The Gospel Message
Introduction
My goal was to make this Gospel Message as simple and clear as possible. So,
I have used minimal "Christian-Techno" vocabulary. And I have also tried to explain
the spiritual concepts with Scriptures in hopes that you will get to know God personally
(rather than "get to know God" through me). Therefore, please enjoy and consider.
If you have any questions, just click here
to send an E-Mail.
Table of Contents
There are many passages in the Bible which communicate the Gospel (or Good News)
Message. In fact, you could say that the entire Bible is about Jesus redeeming
mankind from sin. But, needing to start somewhere, let's start with the Gospel
"according" to the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians:
| 1Cor 15:1-5 |
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to
you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2 By which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I
preached to you--unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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,
5 And that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.
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Many people ask, "What makes Christianity different from other religions?" From
the outside looking in, Christianity may appear the same as other religions,
but there is a fundamental difference.
Other religions are based on getting close to God (or even becoming God) by living out
that religion's beliefs or dogma. For instance, if you do the right things and follow
the rules, then you're OK. Otherwise, you're not. The problem is, your efforts
are never enough and many become discouraged. The end result is you are further from
God than ever.
On the other hand, there are those who actually believe they have become perfect, or at least
never sin; believing they have reached some goal of purity and goodness. But this is what the
Bible says:
| Rom 3:10-12 |
10 | As it is written: |
| | "There is none righteous, no, not one; |
| 11 | There is none who understands; |
| | There is none who seeks after God. |
| 12 | They have all gone out of the way; |
| | They have together become unprofitable; |
| | There is none who does good, no, not one." |
| Rom 3:23 |
for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God,
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Christianity is different. Instead of a faith built on one's actions, it is based on
the historical event of Jesus Christ (God in the flesh, born of a virgin) dying for
humanity's sins and resurrecting from the dead on the third day. Believing this
historical event as truth and accepting Jesus as your Lord, is Christianity. Without
the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is no Christianity.
| 1Cor 15:12-17 |
12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do
some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.
14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is vain and your faith is
also vain.
15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified
of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up--if in fact the dead do not
rise.
16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.
17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your
sins!
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Jesus dying for our sins, is not some bizarre event that God pulled out of a hat
and just told us to follow. There are reasons for every aspect of the life of Jesus.
Therefore, I chose to break down some of the major points below so that you might
have an understanding of the spiritual mechanics behind the historical
events of Jesus' life.
- The Problem of Sin
People seem to put "committing a sin" in the same category as breaking a minor law.
Sort of like, "I thought I could make the yellow light, but I didn't. Big deal. A
police officer didn't see me and it was just a miscalculation; a minor mistake.
Everyone makes mistakes. And everyone 'sins'; even Christians who profess Christ.
So what's the big deal? I am mostly good and wouldn't a loving God be more forgiving
than harsh?
The problem is, sin is a lot more serious than we think.
| Rom 6:23 |
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord.
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| James 1:14-15 |
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and
enticed.
15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it
is full-grown, brings forth death.
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Sin brings death, and it is not just the physical death we know, but eternal separation
from God. Is God's judgment on sin really so harsh? This reminds me of
the famous hypothetical question: "if a person lived a perfect life and then committed a sin just before dying, would he
go to hell?" The answer is essentially YES; even though I seriously doubt anyone could
go an hour without committing a sin, much less a lifetime. But the reason God requires
perfection is not because of His harshness, it is because of His holiness.
God is holy. In other words, He is pure and undefiled and knows no sin. We humans are
guilty of sin and therefore defiled and unholy. In spiritual mechanics, holy and unholy
cannot coexist. When holy and unholy come together, either the unholy must become holy
(consecrated), or the holy must become unholy (desecrated).
For instance, when you walk into some churches, there will be a small basin set to one side
filled with holy water. The water is neither good nor bad, but the priest has gone
through a ceremony or process to consecrate the water so it can be used for spiritual
purposes. Therefore, the water is now considered holy. Now, if someone came up to that basin
and spit into it, would the water still be holy? No, because the unholy act came into
contact with the holy water, and the water is now desecrated.
What would happen if an unholy person came in contact with a holy God? God would not be
desecrated or become unholy, for God cannot change (Mal 3:6). Nor is God capable of sin
(James 1:13). However, that person being a sinner, and therefore in sin, would be forced
toward consecration and destroyed along with his sin.
Here are some examples of God's holiness.
| 1Tim 6:15-16 |
15 ..., [our Lord Jesus Christ] who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King
of kings and the Lord of lords,
16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has
seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
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| Num 16:34-38 |
34 Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said,
"Lest the earth swallow us up also!"
35 And a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty
men who were offering incense.
36 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
37 "Tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, to pick up the censers out of
the blaze, for they are holy, and scatter the fire some distance away.
38 "The censers of these men who sinned against their own souls, let them be
made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar. Because they presented them
before the Lord, therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of
Israel."
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- The Problem of Payment
A person may realize at some point they are a sinner and desire to get right with God.
So they will devote their life to doing the right thing, like giving their possessions
to the poor. These sorts of acts are good, however, these acts will not pay for even one
sin. For this is the payment price for sin:
| Heb 9:22 |
And according to the law almost all things are purged with blood, and without shedding
of blood there is no remission.
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When most people think of the Old Testament, they think of the Ten Commandments. But a
better way to characterize the Old Testament is the shedding of animals' blood for the
remission of sin. And we are talking a lot of animals. For instance,
when Solomon's Temple was dedicated, the Israelites sacrificed 22,000 cattle and
120,000 sheep and goats over a fourteen day period (1Kings 8:63). The shedding of
animals' blood was the only way man could approach God prior to Christ paying the
ultimate price Himself with His own blood.
There have been great humanitarians and peacemakers who existed throughout history. And
all of us personally know those of exceptional love and grace. And we will look at them and say,
"certainly God will forgive them whatever sins they may have committed based upon their
goodwill toward mankind." God may forgive them, but not one sin will be forgiven because
of their good works.
Let me give an example to illustrate the concept of good works versus sin. Sin is like
debt; the more sins you commit, the bigger the debt. If you owned an unlimited credit
card, your debt would grow every time you used it. You may think, "my debt is huge and
I have never paid any of it back. I know, I will sweep up around the bank and clean the
bathrooms for awhile and surely the bank will forgive my debt." And when you do these
good works, people will thank you for your diligent sacrifice. Yet, when you inquire
about your debt, you will see the balance is greater than ever. And when you ask why,
the bank manager will inform you that the only acceptable thing that will reduce your
credit card debt, is cold, hard cash. It is the same thing with sin. We think our good
works will somehow pay off our sin. But the only thing that can pay for our sin is the
shedding of innocent blood.
- The Solution
I will state this at the risk of sounding like a broken record: The solution is through
Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came into this world to die in our place for our sins.
But don't take my word for it, listen to what the Bible says:
| Luke 19:10 |
"for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
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| John 1:29 |
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world!"
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In other words, Jesus paid for our sin, a debt which we couldn't pay ourselves. Jesus
took my sins upon Himself and suffered the consequences I should have suffered.
| Isaiah 53:5-6 |
5 | But He was wounded for our transgressions, |
| | He was bruised for our iniquities; |
| | The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, |
| | And by His stripes we are healed. |
| 6 | All we like sheep have gone astray; |
| | We have turned, every one, to his own way; |
| | And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. |
| Heb 9:26-28 |
26 ...; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin
by the sacrifice of Himself.
27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly
wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
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Now some may say, "Jesus is great and all, but I want to get to heaven my own way. I
have lived my religious beliefs my whole life and I don't want to change. Surely God
is not so narrow-minded; willing to accept only one religious belief. To say Christianity is
the only way would not be fair, considering all the fine churches and institutions in the
world."
The big question is: Can your road solve the problem of sin?
| John 14:6 |
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through Me."
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| Matt 7:13-14 |
13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and
broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way
which leads to life, and there are few who find it."
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The problem is not that God is narrow, but that the solution is narrow. God went to great expense
and grief to sacrifice His Son. And if there was any other solution, Jesus would not
have died (Matt 26:39). If we say "one way" is not fair, then what is fair? In
reality, fair is not two ways, it's NO way. The Lord owes us nothing. And the fact
that God sacrificed His Son, who died willingly in our place, is the definition of love, grace and
mercy.
| John 3:16-17 |
16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life.
17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn
the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
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| Eph 2:8-9 |
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
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| Titus 3:4-6 |
4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His
mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
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- The Alternative
You can still choose to reject Jesus Christ and His salvation, but that doesn't leave
much of an alternative, except eternal separation from God. Now some may think, "so
what". In fact there are those who talk about partying with their friends in Hell, but
let's get some perspective from the Bible:
| Heb 10:26-27 |
26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth,
there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which
will devour the adversaries.
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| Matt 13:41-43 |
41 "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will
gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
42 "and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There
will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
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Jesus is the answer. I know this may sound trite, but it is the simple, total truth.
And there is a depth to this answer that will take us an eternity to understand. For
instance, Jesus is the Son of God and is God and He has nothing to gain by helping us.
However, this omnipotent, omniscient Being has been on our side ever since the beginning.
So, why does God help us? The Lord God helps us because He loves us. And He
doesn't love you because of what you can do for Him, but simply because you
are; that is, simply because you exist. And I am convinced it makes no
difference whether you're a popular millionaire, or paralyzed from the
neck down without arms or legs; God loves you. And a church that is gifted with the
love of God will desire your participation in worship whether or not you look right,
talk right, or even smell right. And not just out of charity, but because all people are
important, having value that can only be measured by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, Jesus is the answer. If Jesus is for us, who can be against us? Absolutely
nothing (Rom 8:31-39). If Jesus went to such effort and love to die for us, would He
then forget about us, or forsake us, or condemn us? Absolutely not (Jer 29:11). It is
God's desire to save everyone and He will exercise great power on your behalf if
you will let Him. Therefore, what problem will God ignore on behalf of His children?
- How do I get saved?
The answer to the sixty-four thousand dollar question, "How do I get saved?", is simply
to believe in (or believe with an acceptance that will cause you to follow) Jesus Christ
and what He has done for you. You may say, "IS THAT ALL?"
Let's take a look:
| John 11:25-26 |
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26 "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.
Do you believe this?"
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| John 1:12 |
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to
those who believe in His name:
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| John 5:24 |
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me
has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into
life."
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| John 6:29 |
Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom
He sent."
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Some people may look at their lives and feel that a simple belief in Christ just can't
cover all the effort they have put into doing wrong. But Christ has the strength to
overcome anything.
| Matt 19:26 |
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is
impossible, but with God all things are possible."
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| John 10:27-28 |
27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they
follow Me.
28 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand."
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Salvation is there for the asking. How do you ask? You can simply ask God through
prayer. The Lord is very easy to talk to. All you need to do is address the Lord and
say what is on your heart. Do you feel guilty over your sins? Then confess your sins to
God in prayer. Do you want to be saved? Then ask God to forgive your sins and save
you. Do you want to live a new life and go to heaven when you die? Then ask God for
the gift of life through His Son Jesus Christ. Here is a model prayer that Christ Himself
gives us:
| Matt 6:9-13 |
9 | "In this manner, therefore, pray: |
| | Our Father in heaven, |
| | Hallowed be Your name. |
| 10 | Your kingdom come. |
| | Your will be done |
| | On earth as it is in heaven. |
| 11 | Give us this day our daily bread. |
| 12 | And forgive us our debts, |
| | As we forgive our debtors. |
| 13 | And do not lead us into temptation, |
| | But deliver us from the evil one. |
| | For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. |
- What does Salvation cost me?
As we learned earlier, you are saved by grace and it is the gift of God (Eph 2:8-10). And
salvation is a gift in the fact that there is absolutely nothing you can do to earn salvation. But this
does not mean that salvation is not costly.
| Mark 8:34-37 |
34 "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow Me.
35 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but
whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."
36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole
world, and loses his own soul?"
37 "Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"
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| 1Cor 6:19-20 |
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,
whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your
spirit, which are God's.
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Christian life is similar to married life. When you get married you can no longer live
like a single person. A marriage will have a lot of problems if one partner does not give up
singleness. Therefore, a person will forfeit a lot of personal freedom to get married, but it is because
they are hoping to gain something they didn't have before.
When you become a Christian, you enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ. A relationship
with Jesus Christ is a relationship where Jesus is the boss and I need to be obedient. It is no
longer what I want, but what He wants. Now I understand that Jesus is an absolutely loving God and
wants the very best for me. I also know that through Him, I will have a very rewarding and fulfilling
life. But saying "no" to myself can be very difficult and costly. Praise God that He is for us and
will help us with everything!
| 1Cor 10:13 |
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful,
who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation
will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
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| Heb 4:15-16 |
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
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As with married life, if you try to have a relationship with Christ and still do your own
thing, you are going to have problems. And a word of caution, doing good works doesn't
automatically equal obedience. For God is not interested in sanctioning what we do, but
sanctifying what we do. Here are a few references:
| Ps 51:16-17 |
16 | For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; |
| | You do not delight in burnt offering. |
| 17 | The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, |
| | A broken and a contrite heart -- |
| | These, O God, You will not despise. |
| Mark 8:34-37 |
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter
the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we
not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"
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- Where do you go from here?
If you have just accepted Jesus as your Savior, then WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!! Here are a few steps
you can take to stay on the right track.
One, get a Bible and start reading. A good place to start is the Gospel of John, but if
you feel inclined to begin somewhere else, then do so. If you don't have enough money
for a Bible, then go to a church and ask for one and they should give you one for free.
Two, talk with God through prayer. One way to get to know someone is by talking with
them. God wants to have a personal relationship with you because He loves you. So never
be afraid to talk with God about anything, no matter what.
Three, find a good church and start attending. A good church is a church with the
foundational belief that Jesus Christ is God and complete salvation comes only through Him alone. Also, a good church teaches the Bible. If
you go to a church where it doesn't matter whether or not you bring your Bible, then you
need to find another church.
Other than that, just live your life and God will lead you and mature you in ways that
you would have never thought possible.
| Heb 12:1-2 |
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run
with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God.
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| Jude 24-25 |
24 | Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, |
| | And to present you faultless |
| | Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, |
| 25 | To God our Savior, |
| | Who alone is wise, |
| | Be glory and majesty, |
| | Dominion and power, |
| | Both now and forever. |
| | Amen. |
My entire goal in writing this page, is to persuade people into a saving relationship
with Jesus Christ. "Why?" you may ask. Well, I really have nothing to
gain by anyone becoming a Christian. However, I personally have gained more than
I could
describe during the years I have known Christ. And it is a joy for me to see
others obtain the same thing I have enjoyed for a long time. The Christian life is
not always easy, because the Lord changes us for the better. But I have never
regreted it.
And through His leading,
I am a better person today than before; looking forward to the future.
There has been a lot of information communicated on this page. Yet, I know it doesn't
touch on every aspect of salvation. Therefore, if you have any questions, just click
here to send me an E-Mail. I will
be happy to answer your questions as best I can. Please don't delay your decision
for Christ, for the Bible says:
| 2Cor 6:2 |
... Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
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