The Gospel
Let’s begin with what you should already be familiar with and that is salvation and the gospel. The gospel is called good news We all need to know not only the good news but also the bad news. The bad news is sin has resulted in separating us from God, alienating us from him and the result is both spiritual and physical death.
So what is the solution? The gospel is the solution! God has provided for both himself as well as for sinful man the way to restore each of us back to himself. 2 Corinthians 5:20,21 “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself and has committed the word of reconciliation through us. We then as ambassadors for Christ beseech you to be reconciled to God for he made him to be sin for us who knew to sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God through him.”
Through faith in the gospel of what Christ has done for all of us we can be restored to God through his Son and obtain the gift of eternal life. All this is by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Grace, is God’s mercy for fallen, guilty, men and women ,to provide a way for them to be restored to fellowship with Himself through his Son, Jesus Christ. We all have fallen short and have broken many if not all of the ten commandments. This is very basic and I’m just covering the basics as we begin to understand foundational truths. Some other truths of salvation and the gospel.
For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works lest anyone should boast. Ephesian 2:8
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 1 Corinthians 15:1-7
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:5-7
So if God has provided a way for each of us to be restored back to the Father of our LORD Jesus Christ what then is required for us to find this fellowship? Well, the verse above us said that we are called to be reconciled to God. Reconciled, what is that about? The word conveys the idea of change for one thing to cease and something else to start. If a marriage is said to be reconciled, the couple that had been apart is brought back together. The problem that separated them has change. If the separation was due to arguing about something that problem would need to solved for them to be reconciled back together in harmony. God in Christ wants us to be reconciled. God has not been the offending party. We each have gone astray. It is us who need to change in order for us to be restored.
We must yield our hearts and lives to God, believing what Christ has done for us. I’m not speaking of a small change rather a willingness to completely surrender your life so it can be said that you no longer are your own. The self-life must come to an end. In its place is the new life where Christ is living through you. We each come to surrender ourselves up to God and allow him first in our lives in everything. These are the first principles of our new beginnings with God, through Christ.
To be continued…