The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is good news for those people who are dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1) and find themselves in need of a Savior (Romans 3:9-18). The Scripture teaches that Jesus came into the world to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). That salvation was made possible by the life, death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-6). What follows below is a more detailed account of the Gospel and why it is necessary to be born again.
The first thing to know about the good news of Jesus Christ is that “…the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else (Deuteronomy 4:39).” There is only one true God. He is the Creator of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1) and all that exists in creation, including mankind. Genesis 1 provides a detailed account of the six days of creation. On the sixth day, God created man in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:26).
Man was given by God a certain responsibility in what God created. “God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth (Genesis 1:28).” But the Lord God placed certain limitations on man. The Scripture states:
“And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die (Genesis 2:15-17).”
This is regarded as the “Covenant of Works.” Would, Adam, obey the word of the Lord God or not? This was a time of testing, Adam’s, fidelity. What he would or wouldn’t do would have lasting consequences on the whole of humanity. And in that regard, this responsibility of, Adam, is referred to as federal headship. Genesis 3 records the temptation and fall of man into sin, man’s attempt to cover sin, and the Lord God’s response to the serpent, woman, and man.
Temptation
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:1-5).”
Fall of Man & Man’s Attempt to Cover Sin
“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:6 -13).
The Lord God’s Response
“And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (protoevangelium). Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return (Genesis 3:14 -19).”
Protoevangelium
The protoevangelium is found in Genesis 3:15 and is the first reference in Scripture to the unfolding of the Covenant of Grace. In this, the Lord God provided a promise of the Gospel and the coming Messiah that would save His people from their sins and “destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).” He would ultimately do that through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And in this chapter, the Lord God further foreshadows what He would do at the cross of Calvary, where He said, “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them (Genesis 3:21).” This is a very important verse for many reasons. The covering Adam and Eve provided for themselves was a temporary covering for their nakedness, but it was insufficient to cover their sin. From this verse we see that the Lord God Himself covers them with coats of skin provided by the sacrifice of another. “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin (Romans 4:7,8).
What man lost to sin and death is found in Christ who is the only Mediator between God and man. The sin of man separates him from Holy God. Adam and Eve found themselves to be forbidden from eating from the tree of life and were expelled from the Garden of Eden, dead in trespasses and sins. The effect of Adam’s sin has adversely impacted the whole of humanity. ” By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (Romans 5:12).” Every man born into this world is born with a sin nature and in need of being reconciled to God.
Romans 3:9-20 further illustrates the sin nature and total depravity of man apart from Christ. Sin has reached the very depth of the soul of man who is separated from God due to that sin.
Scripture from Genesis through Revelation directs us to the preeminence of Christ and His work of redemption. This is observed in the reality of the covenants established by God with His people referred to as the Elect. The covenants include the Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, David, and New Covenant. Each covenant provides clarity to the redemptive purposes of God in the judgment of the wicked and salvation of His people. There is a continuity of Scripture that runs through the covenants that bring us to the promised Messiah.
JESUS CHRIST: Who is He? What did He do?
Some 2000 years ago, God the Father sent God the Son to become a human child, born of a virgin, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Old Testament prophets spoke about the coming Messiah and His Incarnation. In the New Testament we learn that the name of the Messiah is Jesus “for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1st Timothy 1:15) He is Truly God and Truly man. Unlike you and me, He never sinned, not even once. He is the Lamb of God “which taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29).” He never lied, stole, lusted, blasphemed or any other kind of sin (1st Peter 2:22). He lived sinlessly for some 33 years, which you and I cannot do for 33 seconds. He had to be a man so that He could be a fit representative for those He came to save, and He had to be God because only His infinite worth is capable of paying our infinite debt against the infinitely High and Holy God. (1st Timothy 2:5, Colossians 2:9). Jesus took His people’s sins past, present, and future on the cross and died bearing the penalty for sin. He rose victoriously from the grave 3 days later defeating sin and death so that those who trust in Him can have their sins forgiven, receive eternal life, and receive the imputed righteousness of Christ (1st Corinthians 15:54-57, 2nd Corinthians 5:21, Isaiah 61:10).
What does God expect us to do with the message of the Gospel? He commands us to repent of our sins and place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ the Lord (Mark 1:15, Acts 17:20; Acts 20:21). Jesus said, “ye must be born again (John 3:7).” This is a spiritual new birth in Christ that man is not capable of accomplishing through the works of the law. Jesus said ye must be born again but didn’t say we can bring this new creation about in our own strength. Salvation is of the Lord from start to finish.
The sinner’s prayer by itself is insufficient to bring about this baptism of the Holy Spirit. God requires faith, saving faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:). The faith that God requires for a person to be saved is the faith that God grants to those people who have been chosen in Christ from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).” Faith is what it is, and believe is what faith does.
In order to be saved, God must first raise the dead to life. This is vividly portrayed in the valley of dry bones depicted in Ezekiel 37. This new life in Christ begins with the preaching of the Gospel. Those people who are ordained to eternal life in Christ hear the Gospel and are regenerated by the Spirit of God who effectually calls them to life. In regeneration, faith and repentance is granted to the Elect. The response of the Elect having been raised from the dead is that they call upon the name of the Lord in the process of conversion. In this they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and are justified by faith (Romans 8:29,30).
To repent of our sins means to turn away from our rebellion against God. Repentance does not mean achieving perfection, but it does mean a change in direction. Repentance does not mean we’ll bring an immediate end to all our sinning, but it does mean that we’ll never again live at peace with our sins. You will love the things God loves and hate the things God hates. You will hate the sin you once loved and love the God you once hated. This is not moral reform, but is a supernatural work of God.
Not only that, but we also must turn to God by faith alone in Jesus Christ. Faith is reliance. It is a promise-founded trust in the risen Jesus to save you from your sins and God’s punishment for your sins. “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned… (Jesus) Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree…the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God…in (Whose) presence there is fullness of joy; at (His) right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (John 3:17, 18; 1st Peter 2:24; 3:18, Psalm 16:11b)
If God is ever to count us righteous, He will have to do it on the basis of someone else’s record, someone who is qualified to stand in our place as our substitute. And that’s what happens when a person is saved by Jesus: All our sins are credited to Jesus who took the punishment for them, and the perfect righteousness of Jesus is then credited to us when we place our trust in what He has done for us! 2nd Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” That’s what faith means-to rely on Jesus, to trust in Him alone to stand in our place and receive a righteous verdict from God!
Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you been born again? “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).” “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9,10).”
According to A.W. Pink and his teaching on “A Fourfold Salvation,” when we are born again we are saved from the love of sin, from the penalty of sin, from the power of sin, and ultimately from the presence of sin (A Fourfold Salvation). This salvation (redemption) enables us to live for God and for His glory. For those people who are in Christ, they are a new creation. “Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).”
As a result of being justified by faith, God forgives His people of their sins and adopts them into His family. The reality of the New Covenant is applied to His people. The LORD says, “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
The children of God are temples of the Holy Spirit where God dwells (1 Corinthians 6:19,20) and are partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1). “After that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession (Ephesians 1:13,14).” This is the blessing of Abraham referenced in Genesis 12 and Galatians 3. This is the Gospel.
Redemption will be fully consummated at the Second Coming of Christ where He will come again and receive His people unto Himself. On that day, the Elect will see Him as He is and dwell in His presence forever in the new heaven and new earth. “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son (Revelation 21:3-7).” “Behold, I make all things new (Revelation 21:5).”
For Those Who Think They Are Christians
Do you consider yourself to be a Christian? The Bible commands you to “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13: 5).” Please read the book of 1 John and compare yourself to Scripture. The purpose of 1 John is to test the legitimacy of your profession of faith and life to let you know whether you have eternal life or are self-deceived (1 John 5:13). Here are six tests from the book of 1 John to know if you are a real Christian:
- Is the pattern or walk of your life towards the light of Christ or darkness of sin? (1 John 1:6-7)
- Do you claim to have no sin or think it’s not a big deal, or rather do you confess your sins and turn to Jesus to cleanse you of it? (1 John 1:8-10)
- Does what you say and do reflect that you really know God or deny Him? (1 John 2:3-5, Titus 1:16)
- Do you love pursuing the things of this world or doing God’s will? (1 John 2:15-17)
- Do you practice sin or do you strive towards righteousness? (1 John 3:4-7)
- Are God’s commands a delight or a burden to you? (1st John 5:2-4)
Salvation is a Free Gift, which cannot be earned nor lost (Ephesians 2:8,9). But the gift of eternal life must be received on God’s terms, because He will not negotiate with sinners. It is not received by praying some prayer, going to church, getting baptized, being religious, praying to Mary, or doing good works. No, you must repent and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life and when you do, God will give you a new heart that will show this to be true in your life. But to hypocrites, Jesus will say, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23)! Please do not take your salvation for granted. Turn to Christ and Live.
American Gospel
The American Gospel is a very important work devoted to exposing a dark and dangerous movement in “Christianity” called the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). In short, the NAR is egregious error that represents another Jesus, another spirit, and another gospel (2 Corinthians 11). We would encourage you to take the time to watch this video and examine yourself to make sure that you truly know the God of the Bible.
