nature.

 

[forsha]

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Part 3:

The unscriptural phrases we use when sharing the Gospel can actually cloud up the Gospel rather than clarify it.
(Not that these phrases are "bad", but just that they are not helpful to an unbeliever as a way of getting them to understanding the simple Gospel)

1. "Give your heart to God"
-The NT doesn't ask us to do this.
-It is not about you giving Him anything; it's about Him giving YOU everything.

2. "Give your life to God"
- This is not what the NT asks us to do.
- although this phrase is useful in discipleship, IT IS NOT ABOUT SALVATION.
- it's not you giving Him your life; but about Him giving you His!

3. "Say the sinner's prayer"
- not an issue with confession or prayer, but of trusting.
- The danger is that one trusts in a prayer instead of trusting Christ.

4. "Let Jesus into your heart"
- This comes from a misunderstanding of Rev 3:20.
- Rev 3:20 was written to the Church (believers, already saved) as explicitly stated in the text, not to unbelievers.
- This verse is about obedience to the Spirit unto fellowship, not about salvation.


The sources used for this study were:
·The Bible
·Dr. Larry Moyer
·John Gills
·FaithFaith.org (couldn't find the name of the author)

It seems to me that the Holy Spirit within you has revealed to you some of the doctrine of Christ, and that you will encounter many negative responses from those on this forum that are believing their good works is what saves them eternally. God speed, I hope I may assist you in your teachings, but you do realize that before anyone will believe your report it will have to be revealed unto them by the Holy Spirit within them.

 

[mikeuk]

----
Part 3:

The unscriptural phrases we use when sharing the Gospel can actually cloud up the Gospel rather than clarify it.
(Not that these phrases are "bad", but just that they are not helpful to an unbeliever as a way of getting them to understanding the simple Gospel)

1. "Give your heart to God"
-The NT doesn't ask us to do this.
-It is not about you giving Him anything; it's about Him giving YOU everything.

2. "Give your life to God"
- This is not what the NT asks us to do.
- although this phrase is useful in discipleship, IT IS NOT ABOUT SALVATION.
- it's not you giving Him your life; but about Him giving you His!

3. "Say the sinner's prayer"
- not an issue with confession or prayer, but of trusting.
- The danger is that one trusts in a prayer instead of trusting Christ.

4. "Let Jesus into your heart"
- This comes from a misunderstanding of Rev 3:20.
- Rev 3:20 was written to the Church (believers, already saved) as explicitly stated in the text, not to unbelievers.
- This verse is about obedience to the Spirit unto fellowship, not about salvation.


The sources used for this study were:
·The Bible
·Dr. Larry Moyer
·John Gills
·FaithFaith.org (couldn't find the name of the author)

I agree with the sentiment generally about adding confusion, but I actually think those phrases are bad in an absolute way! They are used by some evangelical sects as "quasi sacraments", that define the "day you are saved" in those congregations , with no biblical basis whatsoever. That is ironic considering most of those sects talk about returning to "bible christianity" then what they do is not biblical!

 

[BradC]

Faith without works is dead. For the devils also believe and tremble. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. He that committeth sin is of the devil. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For Jesus said you will know a tree by it's fruits. For He said, you cannot serve two masters. For you will hate the one and love the other. Peter identifies the false prophets in 2 Peter 2:1, 14 as those who have eyes full of adultery and who cannot cease from sin. Jude 1:4 NIV says there are those who have turned the grace of our God into a doctrine of immorality.

It is an evil thing to think that those who have been made righteous by faith, through the work of the cross, are inclined in any way to endorse sin in any manner by grace or through grace. No man can turn grace into immorality. If we sin, it is not because of grace or because of what we have done with grace, it is because of an old sin nature that abides within the members of our body. Grace has nothing to do with it and an individual can not take grace and somehow turn it into sin, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE (NOT IN THE LEAST) and that is what the term 'God forbid' means (Rom 6:15). In Jude 4 those men (teachers) were taking the understanding the believers had concerning the grace of God and adding to that by transposing another understand over and above what the believers were taught to allow for lasciviousness.

This transposing (or turning by putting one in place of another) would provide a false covering and leaven of corruption to become a form of doctrine that would deny the Lord that bought them by grace through faith in the blood of the cross. These men could do nothing to change what grace had done for the believers inwardly through redemption. They wanted to corrupt their understanding by adding and replacing what God had taught them through grace and provide a way for those teachers (and others) to live in unbridled lust and claim that it was permitted by grace. That is anarchy. The grace that appeared unto all men (Titus 2:11-13) did not provide for anarchy or lasciviousness and God would never allow it no matter what these teachers tried to bring in as damnable heresies (2 Pt 2:1-3). We better be very careful how we indict other believers in relationship to sin and its practice who have been saved by the unmerited favor of God's grace. To bring an indictment that a believer is using the grace of God to live in sin is an evil practice that God takes no pleasure in.

 

[forsha]

-------
Part 2:

So then what is required to "receive" this Gospel of Salvation?
Hear and Believe.

1. Hear the Gospel; John 5:24, Romans 10:14, Acts 18:8, Ephesians 1:13.
2. Believe the Gospel; John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Romans 1:16... this is clearly proclaimed throughout the NT. 98 times in the Gospel of John alone.
We also see the word repent used interchangeably with the word believe. This is because they are the same thing.
Repentance is "a changing of one's mind": the process of turning from unbelief to belief. Many add that repentance deals with a changing of behaviour also... so does belief! Belief and repentance bring about outward change from an internal change, rather than external pressure or conditioning (which is simply "resolution").

So what must a person believe in order to be saved? The Gospel.
1. That Jesus is the Christ come in the flesh - that He was human, and could relate to us, so His sacrifice could be related upon us: John 4:2,9; Hebrews 2:17,4:15
2. That Jesus was the Son of God - that He was divine, and had the power to save and grant us a relationship with God: John 20:31
3. His death: 1 Cor 15:3
4. His resurrection: 1 Cor 15:4

This belief is not just an understanding or knowledge of His person and work (even the demons have this knowledge, and shudder), but a TRUST in His person and work as The Way to salvation.
Trust that it worked, and applies to you!

This Faith excludes trust in or reliance on works.
Does this mean that works are not part of saving Faith?
No!!! They are the PRODUCT of saving Faith!
Saving faith REALLY WORKS, but the works rely upon the saving Faith, not the Faith relying on the works.
(again, let's it delve into "maturity in Christ", or debates about "maintaining salvation", as this thread is about OBTAINING salvation.)

Part 2 summary:
Saving Faith comes through hearing (receiving) the Gospel,
believing in(acceptance of) His person(who Christ was) and work(what He did), - which is the Gospel,
and trust in(reliance upon) Christ alone for salvation.

Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead,
and faith in Christ and His sacrifice is enough to save us and grant us eternal life.

----

I thought you had some pretty good understanding of the scriptures in your first post, but this post reveals that not to be true. You are talking in this post about a saving faith as if your faith in hearing and believing the gospel is what saves you eternally. Is that so?

 

[forsha]

A good summery. The Gospel is the Good News that the Kingdom is Come, and available to all, through belief in Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
I did forget to mention in the study exactly what the "inheritance" is. The Kingdom!

Some dispensationalist might disagree, and say that the Kingdom is not yet, but is still in coming. I don't think this disqualifies them from the Gospel.

I do agree with you that the kingdom of Christ has been present with us ever sense he set up his church, because his kingdom is his church.

 

[forsha]

Yes,
One first has to be open and willing to hear Gods Word, then belief, then confessing, repenting, Holy Ghost, fruit, and obedience

If you are trying to instruct her in eternal salvation by the works of man, go right ahead, but eternal salvation has nothing to do with the good works of man.

 

[john832]

The good news of the Kingdom of God.

 

[forsha]

Most of His teachings are actually from the "bad news" side of the Word.
The "bad news" is that we can't live up to the Law, and certainly can't live up to the standard of Christ and His perfection in holiness.

The Good News is that He grants us His Righteousness through belief in Him,
(and also grants us His Spirit, that enables us to actually live it out).

Jesus imputes his righteousness before we have the ability to believe in him.

 

[Sophia]

I thought you had some pretty good understanding of the scriptures in your first post, but this post reveals that not to be true. You are talking in this post about a saving faith as if your faith in hearing and believing the gospel is what saves you eternally. Is that so?

It is by Grace, through Faith, that we are saved.
If we are given Faith (which comes through hearing) then we are given Grace,
and are cleansed from our sin and sealed for salvation.

I was focusing on Faith, because it is the means of Grace by which we are saved... even though it is truly by God's Grace that we are saved.

Alot of this thread was trying to figure out how to say all this clearly and simply, without stepping into "cheap grace" doctrines.

I'm beginning to think that the best and clearest way is to simply quote Scripture and share testimony, rather than trying to explain it in my own words.

 

[forsha]

Hi Sophia,

Without derailing the thread into a works thread, I'd just like to present some food for thought. The Israelites entered into a covenant with God, the Mosaic Law. They were required to obey the terms of the covenant that They agreed to. If they didn't they were rejected. In 1 Corinthians Paul tells the Corinthian Christians,



KJV 1 Corinthians 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. {followed...: or, went with them}
5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. {our...: Gr. our figures}
7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. (1Co 10:1-11 KJV)

Paul says they were written for our admonition. If they didn't abide by the terms of the covenant that they agreed to they were rejected. It would seem Paul is advising the Corinthian Christians that the same thing could happen to them. From this it would seem that work do play a role in salvation.

Depending on which salvation you are talking about. Our eternal salvation is not dependent upon works, but our timely salvation(deliverance) is dependent upon works.

 

[Sophia]

Jesus imputes his righteousness before we have the ability to believe in him.

I can understand the sentiment, but I'm not sure there's a passage of Scripture that backs it up directly.

There are certainly passages that show that the Spirit works within unbelievers to bring them to belief, and that "while we were still sinners Christ died for us".
I do see in Scripture that we are called long before we are enabled to answer the call and become converted.

Could you expound a bit further, so I can understand the implications of what you mean? I suppose I never considered "imputation of righteousness" being prior to conversion.

 

[forsha]

If the "story about Him" is not what we share to the lost, then what is the Gospel we share? The Gospel is defined for us in the Word, and is the life, sacrifice, and resurrection of Christ (1 Cor 15:1-8).
The story is TRUE, not a lie from Satan. The Bible even shows us evidence of it's truth, as His burial proves His death, and the 500+ witnesses prove He rose from the dead.
This is the message that Stephen told the Jews, and was killed for it. This is the message Paul brought to the Gentiles, and was beaten and jailed for it.

If the Good News of the life and work of Christ is not the Gospel that saves, then what is?
All the truth of Scripture leads up to, supports, explains, and declares the Good News, and also shows us it's power over sin, and the results (including the change in our lives, the way the Gospel affects the world, and also the future inheritance).

We bring Living Water to the lost,
milk to the newborns,
and meat to the mature.

I see many Christians debating with unbelievers about meaty topics, things the lost cannot understand, and cause them to choke before they are even born.

There is nothing in the four gospels telling us how to get eternally saved, but it is full of scriptures telling us how our good works can save(deliver) us time and time again as we journey in this world. Unless there is a distinction between these two different kinds of salvations they will never harmonize.

 

[michael56]

But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. [SUP]8 [/SUP]When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: [SUP]9 [/SUP]about sin, because people do not believe in me;(not about sin being transgression of the law) [SUP]10 [/SUP]about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; [SUP]11 [/SUP]and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.[SUP]12 [/SUP]“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.[SUP]13 [/SUP]But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. John 16:7-13

 

[forsha]

The nearly to good to be true Gospel is:
You are saved by God's grace and through your faith and not by the law or works.
God made Jesus Sin and made you his righteous through what Christ did on the cross and through his shed blood.

Anything that adds to this is self righteousness and will not get you saved and suggests what Jesus did on the cross was not enough.

I disagree with your statement that your faith has saved you eternally. You are quoting from Eph 2:8, but the faith in this scripture is talking about Christ's faithfulness to go to the cross, Gal 2:16.