The “Gospel” of Scripture is “the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Without a doubt, it is the most important subject in the Bible, the central Truth of the Bible, and the starting point for understanding the Truth of the Bible, which in the Bible is called, "the Word of God." As such, it is vitally important... to be sure, essential... that the Gospel be understood clearly and correctly. So please do.
In its entirety, the Bible is about two things: 1) God, and 2) man. By “God,” I mean what the Bible means. I mean the God described in the Bible as BEING the Creator of the universe and all things within it, Whose name is “I AM”… i.e. “IS,” “BE,” “BEING” “EXIST,” “EXISTENCE,” and all other forms of the verb “to be”… but Who IS far more often referred to as “THE LORD” or simply as “God.”
And by “man,” I also mean what the Bible means, when this word is used in the same way I just used it. I mean “mankind,” “humankind,” human beings each and all.
In a nutshell, the story of the Bible is the story of God’s work over the course of human history, in reconciling human beings to Himself, from a state of separation and incompatibility. However, the story is told from the perspective of God’s dealings with His own people... i.e. those He has so reconciled... in a succession of historical time periods, against the backdrop of a corrupt and unbelieving world.
As described in the Bible, the events that occurred at the first coming of Christ in the first century A.D. are the culmination of this redemptive work of God, and the Gospel is the explanation of it. Every word, passage and document of Scripture is directly connected to the redemptive work of THE LORD Jesus Christ and thus, to the Gospel of Scripture. Everything that came before in God’s redemptive work led up to it, and everything that followed has proceeded from it.
According to the Bible, the Gospel of Jesus Christ found in the Bible represents the one and only Way for human beings living in this age to know God. By “this age,” I mean the present age in God’s redemptive work among human beings. I mean the time period between the first and second coming of THE LORD, which includes the days in which we are currently living, here in the early years of the twenty-first century.
And when I say, “to know God,” I don’t merely mean “to know about God.” I mean what the Bible means. I mean to have a personal, spiritual relationship with the Creator of the universe. I mean to obtain eternal, spiritual Life and fellowship with Him. I mean to belong to God while living on the earth, and to “go to heaven” thereafter, to be united with Him forevermore.
Figuratively speaking, the Gospel of Scripture is the “answer key” to the extremely short and simple “entrance exam” for heaven. It is easy to understand, entirely free of charge, and intentionally made available in advance by God Himself, to all human beings the world over… even to the remotest parts of the earth. Talk about fair and gracious!
Simply put, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s plan for the salvation of human beings, living in this age. And by “salvation,” I also mean what the Bible means. I mean to be “saved” from impending doom,“rescued from peril,” “delivered from death to life.”
According to Scripture, all of this comes by way of the Gospel of THE LORD Jesus Christ. Beyond the opening statement of the Bible, the Gospel of Scripture is the first and foremost, most important and consequential Truth of the Bible in its entirety, and of every individual Truth of Scripture therein, all the way through to the last words of the last document. The Gospel is, to be sure, the central Truth of the Bible, and the most important thing of all to understand correctly.
The word “gospel” is an English word found in English Bibles, used to translate a Greek word that means “good news,” “good message,” or “good announcement,” depending on how it is used in context. By "context," I mean the surrounding words and grammar, in the topic under discussion. This Greek word I refer to was the word actually used by the writers of Scripture, so that’s what the word “gospel” means according to Scripture. The word itself means, “good news.”
As the writings of the Bible are read in their traditional order, this word first appears in the four documents of Scripture commonly called, “Matthew,” “Mark,” “Luke” and “John. These documents recount the earthly life and activities of Jesus at His first coming from four different perspectives, each account ending at the same moment in history, which moment came in the spring of the year 33 A.D., or shortly before.
I trust you know that the names and titles of the books of the Bible are not found in the books of the Bible. No, you probably don’t. But yes, now you do.
The titles of the individual documents of Scritprue were given to them after they were written to, received by, and circulated among God’s people. And, for that matter, no where in ay of the these documents are the documents ever called, “books.”
Throughout these documents, this Greek word is used in referring to the “good news” of God in general, but more often, it refers to the good news of the long-awaited “kingdom of God,” brought forth on the earth in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. In these passages of Scripture, most English versions of the Bible translate this word in just that way: “good news."
It is important to note, however, that at the end of these four documents and throughout the remaining documents of the Bible, this very same word is used numerous times by the various writers of Scripture, in referring to one particular “good message.” Accordingly, it is used in one particular way, with one particular, highly specific and all-important meaning, for which reason it is regularly translated: “gospel” in most of these English Bible versions.
Throughout the writings of Scripture to follow and from that moment in time, the “good news” was and still is, that by the grace of God… i.e. the unmerited favor of God… eternal, spiritual Life and relationship with God has been made possible by God Himself, and it is now freely available to all human beings, through faith in Jesus Christ. This is the “Gospel” of the Bible.
Unfortunately, in everyday life and conversation, the word “gospel” is used in different ways, and it means different things to different people, which are not in accordance with the Scriptures. For example, referring to those four documents as “The Gospel of Matthew,” “The Gospel of Mark,” etc., or worse still, using the word “gospel” as a synonym for the word “truth”… way worse still.
For this reason and others, many people today misunderstand the Gospel of Scripture. And way worse again, in communicating with others, many people represent themselves as explaining or "presenting" the Gospel of Jesus Christ, when in reality, they are not.
And although it should go without saying, I will say it anyway. In order to correctly understand the Gospel of the Bible, one must correctly understand the words and teachings of the Bible, which define and explain the Gospel. Likewise, in order to communicate the Gospel of Scripture to others, one must communicate the Gospel as it is defined and explained in the Scriptures… at least they do if they want what they present and explain to be the Gospel of the Scriptures.
Personally, I do… at all times. So when I use the word “gospel” on this website, I mean one and only one thing. I mean, “the Gospel of THE LORD Jesus Christ, as defined and explained in the Scriptures, by the Scriptures themselves.”
So when I use the word “gospel” on this website, I mean one and only one thing. I mean, “the Gospel of THE LORD Jesus Christ, as defined and explained in the Scriptures, by the Scriptures themselves.”
In the Bible, the Gospel is referred to in several different ways, including "the Gospel of salvation," "the Gospel of God” and “the Gospel of Christ.” But most often, it is simply called, “the Gospel.”
The Truth is, the Gospel can be rightly referred to in a number of different ways. But this does not in any way mean that there is more than one Gospel. There is not. According to Scripture, there is one and only one True Gospel of Jesus Christ... the Gospel defined and explained in the Bible.
I myself also refer to the Gospel in several different ways, but most often, I call it, “the Gospel of Scripture” or “the Gospel of the Bible.” I do this in order to emphasize the fact that it is the one and only "Gospel" found in the Bible.
The Gospel can also be worded in different ways… as it is in different passages of Scripture. In fact, the Gospel can be explained, understood and conveyed from person to person in any number of different ways and words… and for that matter, in any language spoken by human beings, anywhere in the world. Here too, the way in which the Gospel is worded is not the issue. The issue is the Truth of the Gospel in its entirety.
I say, “in its entirety,” because the Gospel of the Bible is composed of several individual Truths combined together into a "larger" Truth. Obviously again, if any one of these individual Truths is missing, then by definition, it is not the Gospel of Scripture in its entirety, and thus, it is not the Gospel of Scripture. Can you “see” that?
For the sake of simplicity, these individual Truths of the Gospel can be thought of as the essential “elements” or “ingredients” of the Gospel. And for the sake of clarity, I will say again that all of these individual “ingredients” must be present and combined together, in order to constitute the Gospel of Scripture. Did you “hear” that?
Obviously as well, nothing contradictory to these Truths can be present. In wording the Gospel, unnecessary words and additional information can be added without issue... as is sometimes done to provide clarification, or a more detailed explanation of the Gospel... but not if they contradict an essential Truth of the Gospel.
Is that part clear? Let me “say” it another way. In explaining the Gospel, a longer, more complete explanation can be given, which includes additional information that is not actually part of the Gospel itself. As long as the additional information is True… especially if it comes directly from the Bible, and it is not taken out of context… such “larger” explanations can be helpful toward achieving a better and more complete understanding of the Gospel.
But as the Scriptures also make clear... and common sense dictates... the inclusion of any additional “ingredient” that contradicts any one of the individual Truths of the Gospel, contradicts the Gospel itself. In such case, what is understood in one’s mind and/or explained to others is not the Gospel of Scripture.
In the Bible, what I just “said,” is stated in even stronger terms… much stronger. Here is how one writer of Scripture put it, namely the apostle Paul, who, according to Scripture, was personally appointed by Jesus Christ to proclaim and explain the Gospel to all:
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the Gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! [Galatians 1]
Pretty strong, wouldn’t you say? And repeated twice, for even greater emphasis!
The point I am stressing, is that according to the Bible, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is singular. In other words, there is one and only one True "Gospel," with no room for variation… none whatsoever. That’s why it is always and everywhere in the Bible called "the Gospel.”
Simply enough, the Gospel of Scripture cannot be added to, subtracted from, altered, misstated or misunderstood in any way, and still be the one True Gospel of Scripture. Again, additional elements of Truth may enhance a person's understanding of the Gospel, but they themselves are not elements of the Gospel of the Scriptures.
@ The Ingredients of the Gospel
In the interest of time, I will list the individual Truths of the Gospel of Scripture in my own words. After doing so, I will “speak” to the issues which surround the Truth of the Gospel.
According to Scripture, the individual Truths of the Gospel are as follows:
1) That the man known to history as “Jesus Christ” was an incarnation of God Himself. In other words, THE LORD God of Creation spoken of in the Bible became a human being in the Person of Jesus Christ, the Person of Christ and the Person of God being one and the same.
2) That in His earthly body, THE LORD Jesus Christ died a physical death, in order to reconcile human beings to Himself, from a state of separation and incompatibility.
3) That Jesus physically rose from the dead, proving His identity and His power to provide eternal Life to human beings.
4) That one must consciously and intentionally trust in Jesus Christ in accordance with the Gospel, in order to receive this reconciliation, and with it, eternal Life and relationship with God.
That’s as concise as I can make it. And as bad as I am at saying things concisely, I’d say that’s pretty darn concise.
The Gospel can be explained in other ways and other words as well, but in order to be the Gospel of Scripture, each and all of these individual Truths must be present and correctly understood together.
These essential “ingredients” of the Gospel can also be stated and understood in any order. The order doesn’t matter. Each individual Truth of the Gospel is like a tumbler in a combination lock. The "numbers" can come about in any order over any period of time, but it is only when they are all in place that the “tumblers" align and the “lock” opens… i.e. the Gospel is complete, and it can accomplish its purpose.
Note too, that the individual Truths of the Gospel are not necessarily four in number. For example, the first individual Truth as I stated it, could be expressed as two separate, individual Truths: 1) that Jesus Christ was a real and actual human being. 2) that Jesus Christ WAS/IS God Himself.
To be sure, when it comes to the Truth of the Gospel, there can be no variation. None. Yet the Truth of the Gospel can be expressed in various ways, words and grammar. By no accident or coincidence, this flexibility of expression allows the Truth of the Gospel to be conveyed and understood in any and every human language and culture, among people of all descriptions, in all times, places and circumstances.
In essence, the Gospel is God’s offer of eternal Life and personal relationship, to those living in this age. In order to accept it, one need only understand it correctly, believe it to be True, choose to trust in its Truth, and then actually do so, as the Gospel itself directs. As the Gospel itself directs, one receives this eternal Life and relationship with THE LORD in only one way: by trusting in Jesus Christ to receive it, in accordance with the Gospel of Scripture.
In doing this, one must realize: a) that he or she is otherwise without this eternal Life and relationship with God, b) that he or she is unworthy of eternal Life and relationship with God, c) that he or she is incapable of obtaining it in any way other than the Way of God explained in the Gospel, and d) that it is brought about by God Himself, and God alone. For sure, one must realize “all of the above.”
But then, all of these realizations are inherent in… i.e. “built into”… the Gospel itself. In other words, a person “automatically” realizes all of these things, in correctly understanding the Gospel of Scripture. Allow me to explain. Or, I should say, allow the Scriptures to explain.
The first individual Truth of the Gospel… in the order and manner I listed them… has to do with the Person of Jesus Christ. The key issue is often referred to as the "deity" of Christ… i.e. that Jesus Christ WAS/IS God, as well as a real and actual human being. People who so believe are often said to believe in "the deity of Christ."
Those who do not so believe, do not “believe in Jesus Christ” in accordance with the Gospel of Scripture… and many additional statements and teachings of the Bible, as well. In other words, their belief in Jesus Christ is not in compliance with what the Bible plainly states and the Gospel clearly requires one to trust in.
So while it is offered by THE LORD to all human beings, the Gospel is not for everyone. It is definitely not for those who don't believe in God, for one cannot know a God he or she does not believe to exist! It is also not for people who believe that the man known to history as “Jesus Christ” was in any way not “God in the flesh.”
Neither is the Gospel for those who have no interest in knowing their Creator. And why would it be? What kind of God would want to spend eternity with people who don’t want to know Him and interact with Him? Who would want that? Would you?
Be honest now. Would you want to spend eternity with someone who doesn’t believe in you? With someone who doesn’t trust you? With someone who doesn’t want to know you and have a relationship with you? I know I wouldn’t. Who would? No one that I can think of... or even imagine.
So while the Gospel is freely available to all mankind, the Gospel is not for people like that. The Gospel is for those who Truly believe in God and seek to know Him.
According to Scripture, the Gospel is the Way provided by God and thus, the one and only Way to know God in this age. It is the one and only Way of God and the one and only Way to God. On this the Scriptures are clear.
Simply put, the Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. It is the good news that in Jesus Christ, God has taken it upon Himself to make it possible for us to know Him, and done, in and of Himself, what is necessary for this to happen. Indeed, as the Scriptures make clear, Jesus Christ Himself IS the Way…. the one and only Way of God and the one and only Way to God.
According to the Scriptures, the good news is that in Jesus Christ, God came into the physical world and lived among us as a human being. His purpose for coming was to make it possible for human beings to know the God Who Created them. And what He did to make spiritual Life and relationship with Him possible, was to die a gruesome and unjust death, in order to reconcile mankind to Himself… i.e. to remedy man’s condition of separation and incompatibility.
In the Bible, God’s separation from us is called, “holiness.” And the reason for our incompatibility and separation from God is called, “sin.”
According to Scripture, God is perfect in every way. As is all too self-evident, we human beings are decidedly not. This being the case, a personal relationship with God is not possible, apart from a remedy to this condition of incompatibility. And the reason is simple. There can be no union of "perfect" and "imperfect," because any element of imperfection in perfection renders it imperfect. What kind of eternal union would that be?
But sin is something more than merely “imperfection.” According to Scripture, sin is wrongdoing. Sin is any and every thought, feeling and willful act of disobedience to God, knowingly or not.
Indeed, ignorance of the law of God is no excuse. For in addition to the Scriptures, the law of God is written on the heart of every human being Created by God. And so, whether it be the Truth of God’s EXISTENCE or the difference between “right” and “wrong,” ignorance of the Truth of God is present only in those who suppress the Truth within them. It is, therefore, intentional, self-inflicted, and even less than “no excuse.”
According to Scripture, all human beings have a “sin nature”… i.e. an inherent disposition and inclination toward sin… and we have all committed willful acts of wrongdoing. Thus, we are all “sinners," both by nature and by practice, separate from and incompatible with a perfect and holy God.
In this condition, we are also without remedy of our own accord. In other words, there is nothing we can do on our own to change our sinful condition and separation from God, let alone to obtain eternal Life and relationship with Him. That’s something God must do for us, and to be sure, only God Himself can do it. As the Bible explains, He does this in Jesus Christ, for all who so trust in Him, in accordance with the Gospel of Scripture.
Here is how it is spoken of in the Scriptures written before the first coming of Christ:
1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice. There is no one who does good. 2 God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there is anyone who understands, who seeks after God. 3 Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one. [Psalm 53]
Here is another quote from the Scriptures written before THE LORD’s first coming to the earth, which employs figurative imagery at the start:
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but THE LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. [Isaiah 53]
For a more complete description of the redemptive work of the coming Messiah/Christ, read the whole chapter… i.e. Isaiah 53.
And here are two quotes, taken from the Scriptures written after the first coming of THE LORD, no figurative language involved:
23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God [Romans 3]
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. [Romans 5]
Simply put, our “sin nature” is our default setting of putting “self” ahead of others, God included. And our acts of sin are the things we do wrong, in violation of the directions given by God through the Scriptures, and/or in putting our own wellbeing before that of other people… as human beings so constantly do, anywhere from “slightly” to “at the expense of another person’s life.”
In the Bible, the opposite of sin is called, “righteousness,” and the opposite of our personal acts of sin toward others is called “love.” In essence, the “love” spoken of in the Bible is: “putting the wellbeing of others ahead of our own,” and our acts of love are: “the things we do in meeting the needs of others, at cost to ourselves.”
Ultimately, what God wants of us, is that we trust in Him and seek to know Him. Here is how the Bible puts it:
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He IS, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. [Hebrews 11]
Now I ask you, after all God did to Create us and give us life, is it asking too much of us that we trust Him and seek to know Him? Well of course it isn’t.
And why would God want to spend eternity with someone who doesn’t believe in Him and doesn’t want to know Him? Would you? Of course you wouldn’t. Nobody would. What kind of eternal relationship would that be?
And while we’re at it, what’s so unreasonable about God choosing to spend eternity only with those who desire to know Him, and who place their faith in Him as He directs? Nothing that I can think of. In fact, I would call that 100% reasonable, not to mention fair, just and right… which God always IS.
Beyond this, what God wants the most from us is love… i.e. “the opposite of sin,” “loving God more than oneself,” “putting Him ahead of ourselves.” Isn’t that what anyone would want in a long-term, intimate relationship? Well of course it is.
And there is nothing unreasonable about that either, is there? Of course not! In fact, what better life and relationship could there be, than one in which both parties so love one another?… especially when the other party is the God Who Created us! Who benefits more in that arrangement?
According to Scripture, loving an almighty, perfect, holy and invisible “God of Creation” is also not something we earthly human beings are capable of doing on our own, in and of ourselves. So, as the Scriptures explain, God extends His Love to us, and in so doing, gives us the capacity to know love and to love Him... as well as one another. As it is written:
19 We love, because He first loved us. [1 John 4]
In reality, all we are really doing when we love God… each and every time we do something/anything in our love for God… is to give back to Him, a small part of what He has given to us. Talk about just, fair and reasonable, not to mention gracious!
And speaking of just fair and reasonable, would you want to have an eternal relationship with a robot, or a being you programed to automatically seek you, trust you, fellowship with you, and attend to your needs and desires? Of course you wouldn’t. What would be good about that?
The only thing that could be worse, would be a relationship in which one party is compelled to think, feel, reason, choose and do as the other party demands. That would be far worse still! Really. I mean, what is a good relationship, if not one that is mutually desired and freely chosen?
So, what would be more fair, just, reasonable and gracious than allowing the other being to choose of his or her own free will and personal authority, and then grant that person what he or she chose?… be it “eternal relationship” or “no eternal relationship.” Nothing could be, of course. That’s as fair and right as fair and right can be!
Contrary to popular misunderstanding and resulting false belief, God does not arbitrarily “condemn,” “damn” or otherwise “send” anyone to eternal death and separation from Him. According to Scripture, He simply allows us to have what we desire and choose for ourselves. Totally fair and right in every way.
In this age, we make this choice in our response to the offer of spiritual Life and relationship with Him, as explained in the Gospel of Scripture. And ultimately, our response to God’s offer is either “yes” or “no,” as we choose for ourselves individually.
According to the Bible, Jesus Christ Himself IS the remedy to mankind’s sin and separation from God. The remedy was/is the sacrifice of God Himself for the spiritual Life of the human being... i.e. the physical death of the just for the spiritual Life of the unjust.
The physical death of Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice of God, necessary for the reconciliation of human beings. It was necessary to satisfy the perfect character and justice of God…which requires that sin be accounted for and remedied. Ultimately, there can be no eternal coEXISTENCE with a perfect and holy God, in which sin is present.
So the second essential Truth of the Gospel, is that the physical death of Jesus was the Personal sacrifice of God, given to provide for the forgiveness of sin… i.e. a personal “pardon”… and with it, the granting of spiritual Life to the sinner. This was the necessary act of God to reconcile the sinful human being to Himself, each and all. This Truth is encompassed in this well known verse of Scripture:
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. [John 3]
It is important to note that this verse of Scripture also includes a figure of speech. Jesus was not literally the “son” of God in the sense of an “offspring.” Rather, this was the best way for people at the time to grasp the concept of God’s incarnation in Jesus Christ, so this is the way they spoke of it… i.e. as there being both a “Heavenly Father” and an earthly “Son of God,” at the same time... and this is the way it is spoken of in the Bible, which, obviously enough, provides a written record of the things people said and did at the time.
In the Bible, the title ”Son of Man" means "human being," and "Son of God" means "God." Clearly enough, these were both titles THE LORD Jesus Christ used of Himself, to emphasize the fact that He was, at the same time, both a human being and God Himself.
And so, one must be careful not to allow the description "Son of God" to diminish his or her belief in the deity of Christ. For to do so… i.e. to believe that Jesus was in any way less than God Himself… is to fail to meet this essential requirement of the Gospel, that one must trust that Jesus Christ WAS and IS God Himself.
And how could it be otherwise? Obviously… I hope… the death of some "lessor being," let alone a mere human being, could in no way reconcile the sinful human race to God. In no way at all.
The third individual Truth of the Gospel… in the order I listed them… is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Apart from belief in the physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, there can be no belief in the eternal, spiritual Life of any human being. For the latter is greater than the former.
Was that clear? The granting of eternal, spiritual Life is far greater in nature and power than the granting of a return to physical life after physical death… which nowadays even happens in operating rooms and ambulances on occasion.
And in case you haven’t noticed, no matter what we do with our physical bodies, they are ultimately temporary… extremely temporary. In fact, in the overall scheme of things, the longest of human lifespans is but the snap of a finger.
You are aware of that, right? I mean even if you were a really lousy student of history, surely you realize that even though we take longevity for granted… especially in our younger years… this life on the earth we each live is but a fleeting moment in which we become who we will forever have been.
So to deny the literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is not only to deny His True identity, it is to deny His power to provide eternal Life to the souls of human beings… which is something far greater and higher in nature.
Right? Well of course right! Pretty hard to trust in God for Life after death, while at the same time believing He doesn’t have the power to provide it… wouldn’t you say?
Here’s what the Bible would say… and does:
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, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. [1 Corinthians 15]
Indeed, to deny the physical resurrection of Christ is to believe that He was purely and only a mortal human being. And even more obviously, to believe that Jesus Himself was not raised from the dead is to believe that no human being could be… including oneself. We human beings can believe anything to be True we choose to believe at any time, but no human being can believe two things to be True at the same time, when one belief flatly contradicts the other! Truth never contradicts Truth.
The fact is, to deny the resurrection of THE LORD Jesus Christ is to deny the Truth of the Gospel… twice over! It is not only to deny the Truth of the Person of Christ, but His power to provide eternal Life to human beings, as well.
And so, according to Scripture, the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is an indispensable "ingredient" of the Gospel. One must trust that Jesus Christ physically rose from the dead, in order to believe in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel, and in so doing, trust in Him for eternal Life.
So are we clear so far? The first essential Truth of the Gospel is about the Person of Jesus Christ… i.e. that Jesus Christ was both a human being and THE LORD God Himself. The second and third individual Truths are about the work of Jesus Christ. In other words, what He did on behalf of mankind… i.e. His physical, bodily death and resurrection.
The fourth essential Truth of the Gospel regards the response of the sinner to the Gospel of God. Simply enough, the response is to believe or not believe. For according to the Gospel, the offer of eternal Life and relationship with God in Jesus Christ is subject to its acceptance by faith, on the part of each individual.
To be sure, God forces no one to enter into this eternal relationship with Him. According to the Gospel, one comes to know God and accept the free gift of eternal Life of his or her own free will, purely and only by trusting in Jesus Christ to receive it, which means depending upon Him alone to provide it.
According to the Bible, it is this trust... i.e. faith... in Jesus Christ, that brings eternal Life and relationship with God. And indeed, this is the final “ingredient” of the Gospel of Scripture… i.e. that one must trust in Jesus Christ for eternal, spiritual Life and relationship with God, in order to have it. As the Scripture said, “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal Life.”
So according to Scripture, the Gospel of Jesus Christ represents God’s offer of eternal Life and relationship, made available to all human beings, person by person. Upon its acceptance by faith, this eternal relationship is brought about by God and God alone, at great cost to Himself and no cost whatsoever, to those who trust in Him to receive it. Indeed, what love could possibly be greater? Answer: "none."
And what could possibly be any more fair and right? After all, no human being ever chose to be a sinful human being living in this physical universe, nor could any human be anything other than separate from and incompatible with a perfect and holy God of Creation. Indeed, what could be any more fair, just and right than for God to remedy man’s desperate condition entirely at His own expense, and then provide this remedy to all who desire to have it, at no cost to themselves? Answer: "nothing could be."
But to be equally certain, according to Scripture, to “believe in Jesus Christ” is not simply to believe that there once was a man called Jesus Christ. It is to trust in Jesus Christ, in accordance with the Gospel found in the Bible. In so doing, one must trust in Who He IS and in what He did.
As to His Person, one must believe that the first century Jesus was “God in the flesh.” As to His work, one must believe that Jesus physically died on behalf of the sinner... each and every… that he or she might be reconciled to God. And that would include oneself. Each individual must also believe that Jesus rose from the dead, that the believer... including oneself... might have eternal, spiritual Life in Him.
According to the Bible, one must correctly understand these Truths of the Gospel and believe them to be True. But in order to "believe in Jesus Christ" unto salvation, a person must also trust in… i.e. rely upon, depend upon… Christ and Christ alone to provide it.
@ The Gospel in the Words of Scripture
First of all, let’s clear up this not so lit “Old Testament” “New Testament” matter. Then we can “talk” about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is defined and explained in the words of the Scriptures themselves… specifically, the final 27 documents of Scripture, all of which were written over the span of a single human lifetime, in the years that immediately followed the first coming of THE LORD. I refer here to the so called, “New Testament," which in its entirety, is the conclusion of God’s communication to mankind, by means of the writings of Scripture.
I say, “so called” New Testament, because the designations, “Old Testament” and “New Testament” are not to be found in the Bible… i.e. in the text of the documents themselves. Nowhere in the Scriptures are either of these two expressions used to refer to the writings of Scripture.
Once upon a time… long after the last words of Scripture were written… the documents of the Bible were grouped into these two categories in their present arrangement, and given the names “Old Testament” and “New Testament.” But no such concept exists in the Scriptures themselves.
These are entirely external, “man-made” classifications, originating centuries after the last documents of Scripture were written. In the Bible, all Scripture is referred to as “Scripture,” and regarded as being equal in nature and authority. Here’s how the New Testament puts it:
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. [2 Timothy 3]
And do note clearly that the expression, “man of God” as it was used in that time and context meant, “person of God.” It referred to anyone and everyone who had “believed in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel,” male and female alike.
Throughout the Scriptures, the word “man” is used to refer to human beings in general… both individually and collectively… as well as to those of the male gender. It is only very recently that referring to human beings as “man” and “men” has become "politically incorrect." In fact, even the word “mankind” has become objectionable to many people these days. Among them, it has now given way to the generic word, “humankind.”
It is clear from the Scriptures that together, these “persons of God” spoken of in the New Testament comprised “the people of God” in the first century. And it is equally clear that the people of God in the centuries to follow… from then to now… are likewise comprised of those who have trusted in Jesus Christ, according to the Gospel of Scripture.
The danger in thinking of the Scriptures as being of two “categories,” is that it might cause one to think that there is something different in the nature of these two “groups” of documents. According to the documents themselves, there is not. And so, one should in no way consider the so called “books” of the Old Testament as being of any less authority, importance or relevance to people living today, than the “books” of the New Testament… or vice versa.
These non-Scriptural designations can cause trouble, but we will go with them anyway. For the sake of familiarity and easy reference, I will use these traditional names and concepts, in the current, customary manner.
Just note that by “Old Testament,” I mean nothing more than, “the documents of Scripture written and originally received before the first coming of Christ.” And by “New Testament,” I simply refer to the concluding documents of Scripture, written and received after that momentous event in human history.
We will also go with the tradition of calling the documents of Scripture “books,” and use the traditional names given to them. Here too, nowhere in the Scriptures are the individual documents of the Bible referred to as “books.” Neither are they called by the names we currently call them… i.e. “Genesis,” “Exodus,” “Isaiah,” “Matthew,” “First Corinthians,” “Second Timothy,” and so on. These titles are also “external traditions”… i.e. not found in the words of the Scriptures themselves… which traditions arose after the documents were written.
Having “said” all of that, we can now talk about the Gospel in the words of Scripture. Again, that would be the words of the “New Testament” Scriptures.
Indeed, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to be found only in the New Testament writings. The reason is, there was no such thing as a “Gospel of Jesus Christ” before the first coming of Christ. How could there be?
According to the Bible, the Gospel originated in the first century A.D., in the days immediately after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It could not have come before then, because the real-world events that took place at the end of the earthly life of Jesus… i.e. His bodily death and resurrection… are two of the indiof the Gospel. So they had to come first. In other words, these events had to actually happen, before there could be a “Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
And sure enough, the Gospel is the central Truth and most important subject in the “New Testament” Scriptures. It is spoken of and emphasized throughout these many first-century writings.
Though not mentioned by name, the Gospel was also the central Truth of the “Old Testament" Scriptures as well, because all of the words, teachings and events recorded in the Old Testament looked forward to and led up to the redemptive work of God in Jesus Christ. Thus, the Gospel is the central Truth of the Bible in its entirety. And it is therein defined and explained as the one and only means of spiritual Life and relationship with God, in this final age of “the day of man”… i.e. the present age, now coming to an end.
According to the Scriptures… all of them… the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was the essential work of God in making it possible for human beings to know Him. The death of Christ at the hands of sinful men was the “price” willingly “paid” by God, for the “redemption” of human beings from sin… i.e. all human beings, at all times in human history.
Nevertheless, the Gospel of Jesus Christ itself is only for the present age, and the reconciliation with God that it offers is received only by those who believe in Jesus Christ, in accordance with the Gospel. Before the first coming of Christ, no one was “saved” by believing in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel. Before the first coming of Christ, there was no “Gospel of Christ" to be saved by.
From the beginning, the salvation of man has been the work of God and God alone, and in every age, it is received only by trusting in God… i.e. by faith alone, and faith in God alone. And so “say” the Scriptures, over and over again.
According to Scripture, the death of Jesus Christ was for all mankind… i.e. for every human being ever to live on the earth, in any historical time period, before or after the actual event took place. It was the ultimate act of God’s own self-sacrifice, for the reconciliation of mankind to Himself.
But knowing God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for this age alone. For all those to live after the first coming of THE LORD… to this very day… the Gospel Truly is the most important subject in the Bible, and, in fact, the most important thing in life. For as the Scriptures make clear, it is what one must correctly understand in its entirety, determine to be True, and then trust in, in order to know God and belong to Him forevermore.
This being so, one might suppose that the Gospel is succinctly stated in its entirety, in any number of places in the New Testament. But this is not the case. In fact, there is not even one passage of Scripture, in which the Gospel is stated in its entirety.
Indeed, the Gospel in its entirety is not to be found in any one passage of Scripture, it is rather to be found written across the pages of the entire "New Testament." And the reason why the Gospel is not specifically worded in one place in its entirety is simple.
As is clear from the documents themselves, every “book” of the New Testament was written to “the people of God” in the first century A.D., at the start of the present age. All of these people had “believed in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel,” which is how they became “the people of God” in the first place. So they already knew the Gospel in its entirety. There was no need for any of the New Testament writers to “present the Gospel” to those who had already received it, understood it correctly, and trusted in its Truth.
Nevertheless, the Gospel is spelled out in numerous New Testament passages, each having to do with one or more of the individual Truths of the Gospel. All one needs to do, is put together a few of these passages, and the Gospel in its entirety becomes clear.
Gospel Text Box 2
Ironically, the Gospel is spelled out in the Scriptures mainly because certain of these first-century people of God later became confused about it… among other things. The fact is, most of the documents written after the death and resurrection of Christ… i.e. "the New Testament"… were written to straighten out the numerous misunderstandings that all-too-quickly emerged among God’s people, after they came to know Him.
Individual parts of the Gospel are also mentioned here and there, because they are the basis of various New Testament teachings and practices. These passages are also helpful in clearly defining and understanding the Gospel in its entirety, according to the words of Scripture.
So to find the Gospel in the words of the Scriptures themselves, one need only locate a few of these passages and link them together. In most cases, each passage will address one individual Truth of the Gospel, as happens to be the issue at hand. In combining those passages, the individual Truths which together make up “the Gospel” can be easily identified and correctly understood together.
The passage that comes the closest to stating the Gospel in its entirety is this one:
1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the Gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the Word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures [1 Corinthians 15]
In this passage, the second and third individual Truths of the Gospel… i.e. the bodily death and resurrection of Christ… are clearly stated. The first and final “ingredients” of the Gospel… i.e. the Person of Christ and the need to trust in Him… are conspicuously absent. And again, the reason is simple.
As is clear from the first two verses of this passage, the people being written to had already trusted in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel… which is why they were addressed as, “brethren.” So, as I said, there was no need to include the final element of the Gospel… i.e. “that one must trust in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel.” Everyone knew that, everyone had done that, no one was confused about it, and no one disagreed about it.
From the entirety of this document, it is equally clear that the Person of Christ… i.e. His deity and humanity… was also not among the many issues they misunderstood and disagreed about. So that’s why the first individual Truth of the Gospel… regarding the Person of Jesus Christ… wasn’t included in this statement of Scripture either.
As is also clear from the contents of this “epistle”… i.e. “letter”… these “people of God” in the city of Corinth had lots of problems with lots of things. As the text itself indicates, these were the very misunderstandings, disagreements and divisions the document was written to correct. But, as I just "said," neither the Person of Christ nor the need to trust in Him were at issue... for which reason, neither subject was directly addressed anywhere in this document of Scripture.
To find statements dealing specifically with the Person of Christ, one must look elsewhere in the Bible, especially in the later “books” of the New Testament… the writings of the apostle John, in particular. The reason is, it was not until later in the first century, that the Person of Christ became an issue of misunderstanding and controversy.
Here are a few of the passages that speak of THE LORD Jesus Christ, clearly asserting both His deity and His humanity:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God... 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being… 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us [John 1]
16 For by Him all things were Created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; all things have been Created through Him and for Him. 17 He IS before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [Colossians 1]
9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form [Colossians 2]
And these quotes of Scripture are the words of Jesus Himself:
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, Truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.” [John 8]
30 “I and the Father are one.” [John 10]
And to be sure, His meaning was not lost on those who heard Him. “See” for yourself:
59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him [John 8]
33 For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God. [John 10]
In order to find statements asserting the fact that eternal Life and relationship with God are obtained only through “believing in Jesus Christ,” one can look almost anywhere in the New Testament. That’s because “faith in Jesus Christ” is the everywhere present, overall theme, message and exhortation of these concluding documents of Scripture.
Indeed, this essential Truth of the Gospel… i.e. that one must trust in Jesus Christ and in Him alone for forgiveness and reconciliation... is to be found throughout the New Testament writings, clearly and plainly stated, over and over again. In fact, the name most commonly used in the New Testament for the people of God was/is the word “believer”… i.e. “believers,” “those who have believed,” “he who believes,” etc.
In addition to John 3:16, here are but a few passages of Scripture, which make it clear that trusting in Jesus Christ is not only an essential element of the Gospel itself, it is the essential exercise of a person’s free will, through which he or she comes to know THE LORD:
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. [John 1]
44 And all the believers were together and had all things in common; [Acts 2]
43 Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. [Acts 10]
30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They said, “Believe in THE LORD Jesus, and you will be saved…” [Acts 16]
22 But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. [Galatians 3]
1 And Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. [Acts 16]
And do keep in mind, that in the Bible, “believe in” means, “trust in.” In fact, in English versions of the Bible, the Greek word translated, “believe” and the word translated, “faith” are two forms of the very same word… i.e. the “verb” form and the “noun” form respectively.
@ The Reason for the Gospel
Quite simply, the reason for the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the need of man… i.e. each and all human beings. What is needed, is a way to God… i.e. a way to find God during the course of one’s earthly life, and come to know Him person to Person, spirit to Spirit.
Of Course, “finding” an invisible God of Creation presents somewhat of a problem to human beings living on the earth… somewhat of an insurmountable problem, which only God Himself could resolve. To be sure, in order for us to find God, God would have to take the initiative… i.e. act first… by making Himself known to us and giving us a sense of direction, as to where and how we can find Him.
According to Scripture, God has done just that. And in addition, He has also graciously warned us against disregarding His Loving gesture, in making Himself known to us. Here, among other places:
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the Truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. [Romans 1]
So as it turns out, not only is our inability to know of God not an insurmountable problem, it’s not a problem at all. In fact, as is evident from human life itself, awareness of God’s EXISTENCE is present in all adequately functioning human beings, beyond the initial years of childhood.
Even among those who suppress this awareness of God, the possibility of God’s EXISTENCE remains. It remains a constant and unavoidable realization at every moment of one’s life.
And isn’t it interesting, that we human beings are the only living creatures on the earth with this unique and inescapable awareness? No other form of life has it. Not a one.
Still, actually “finding God” is another matter. According to Scripture, God definitely has acted first, but the human being must act second… i.e. respond appropriately. As the Scriptures repeatedly state, in order to find God, one must seek God, and the choice of whether or not to do so is up to each individual.
But just as clearly, THE LORD Himself has insured the success of our efforts in doing this, assuming we go about it God’s Way. As Jesus plainly stated:
7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. [Matthew 7]
As to where and how we should go about seeking God, I needn’t mention the overly-obvious, totally self-evident answer… but I will anyway. In order to find God, one must seek God in Truth, by means of the Truth. According to Scripture, this is the one and only “Way of God.” And we do this, by discerning and reasoning in Truth… which, to be sure, is another thing only humans can do.
So in order to know God, one must seek to know the Truth of God, which can be done in only one Way: by means of the Truth. And that presents no problem to anyone who can discern and reason in Truth.… even a child.
The other problem addressed by the Gospel… which we have already discussed… is that human beings are unworthy and incapable of having a relationship with God at all, let alone are we capable of creating such a relationship. As the Scriptures also teach and common sense dictates, only God Himself could remedy our unfit condition, and bring about such a relationship… i.e. between perfect Creator and sinful human being.
According to Scripture, God has taken care of that problem too. And He has not only made this spiritual life and relationship possible, He has provided the Way for us to obtain it... each and every one of us... in Jesus Christ. Indeed, in the Gospel of the Bible is found the one and only Way of God, which is the one and only Way to God in this life. As the Scriptures plainly state:
12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. [Acts 4]
And as Jesus Himself so clearly stated:
6 I AM the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. [John 14]
Thus, according to Scripture, the Gospel of Jesus Christ points the Way to God, and Jesus Himself IS the Way. And in the individual Truths of the Gospel, the Way to God becomes clear. The Way to God is to trust in Jesus Christ… i.e. in His Person and work, as explained by the Gospel of Scripture.
And how could this not be? If there IS a God of Creation, it can only be that God is not only greater and higher than we are, He is higher in nature and greater in power than anything in the universe He Created… black holes and supernovas included. Ultimately, it can only be that God is far beyond our feeble comprehension. Far beyond.
So how could one know such a God, except that God first reveal Himself to us, and then provide us with the means of finding Him and coming to know Him? The answer is simple and certain: "there could be no other way."
That’s why it is so important to realize that the “salvation” of human beings is not only God’s doing, it is 100% God’s doing, and 0% the acts, deeds, achievements, behaviors, rites, rituals and all other of our own physical doings. In the Bible, these human “doings” are referred to as our “works.”
So to believe in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of Scripture, is to recognize that coming to know our Creator is brought about entirely by God Himself, and not in any way by our own doing. It is in no way the result of anything we ourselves earn, merit, deserve, think, say, believe, do or don’t do, other than trusting in Jesus Christ.
Indeed, as the Bible so clearly “says” and teaches, eternal Life is received purely and only by the grace of God, on the basis of our faith in THE LORD Jesus Christ. Quite simply, it is the free gift of a Loving God. The Scriptures themselves make this clear, in numerous statements such as these:
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our LORD. [Romans 6]
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. [Ephesians 2]
So while it came at great cost to THE LORD… i.e. unjustified death through incomprehensible suffering… the saving work of God comes at no cost to the sinful human being who receives it. None. Such is the nature of a “free gift”… not to mention, the measure of God’s incomprehensible Love.
And so, to “believe in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel” is also not merely to “know the Gospel” and believe it to be True. It is to recognize one’s own unworthiness before God and turn to Him, for forgiveness of sin and personal reconciliation. As mentioned on the “home” page, the word used in the Bible for this “turning to God” from a life of sin and separation from Him is “repentance,” usually in its verb form… i.e. “repent.”
Beyond knowing these simple Truths, there is only the need to entrust one’s soul to THE LORD, as He has directed. A person does this by turning to God for eternal, spiritual life and complying with the Gospel of Scripture, in order to receive it… i.e. by so trusting in Jesus Christ, and Him alone.
According to the Bible, these are the only things one must know and do, in order to know THE LORD… i.e. to enter into eternal, spiritual Life and relationship with Him. As the Scriptures make clear, God Himself brings about this spiritual Life and relationship, at the moment one trusts in Him, according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Speaking figuratively, Jesus described this eternity-changing moment as the moment of one’s spiritual “birth.” These were among His words on the subject:
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, Truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God… 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." [John 3]
As the Scriptures further explain, it is at this moment in which one trusts in Christ according to the Gospel, that his or her spirit is "made alive” to God, and he or she is “born” into the “household” of God, by the Spirit of God. That's why in the Bible, those who have “believed in THE LORD Jesus Christ according to the Gospel" are described as being “children of God,” as well as “brothers" and "sisters” of one another, in the eternal "family" of God.
In literal terms, such people are "fellow believers," who have come to know God through faith in THE LORD Jesus Christ. According to Scripture, these and only these are “the people of God” in this age, and on this very day.
And simply enough, that's the reason for the Gospel. It is the clear and simple, one and only Way to God, provided by THE LORD Himself in Jesus Christ, to meet the ultimate need of mankind.
@ The Truth of the Gospel
To point out the beyond obvious, to “believe in the God of the Bible” is to believe that the Truth of God is to be found in the Bible… in other words, that the Scriptures are True and reliable in revealing the Truth of God. Right? Well of course right. I mean, no one in their right mind would believe that the Bible is untrue and unreliable, and then believe in the God revealed and described in the Bible… would they? I wouldn’t think so. I mean, talk about Illogical!
One way or another, to believe in the God of the Bible is to believe that the Bible is True and trustworthy, in revealing and describing the God Who Created the universe, and adequate in providing the knowledge of God, He desires to provide. To believe this, is to believe that God has revealed Himself to human beings by means of the Bible. And to believe that God as revealed Himself by means of the Bible, is to believe that God communicates with human beings by means of the Bible. How could it be otherwise?
Think about it. If there Truly IS a “God of Creation,” then by definition, this God is higher in nature and greater in power than anything in the universe He Created. For it can only be that the “Creator” is greater than the “created.” And so, if such a God EXISTS, human beings could know nothing about Him, except what He makes known to them. Apart from such Personal “revelation,” nothing could be known about Him at all... at least nothing specific.
In order to provide such revelation, God would have to utilize some form of communication, which human beings are capable of understanding... like, for example, human language. In fact, in what other way do human beings exchange and process information, than by means of human language? Think about that too.
According to the Bible, this is the very purpose of the Bible. In, by and through the Scriptures, God communicates with human beings through the words of the human authors of Scripture, written down to guide people in all times to follow, by means of known and understandable human language. As it is written in Scripture:
20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. [2 Peter 1]
So to believe in the God of the Bible, is to believe that God has revealed Himself to man by means of the Bible, and that the Bible is both understandable and trustworthy. For if it were not both, it would reveal nothing that anyone could know, let alone depend upon, let alone do anything about.
Indeed, to believe in the God of Creation revealed and described in the Bible, is to believe that the Scriptures are True and reliable. To believe this about the Bible and then not believe that the Gospel of the Bible is True and reliable is… well, illogical at best.
On the other hand, to believe that God communicates with human beings through the Bible, is to believe that the Truth of God is to be found in the Bible. That’s the only reason anyone would believe in the God of the Bible.
So to believe that the Truth of God is to be found in the Bible, is to believe that the Bible is reliable and trustworthy. To believe that the Bible is reliable and trustworthy, is to believe that the Gospel of the Bible is reliable and trustworthy. And to believe that the Gospel of Scripture is True and reliable, is to believe that one can come to know God only through trusting in Jesus Christ, in accordance with the Gospel of Scripture.
So, if you believe in the God of the Bible, why would you not trust in God according to the Gospel of the Bible? Answer: "no reason at all"… at least not a legitimate reason. Can you not "see" that this is True?
The very first statement of the Bible is as clear, simple, straightforward and easy-to-understand as anything could be, and of all that the Bible “says” and teaches:
1 In the beginning God Created the heavens and the earth. [Genesis 1]
If you believe this statement of Scripture to be True and reliable, then you believe in the God of the Bible. And if you believe in the God of the Bible, you believe this statement of Scripture to be True and reliable. Surely you can “see” the connection!
If so, then now see this. Beyond this opening statement of the Bible, there is nothing in Scripture any more clear, plain, simple, straightforward, easy to understand, and important than the Gospel of Scripture. It makes no sense at all to believe in the God of the Bible, and not believe the Gospel of the Bible to be True and reliable. And it makes no sense at all to believe that the Gospel of the Bible is True and reliable and not trust in Jesus Christ accordingly, in order to know God and in so doing, enter into an eternal, spiritual relationship with Him, as explained in the Scriptures.
You do agree with this, don’t you? To believe in the God of the Bible, is to believe that God has revealed Himself to human beings by means of the Bible, because the Truth of God could be there in no other way. Right? Of course right! Think about it! No human being could know anything about such a God, except that God Himself make it known.
Unavoidably then, to believe in the God of the Bible is not only to believe that “God EXISTS.” It is also to believe that God communicates with human beings by means of the Bible, and that the communication itself is True and reliable, as well as understandable to us. For if it were not, it would be of no use to anyone.
I should also point out that there is only one way in which the Scriptures could be understandable, which also happens to be the only way in which the Scriptures would mean the same thing to everyone who reads or hears them. And as should go without saying, this is, therefore, the only way in which the Scriptures can be correctly interpreted… i.e. correctly understood.
Indeed, the only possible way, is that the Scriptures be taken at face value. In other words, "just as they read." As some have expressed it, that the Scriptures "mean what they say, and say what they mean"… i.e. the Scriptures themselves explain their meaning.
And this is certainly so. Within the words of the documents themselves are found the normal, customary ways in which the words and grammatical conventions in the Scriptures were used and understood at the time of writing. And within each individual document is found the particular ways in which each individual author “spoke” and conveyed his meaning… including the author’s own personal vocabulary and manner of speaking, his use of literal and figurative language, etc.
In short, within the words of the Scriptures themselves is found the intended meaning of the human authors of the Scriptures, which is the one and only correct meaning of what the Scriptures “say” and teach. And 99% of the time… including all of the most basic and important teachings of the Bible… the intended meaning of the words of Scripture is clear, simple, straightforward and easy to understand, with a reasonable amount of careful thought.
To be sure, there is nothing at all difficult about understanding the Bible, let alone is there anything mystical, secretive or extraordinary about it. For all who seek to know the Truth of God found in the Scriptures, it requires nothing more than an open mind and a little time, effort and common sense.
And while we’re at it, don’t make the mistake of thinking that in order for God to communicate with human beings by means of the Scriptures, the Scriptures must be perfectly written and perfectly understood. To state the far-beyond-obvious, every author of Scripture was a human being, just like every reader or hearer of the Bible, in any time or place... not a single one of them being perfect.
Indeed, God Himself IS perfect, but for God’s communication to human beings by means of human beings to accomplish its purpose, it only needs to be adequate. And so, it is only necessary that the writing, reading/hearing, and understanding be adequate.
The same goes for the copies of the original documents of Scripture handed down through the centuries, as well as the various translations of the words of Scripture into different languages. Being that all of these things have been done by human beings, it can only be that it has all been done imperfectly. Here too, these things cannot be and need not be done perfectly. They need only to be done adequately.
Over the years, some of these many manuscript copies and Bible translations have surely not been done adequately, but some surely have been. Just as surely, there has been an adequate supply of the latter down through the centuries to this day… i.e. reliable versions of the Bible. And today as never before, they are readily available to locate and utilize, for all who who seek to know the Truth of the Bible… i.e. “the Word of God.”
In the end… the beginning and middle too… the Gospel of Scripture is as True and reliable as the Scriptures are True and reliable, and the Scriptures are as True and reliable as the God of the Bible is real. If the God of the Bible is real... i.e. if He really and Truly, actually does EXIST… then it can only be that the Gospel of the Bible is True and reliable.
So if you believe in the God of the Bible, the Gospel of Scripture is the only way to go! Indeed, as the Scriptures themselves make clear, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the one and only Way to “go."
@ A Brief Review
It’s all really very simple. The most important teachings of the Bible always are, the Gospel of salvation most of all.
The Truth of the Gospel runs throughout the Scriptures from “Genesis” to “Revelation,” and it surely is the first and foremost Truth of the Bible in its entirety. Beyond revealing and explaining the redemptive work of God from age to age, the purpose of the Bible is to inform, instruct and direct the people of God from age to age… in this age, those who have trusted in THE LORD Jesus Christ, according to the Gospel of Scripture.
According to the Bible, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is composed of several individual, interrelated Truths, all of which must be present and correctly understood together, in order for the Gospel to be present in one’s mind. If even one of these individual Truths is missing or misunderstood, the Gospel is not present in its entirety. In such case, it is incomplete and, therefore, not the Gospel of Scripture.
The Truth and logic are simple and easy to follow. I hope you have done that, and in so doing, come to “see” the Truth for yourself.
Apart from all of these individual Truths of the Gospel being present in a person’s mind, the Gospel is incomplete, and thus, it cannot be fully and correctly understood. If the Gospel is not correctly understood, it is not known, and if the Gospel is not known, it cannot be acted upon, as the Gospel itself requires.
What the Gospel requires, is that one trust in THE LORD Jesus Christ, in accordance with the Gospel. In order to do this, a person must first understand the Gospel correctly, and then believe it to be True in its entirety. For one cannot trust in something he or she does not understand, nor can a person trust in something he or she does not believe to be True. Right? Of course it is.
Knowing the Gospel of Scripture is simply a matter of correctly understanding each individual Truth of the Gospel, and all of these Truths together. To trust in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel, is to believe each element of the Gospel to be True, and to then trust in... i.e. rely upon… these determinations of Truth, in trusting in Jesus Christ for one’s spiritual Life and relationship with THE LORD.
These individual Truths of the Gospel of Scripture are entirely simple, straightforward and easy to understand. So much so, that they can be understood by a child, and so much so, that they can be worded in any number of different ways. But regardless of how the Gospel is worded, each individual Truth must be clear and in place.
The order in which these individual ingredients of the Gospel come to be trusted is also not important, and from the perspective of the present moment, neither is the time-frame over which this happens. But the clear and correct understanding of each and every individual Truth is important... vitally important.
For according to Scripture, in the one True Gospel is found the one and only Way to God in this age… i.e. the one and only Way of knowing God and having a personal relationship with Him. And as the Scriptures also make clear, this offer of God is available to all who believe. The unequivocal quote bears repeating:
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. [John 3]
So how about you? According to the Bible, in order to know the God Who Created you, you must believe in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of the Bible. Have you done this? Have you trusted in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of Scripture? If not, do it now, while there is still time.
And if you have read this “Gospel page,” you certainly know how to do it. You know what you need to know, and you know what you need to do.
What you need to know, are the individual Truths of the Gospel of Scripture. What you need to do, is to understand each of these essential Truths correctly, determine for yourself that each is True, and then trust in THE LORD Jesus Christ accordingly… i.e. in accordance with these essential Truths of the Gospel.
Of course, if you don’t believe in the God of the Bible, there would be no point in doing this. And the Truth is, if you don’t believe in the God of the Bible, you can’t do it! For to believe in Jesus Christ in accordance with the Gospel is to believe that Jesus Christ IS the God of the Bible.
There would also be no point in trusting in the Truth of the Gospel of the Bible, if you don’t believe the Bible to be True and reliable. But then, as just discussed, if you don’t believe the Bible to be True and reliable, you wouldn’t believe in the God of the Bible in the first place, would you?
Of course you wouldn't! Who would? I mean, no one in their right mind would believe that the Bible is untrue and unreliable, and then believe in the God revealed and described in the Bible! Never mind “illogical,” that’s downright irrational!
On the other hand, if you do believe in the God of the Bible, then there would be no point in not trusting in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of the Bible. That would make no sense at all. Can you “see” why? I do hope so.
So, if you believe in the God of the Bible and you haven’t already, do trust in THE LORD Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of the Bible, and by all means, do it now. Just remember that according to Scripture, to “believe in Jesus Christ” is to trust in Jesus Christ. It is to rely upon Jesus Christ. It is to depend upon Jesus Christ for your eternal Life and relationship with God.
Realize too, that to trust in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of Scripture is to trust in Him and Him alone. One must trust in Christ and in no one else, and one must trust in His work and in nothing else. Obviously… I would hope… to trust in anyone or anything other than or in addition to Jesus Christ, even partially, is to not fully trust in Jesus Christ.
One last time… in order to trust in Christ according to the Gospel, you must first understand the Gospel correctly. For apart from understanding the Gospel correctly, one does not know the Gospel. And if one does not know the Gospel, one cannot comply with it… i.e. do as the Gospel requires, which is to trust in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel.
You must first hear or read the individual Truths of the Gospel… as you already have… then, you must determine for yourself that each individual Truth is, indeed, True. Those are the critical determinations of Truth, which you must make correctly and for yourself.
Then, you must do as the Gospel requires. You must place your faith in Jesus Christ for your eternal, spiritual Life and relationship with God, and in Him alone.
If you have done this, then according to Scripture, you have “believed in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel,” and in so doing, become a “child of God.” If you haven’t done this, you have not. It’s that simple.
“According to the Gospel” is according to the essential, individual Truths of the Gospel. Make sure you understand each one correctly, and that they are all present together in your mind, or what’s in your mind will not be the Gospel of Scripture.
And remember that other part about nothing contradicting any individual Truth of the Gospel in any way. It’s perfectly alright to also believe that Jesus was “buried in a tomb” and that His resurrection occurred “on the third day.” Additional ingredients like those are not part of the Gospel itself, but they aren’t hurting anything either… i.e. they do not conflict with any individual Truth of the Gospel.
As mentioned earlier, longer explanations of the Gospel, which include this kind of “additional information,” can be helpful to some people in understanding the Gospel. That’s fine, as long as the additional information is True and in harmony with the Gospel. The benefit of these additional facts to those hearing the Gospel varies from person to person.
But it is not alright to believe that anything you do other than trusting in Jesus Christ results in your salvation… for example, to believe that you must also be baptized in or by water, in order to receive eternal Life from God. To believe that baptism by water is required for “salvation,” for “knowing God,” for “spiritual birth,” “eternal Life,” and/or “going to heaven,” is to believe that being baptized is part of the Gospel… i.e. God’s plan of “salvation.” It is not. It is rather an element that contradicts the individual Truth that one must trust in Jesus Christ… i.e. in His Person and His work alone.
To rely upon any kind of water baptism… even partially… is to not rely solely on Jesus Christ Himself. If you have so much as 1% trust in your baptism, then you do not trust solely in Jesus Christ. And if you don’t trust in Christ alone, you do not trust in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of Scripture. Therefore, according to Scripture, you do not know God nor do you have eternal Life. It’s just that simple. Bad, but simple.
The same goes for “good works” of any other kind, including upright moral character, refraining from certain sins, commandment keeping, church membership, attendance, giving, serving or any other kind of deed, act, doing, rite or ritual. Anything else you trust in for your eternal Life in Jesus Christ… no matter how slightly… is trust in something other than Jesus Christ. According to the Bible, it’s a "no go."
And even if the Scriptures didn’t “say so,” what amount of good conduct or earthly good works could make a sinful human being worthy of fellowship with such a BEING as a perfect and holy God of Creation? The answer can only be: "no amount." But then, as you know, the Scriptures do say so.
So please be clear on this! To trust in anything other than or in addition to Jesus Christ, is to not fully trust in the Person and work of Jesus Christ alone, which is to not trust in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of the Bible.
Can you “see” why this is so? If not, maybe a parable will help. We’ll call it, “the parable of the unwise parachute jumper.”
There once was a parachute jumper, who stood at the edge of the open jump-door of an airplane. His parachute was securely in place and properly tightened, and he was counting on it to open and bring him safely to the ground. But at the same time, he also had an extra-long bungee cord tied to his leg, the other end of which he had tied to the plane. So in reality, he was not actually trusting in the parachute.
Can you “see” the Truth now? He was only partially trusting in the parachute. So the fact is, his faith in the parachute was only partial. It was not complete. It was not full. it was not whole, let alone wholehearted.
So indeed, this parachute jumper was wise in the ways of the world. He was wise in having a backup plan, in the event the parachute failed. And he was wise too, in adding "insurance," in case the parachute alone wasn’t sufficient. He was wise in doing all he could do to protect and preserve his life, and to insure that he would live on past the sky dive.
But regardless of his best efforts and good intentions, he was not Truly trusting in the parachute! And so, unfortunately, while he was wise in the ways of the world, he was unwise in the ways of the parachute.
Now I ask you, if you were the parachute, would you consider that person’s faith in you to be adequate? Would it be pleasing and acceptable to you? Would you regard it to be satisfactory and sufficient? I rather doubt it. Very rather doubt it.
And would you want to spend eternity with someone like that?… i.e. someone who only partially trusts you and believes in you? Of course you wouldn’t. Nobody would.
And would you not be entitled to feel this way and decline the relationship? Well of course you would. Nothing “unfair” about that, is there? Of course not. It’s 100% fair and right. Not a fraction less.
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that in the parable, the “parachute” represents THE LORD Jesus Christ. But I will anyway… just to be sure. I will also point out that the edge of the “jump-door” is the inevitable end of your present, earthly life, which you yourself are standing before at every moment of your temporary and fragile life on the earth. And as I'm sure you also know, whenever it might come, the “jump” is not optional. It is one we must all make, all too soon.
So did the parable help? I sure hope so. At times, Jesus also used parables when He spoke, and for the very same reason… i.e. to make the Truth easier to “see.” And on occasion, He too explained the meaning of His parables... like I just did... for the benefit of the spiritually challenged.
Another thing that might be helpful, is to keep in mind that according to Scripture, those who believe in Jesus Christ are supposed to do all kinds of things thereafter, but not one single solitary thing is physically done in receiving eternal Life in Jesus Christ. So if you are getting your Truth from the Bible, don’t confuse things that the people of God are instructed to do after becoming God’s people, with being requirements for becoming God’s people… i.e. the elements of the Gospel. Please do watch out for those spiritually fatal errors.
And if it happens that you have believed in Jesus Christ in accordance with something other than the one True Gospel of Scripture, don’t be held captive to it any longer, no matter what it is or how long it has been. And don’t feel bad about it either.
To the contrary! The second-best day of your life is the day you “hear” the Truth of the Gospel conveyed to you by the Spirit of God, and realize that you have not been trusting in the one True Gospel of God. In reality, this is a good thing… a really good thing.
The reason is, if such is the case, it could instantly turn into the best day of your life! For in the very next instant, if you so choose, you can trust in Jesus Christ according to the one True Gospel of Jesus Christ, and instantly come to know THE LORD forevermore! What could be better than that? Answer: "nothing whatsoever!"
So if you have missed or misunderstood any element of the Gospel, then go back, consider them all together again, and understand each one correctly… i.e. in accordance with the words of the Scriptures themselves. Nothing in the past can be changed, but if you “see” something you got wrong, then get it right, do it now, and don’t waste any more time!
It doesn’t matter when the last individual Truth of the Gospel comes to be known and believed to be True, nor does it matter which individual “element” of the Gospel it is. And from the standpoint of the present moment, it also doesn’t matter whether or not it happened five minutes ago or fifty years ago. All that matters now, is that if your understanding of the Gospel has not been correct to this point, and, therefore, your belief in the Gospel in its entirety hasn’t happened yet, it happens now, before your earthly life is over, and it can no longer happen.
Or maybe you have made the fatal error of thinking that you have “believed in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel,” when in reality, you have not actually done so. That is, you have correctly understood each individual “element” of the Gospel, and you believe each to be True, but you have not personally entrusted your soul to THE LORD, as the Gospel itself requires.
In this case, your error lies not in a lack of knowledge, but a lack of faith. In other words, you understand the Gospel correctly, but you do not genuinely trust in its Truth, or worse, you trust in the Truth of the Gospel, but you have not actually trusted in Jesus Christ, as the Gospel directs. The Truth is, it is of no use to trust in the Truth of the Gospel, if you do not then trust in Jesus Christ accordingly.
Unfortunately… to say the least… untold numbers of people go through life in this condition, without realizing it. They live their lives day by day, wrongly thinking themselves to know THE LORD, when according to Scripture, they do not.
Some people live this way for years on end, correctly understanding the Gospel and agreeing with its Truth, but that's all. In fact, people can live this way for a lifetime, knowing and affirming the Truth of the Gospel, but not actually trusting in the Person and work of THE LORD Jesus Christ, for their eternal Life and relationship with Him. Talk about tragedy!
Gospel Text Box 3
Really! What could be more tragic, than to know the Way to God and decide to follow it, but then not actually do so in real life?… i.e. follow the Truth of God into eternal Life and fellowship with God, by personally trusting in Christ to receive it. Nothing could be more tragic!
According to Scripture, it is most definitely not enough to merely know the Gospel of Christ, and determine that it is True. It is not enough to simply “accept it as True” or “choose to accept it!” It is required by the Gospel itself, that a person must choose to accept it and then actually do so… i.e. do as the Gospel requires, which is not merely to make a mental decision. One must actually do as he or she has chosen to do, by entrusting his or her soul to THE LORD in accordance with the Gospel. This exercise of faith is an invisible, immaterial, internal,”personal operation," but it it nonetheless something real... assuming it is genuine.
So if it happens that you yourself are one of these people, then realize it now and stop being one of them this instant! Realize too, that it doesn’t matter how long it has been that you have incorrectly believed yourself to be one of God’s own, all that matters is that you become one of His own now… as in, "this instant.”
To be sure, there is a fine line between True, genuine, saving faith in your life, and faith that is all in your head… i.e. only in your mind. And to be equally sure, it is a critical and all-important “line.”
Unfortunately, what I can’t help you with, is determining whether or not your faith in Jesus Christ is real and sufficient. Nobody else can either, other than God Himself.
Like Truth, “faith” either is or it isn’t… i.e. it either exists in you, or it doesn’t. But unlike Truth, faith comes in different degrees. It can be “more” or “less,” “little” or “great,” “superficial” or “deep,” “weaker” or “stronger,” or however else you choose to describe it.
When it comes to trusting in Jesus Christ, a person’s faith is either sufficient… i.e. “as required,” “satisfactory to God,” adequate… or it is not. And to be sure, God Himself and He alone IS the Judge of this.
Fortunately… very fortunately… Jesus Himself said that it only takes a “mustard seed” of faith to be sufficient. For once present, faith can grow over time… which, according to Scripture, is precisely what THE LORD desires for His children, after they come to know Him. But even a tiny “starting faith” is still faith, and it is for God and God alone to determine if one’s faith is genuine and acceptable to Him.
So ultimately, it is God and only God Who determines whether or not your faith is genuine and sufficient. But here’s a little test you can do for yourself, to “see” if faith is present in you. It's a test others have used before, and it is by no means perfect, but it is, perhaps, adequate.
Suppose for a moment that you have just physically died, and you now find yourself before God, being asked why you should be allowed to enter into His eternal kingdom... i.e. "heaven." Your answer could be worded in a number of different ways, but according to Scripture, the one and only right and acceptable answer to the question is this: “Because You came into the world, died for me and rose again, that I might know You and have eternal Life, and You said that if I trusted in You, I would have it. This I did in my earthly life.”
Alternately, if you clearly understand that Jesus Christ WAS and IS God Himself, you could answer: “Because your Son died for me and rose from the dead, that I might know You and have eternal Life, and He said that if I trusted in Him to have it, I would have it. This I did in my earthly life.”
According to the Bible, if you have understood the Gospel correctly, and this is your answer… i.e. this is what you are staking your eternal Life on… you are “in.” If not, you are not. And if you are not already “in”… i.e. in the kingdom/family/fellowship of your Creator… I would strongly advise you to get in, and do it now, while you still can.
According to the Bible, if you have understood the Gospel correctly, and this is your answer… i.e. this is what you are trusting in to have an eternal life and relationship with your Creator, this is what you are staking your eternal Life on… you are “in.” If not, you are not. And if you are not already “in”… i.e. in the kingdom/family/fellowship of your Creator… I would strongly advise you to get in, and do it now, while you still can.
According to Scripture, God has made it all possible in the Person and work of Jesus Christ, and He has offered this eternal Life and relationship to us as a free gift. All we have to do is accept it... i.e. correctly understand it, believe it to be True, and receive it, by trusting in Jesus Christ accordingly. So if you haven’t already done this, then by all means, do it at once.
Or is something else keeping you from the God Who Created you? Perhaps you think the Truths of the Gospel "cannot be"… i.e. that such miraculous, supernatural occurrences defy the natural laws and so they cannot happen, and therefore do not happen.
If so, then what is your definition of a “God of Creation?” It can only be that a God Who could Create this universe, would be capable of doing whatever He wanted to do with it… i.e. with the universe He Himself Created, and with all things that go on within it. It stands to reason that if God brought it into existence from nonexistence, He can do anything He wants to with it, for whatever reasons and purposes He might have. Any whatsoever.
So if you don’t believe in a “God of Creation,” that’s one thing. If you don’t, you don’t. But it’s something else entirely… something beyond illogical… to believe in a God of Creation, and then not believe it to be possible that He could take on human form and/or that “Jesus rose from the dead.”
And speaking of fatal errors, whatever you do, don’t make the fatal mistake of believing that “everyone goes to heaven,” and/or that “God will work it all out somehow, regardless of what anyone does or doesn’t do.” According to the Bible, nothing could be further from the Truth.
To be sure, when it comes to the eternal Life of a person’s soul, one should be very careful about what he or she is trusting in to obtain it. So please do be… extremely careful.
And whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of thinking that coming to know God is all there is to a person’s relationship with Him. The Gospel is not the “end all,” it is rather the starting point of a person’s relationship with THE LORD. Just as it is with a person's physical birth and earthly life to follow, one's spiritual,"birth" is not the end of his or her spiritual Life, it is only the beginning of it. The difference is, one's spiritual Life in Jesus Christ is a Life without end.
What comes next… i.e. after coming to know THE LORD… is what the rest of the Bible is about. It's also what the rest of this website is about. Please do read what I have written to this point, and what I write in the days to come… assuming there are any, and THE LORD enables me to continue on with my mission.
@ From Spiritual Birth to Heaven
When I finished writing this Gospel “page” back in December, I thought the previous chapter was the end of it. But now… “Easter” 2022… I am thinking that the better way to conclude this page, would be for me to summarize the teachings of the Bible about what happens at the moment of the believer’s spiritual “birth,” and what comes after that. I’m not at all good at summarizing, but I’ll give it a try.
Technically then, this section is not about the Gospel itself, but I’m putting it here at the end of the Gospel page anyway. My reasons for doing this are as follows.
First of all, I am concerned that I have taken too long to write what I have written on the website to date… two full years… for which reason I may not have enough time left to wait for “another page,” to tell you what you need to know about your eternal, spiritual Life in THE LORD Jesus Christ, assuming you have obtained it. I do hope you have.
If you have, then according to Scripture, you yourself are a “born-again child of God.” And since I have now shared the Gospel with anyone reading who might not be, I can now direct my remarks primarily to “you personally.” I hope you will “listen” to what I have to “say” to you.
If you are not presently a “child of God” according to the Bible, you now know why. But I hope you will “listen” along anyway, so you will at least know the basics of what the Bible “says” and teaches about salvation and eternal Life in Jesus Christ.
To be certain… 100% certain… all of the words and teachings of the Bible are highly important. But if you are a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, the teachings of Scripture on this subject… i.e. your eternal Life and relationship with God… are by far the most important of all.
These vitally important teachings of the Bible are not only about your personal relationship with God now and in the remainder of your present life on the earth, they are also about your relationship with Him forever after. And the Truth according to Scripture is, how you live your life after coming to know THE LORD directly and profoundly affects your relationship with Him, not only in the remainder of your earthly life, but for all eternity. It just doesn’t get any more important than that!
Unfortunately… as unfortunately as it gets… the teachings of the Bible on this vitally important matter also happen to be the most misunderstood of all the teachings of the Bible, among the people of God in this day. In fact, for the most part, the essential Truths involved are missing from the minds of God’s people altogether. “Most important” and “least understood.” Talk about a bad combination!
So I have come to believe that I should tell you now, without further delay, the most important Truths of the Bible about what happens when you come to know THE LORD, and what does and doesn’t happen after this eternity-changing event. If you yourself are a “child of God,” these are the most important of all the Truths of the Scriptures you need to know.
I could be wrong… and hope that I am… but even if you have known THE LORD for many years, you almost certainly do not know the Truth you need to know about your spiritual Life and relationship with Him, present, future and eternal. You might know something about these vitally important Truths of the Bible, but it is extremely unlikely that you understand them correctly and adequately. And the fact is, they are just too important to wait for another “page”… for any reason.
If you have read what I have written on this website so far, and/or you have read about my ministry in the Bible, you know that it is primarily one of reproof, rebuke and correction. I try to get in a little instructing and encouraging now and then, but generally speaking, people who have gotten themselves all tangled up in misunderstandings and misguided practices need to be straightened out first, before they can “see” straight. As I “said” on the homepage, that’s why I have been sent… again.
But then, who knows. Maybe this chapter will help you see the “big picture,” and get with the program sooner than later, which, given this late hour in the age, would be more than advisable. Far more. By “get with the program,” I mean God’s plan for your eternal, spiritual Life in Jesus Christ.
Additionally, it could be that you are one who has only recently come to know THE LORD, maybe even in the course of reading this “Gospel page.” If so, and you are able to “see” these vitally important Truths of the Bible now, at the beginning of your spiritual Life in Christ, that will allow you to skip all the going wrong, and get going right, right away… i.e. in the Way of THE LORD.
According to Scripture, that’s what you are supposed to do, immediately upon coming to know your Creator as your Heavenly Father. So by all means, if you have come to know the LORD in accordance with the Gospel of Scripture, don’t stop there! Continue to do as the Scriptures direct you to do, which, according to the Scriptures, is what God directs you to do.
Whoever you are, and regardless of when you came to know THE LORD, what follows on this "page" will provide you with the “roadmap” you need to have, in order to complete your “journey of life” in a manner that is pleasing and acceptable to God. Whether you realize it or not, this is the most important thing in life by far, for all who have come to know THE LORD. And so say the Scriptures.
What the Scriptures also “say,” is that this can be done in one and only one Way: God’s Way. And simply enough, the one and only Way to be pleasing and acceptable THE LORD, is to be faithful and obedient to Him.
If you know anything about the Bible, you should know that this is what God desires and expects of His people in every age, including the present age. And so, this is the only way of life for the "children" of God… each and all… who want to be pleasing and acceptable to their "Heavenly Father."
In the Bible, this way of life, is also described as “following” THE LORD, and depicted in figurative language as “walking” with THE LORD. And according to the Bible, it is only those actually doing so… i.e. actually living this way in real life… who are the faithful and obedient people of God.
Living in the Way of God is also described throughout the Bible as “worshiping” God… not to be confused with the wide array of misguided activities that pass for “worship” among the unfaithful and disobedient people of God these days. According to the Bible, they surely do not pass for “worship” with God. But that discussion will have to wait for another page.
In the New Testament Scriptures, those in the present age who live in faithfulness and obedience to THE LORD, “follow” Him, “walk” with Him, “worship” and “serve” Him, are also referred to as His “disciples.” They are not to be confused with those today, who merely think themselves to be His disciples and/or refer to themselves as such.
To be sure, as the Bible makes clear… passage after passage, book after book, and in its entirety… being one of God’s people does not automatically make a person faithful and obedient to Him. The simple Truth of the Scriptures was and is, all of God’s people are “God’s people,” but by no means are all of God’s people faithful and obedient to Him. In New Testament terms, all disciples are believers, but not all believers are disciples of THE LORD Jesus Christ.
So by all means, whether you have known THE LORD for years or for minutes, resolve yourself this minute to be faithful and obedient to Him, if you haven’t already done so. But do realize that according to Scripture, merely “resolving yourself” to do so is not sufficient. In order for it to be True, real and actual, you must do as you have resolved, in your real and actual life. And the extent to which you actually do, is the extent to which you actually are… faithful and obedient to THE LORD.
And do realize that since this is what God has instructed His people to do, it is something you most definitely can do, if you so desire. For according to Scripture, God never directs His people to do things they are unable to do. In fact, He Himself enables them to do as He instructs them to do, which in every case, is to follow the Way of Truth in life, striving to be faithful and obedient to Him.
As the Scriptures clearly explain, God enables His people by providing them with the two things they need to have, in order to be faithful and obedient to Him: 1) His Spirit, and 2) His Word… i.e. the Truth of the Bible, directly conveyed by His Spirit to the spirit of the believer, through the words of Scripture. And to be equally sure, both of these are necessary for “the children of God”… each and every… to be faithful and obedient to their “Heavenly Father.”
The Spirit of God provides the Personal knowledge of God, which is the very basis of one’s relationship with Him, as well as the basis of one’s faithfulness to Him. The Spirit of God also supplies the power of God to the believer, to overcome the obstacles to his or her faithfulness and the “pull” of opposing forces, most of all, his or her own sin nature, which, contrary to the misunderstandings of some, remains present and active at all times in all human beings… believers and unbelievers alike… throughout their earthly lives in their physical bodies.
In addition to knowledge of God, the Word of God… i.e. the Truth of the Bible… also provides the knowledge from God, necessary for obedience to Him. Obviously, one cannot be obedient to God, without first knowing what it is that God has “said” to do and not do. And as I have repeatedly pointed out all over this website, one cannot know the Truth of the Bible, apart from understanding the Bible correctly and adequately. That is obvious to you, isn’t it? Dear God, I hope so.
Just as obviously, apart from correctly understanding the Scriptures, one cannot and so, does not “hear”the Word of God… i.e. what God “says” through the words of the Scriptures. The result of that is all manner of distorted beliefs and practices, thought to be based on the Bible and, therefore, made known by THE LORD to inform and direct His people, and their way of life.
Worse still, in the absence of what God actually has revealed, explained and directed His people to do, all kinds of social, cultural and just plain made-up beliefs and practices seep in and multiply. In some cases, these alternative beliefs and practices have nothing to do with the teachings of Scripture at all, yet they are prescribed and taught to others as “coming from the Bible,” if not from the very “mouth” of God!
Over time, these corruptions of the Bible’s teachings multiply and compound, taking God’s people… individually and collectively… further and further away from the Truth of the Bible, and as a result, further and further away from God, and from the sound of His “voice.” As the Bible makes clear from cover to cover, this is exactly what God’s people have done over the course of every age, throughout the entire history of God’s redemptive work among sinful human beings.
So in addition to considering how you are living, please be aware of when you are living, as well. When you are living is in the final moments of the final age, before the Day of THE LORD begins.
Realize as well, that according to Scripture, God never directs anyone to do anything that is in any way “wrong.” What He instructs them to do is ever and always right, in their own best interests, and for their own spiritual wellbeing… not only in their present lives on the earth, but forever after.
In fact, according to Scripture, God Loves His children and wants the best for them… as every good and loving parent does. What He tells them to do is always for their own good and betterment, which He Himself works to bring about for them… as every good and loving parent does.
Now I ask you, seeing as how this Good, Loving, Heavenly Father is the perfect, all-knowing, all-powerful God Who Created the universe and all things within it, how could any child of God possibly go wrong, by being faithful and obedient to Him? Answer: “they couldn’t!”
So if you yourself have trusted in God for your eternal, spiritual Life in Jesus Christ, why would "you" not choose to live by your faith in God, in your real life in the real world, by being faithful and obedient to Him in your daily life? If you don’t mind my saying so… actually, whether you do or not… you really should. Really should.
Really! If "you yourself” are a child of God, you really should follow the Way of God in your life, as a way of life! As surely as God EXISTS, and as surely as He is faithful to His Word, this is the one and only right Way to live! So please do realize this.
And while you are realizing things, realize too, that this is the very same “Way of God” that brought you to Him… i.e. “the Way of Truth.” It is the very same Way of God that is the Gospel of Scripture, and the very same Way of God that is Jesus Christ Himself. Indeed, the Way of God is: “all of the above.”
Said another way, once you have “found God” God’s Way and come to know God God’s Way… i.e. through faith in Jesus Christ, in accordance with the Scriptures… God intends that you complete your journey of life His Way, through living by your faith in Him, in accordance with the Scriptures. To be sure, this is the one and only Way of God, and God’s Way is the one and only Way in which you can do this. As with everything having to do with THE LORD, the Way of God is the one and only Way there is. So do be clear on this, the rest of the way.
And be clear on this too. There are many Truly important things in life, but for those born of the Spirit of God, there is nothing more important in life than following the Way of God, as a way of life. And to be equally certain, it is only in living God’s Way, that the other important things in life will be right and go right. By “be right,” I mean be right with God. And by “go right” I mean go right in one’s relationship with God… the implications being profound and eternal.
So if you yourself are a child of God, having trusted in Jesus Christ for your eternal life and relationship with Him, then nothing in life could be more important for “you yourself” to do, than to follow the Way of God, as a way of life… wherever you go, and whatever you do in your day-to-day, daily life. But then, that’s for you to decide for yourself.
So by all means, decide for yourself. That’s what your free will and personal sovereignty… i.e. your “power and authority over yourself”… are all about. But be advised that what I have just told you is not “my opinion.” It is what I have been sent to tell you… among other things. Of course, that’s for you to decide for yourself too. So by all means, believe it or don’t.
But I am already getting ahead of myself. So before we go any further, let’s do the first part of the summary first… i.e. what happens at the moment of "spiritual birth."
On second thought, knowing how bad I am at summarizing, let me start by summarizing the summary. Think of it as an “overview.” In other words, the overall outline of the “big picture” I just mentioned, which will allow you to “see” the whole thing all at once.
And what might also help, would be for me to stop repeatedly saying, “according to Scripture” in every other paragraph. That might make it a little easier for me to be more concise, and it might also free up some extra room from sentence to sentence, for some other thoughts and words I might want to include.
Hopefully, that will help. But do be assured… completely assured… that everything I “say” in the paragraphs to follow is in accordance with Scripture… as is everything else I have written on this website. In other words, it all matches, agrees with and conforms to the words and teachings of the Bible.
If you have any doubt about this, please do open a Bible… or a Bible “app” on your “personal device”… and confirm it for yourself. Summary or not though, I will continue to supply you with quotes of the actual words of Scripture, to help you do this… i.e. verify for yourself, that what I am explaining to you is what the Bible itself “says” and teaches.
Okay then. Here is a summary of the most basic and important of the most basic and important Truths of the Bible you need to know, about eternal, spiritual Life in Jesus Christ, in its entirety.
Due to the operation of “time” in the physical universe, one’s eternal, spiritual Life in Christ has three “parts” to it, in a given order. But do realize that this is in no way a matter of God being “restrained” by or needing to “comply” with the natural laws of the universe.
To the contrary, if we and our universe have been Created by a “God of Creation,” then by definition, it is God Who Created and set in place the natural laws of the universe… including the operation of “time” itself. In other words, it can only be that time and every other natural law and given order are aspects of God’s design for the universe, and for the life and living of human beings in the universe. Do keep this in mind too.
As should also be abundantly clear to you by now, a person’s eternal, spiritual Life and relationship with God is “found” and “entered into” in one and only one Way: The Way of God. In this age, it is found only in THE LORD Jesus Christ and entered into only through Jesus Christ Himself. That’s why eternal life and relationship with God is so often described throughout the New Testament Scriptures as being, “in Christ.”
So the first part of eternal, spiritual Life in Christ is “entering into” it. Or, if you prefer, “obtaining” it, “receiving” it, being “given” and/or “granted” it by God. However it be described, it is something that happens “automatically” and at a given moment in time… i.e. the moment in which a person “believes in Jesus Christ” according to the Gospel of Scripture. By “automatically,” I simply mean that God Himself makes it happen, totally apart from anything that anyone does, other than trusting in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel.
As I have mentioned numerous times, God Himself and God alone brings about this spiritual life and relationship, and it is the same for all who place their faith in Him to receive it. This is the moment of spiritual “birth,” which begins the believer’s eternal, spiritual Life and relationship with God.
The second part of one’s Life in Christ most definitely does not happen at a moment in time. It happens over the course of the entire remainder of the believer’s present, earthly life. At every moment after a person’s spiritual birth, his or her spiritual Life in Christ continues on, along with his or her physical life… i.e. the ongoing life of that person’s physical body.
Obviously enough though, while the earthly life of the believer in Jesus Christ takes place over the course of time… i.e. the remainder of his or her present life on the earth… it definitely does end at a moment in time. That moment is the moment of the believer’s physical death, or the second coming of THE LORD Jesus Christ, whichever comes first.
The third part of a person’s spiritual Life in Christ is Life in Christ after… i.e. forever after… his or her present life on the earth comes to an end. To be sure, the clear and repeated promise of God in the Bible is that one’s spiritual Life and relationship with God is eternal, as IS God Himself. In other words, it continues on forevermore, after one’s present, physical life on the earth is over. If it didn't, it wouldn't be “eternal life.”
So this “third part” of spiritual Life in Christ also begins at a moment in time… i.e. the moment at which the believer’s present, bodily life on the earth reaches its inevitable end. It too comes about “automatically,” and it is the same for each and every “born-again” believer in Jesus Christ. The difference is, this third part of one’s Life in Christ never ends.
For the sake of simplicity, think of these three “parts” to the believer’s eternal, spiritual Life and relationship with God in Jesus Christ as: 1) spiritual birth in Christ, 2) earthly Life in Christ, 3) eternal coEXISTENCE with God. That’s how it is simply, clearly and repeatedly described in the Bible, in various ways and words.
So that’s it. That’s the whole “package.” And it definitely is a “package deal.” All three parts go together or, I should say, “come together”… i.e. from THE LORD. They are three inseparable parts of a whole, certain and guaranteed by THE LORD Himself for all who entrust their souls to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, in accordance with the Gospel of Scripture.
Of course, like any summary, the explanation I just provided is intentionally lacking in details. After all, that’s what makes a summary a “summary!” And to be sure, the words and teachings of the Bible contain numerous important details about all three “parts” of the believer’s eternal, spiritual Life in Jesus Christ, which I have purposely omitted from this summary of the summary.
For example, important as they are, I have left out the teachings of Scripture on the bodily resurrection of the children of God, who pass away before the return of Christ. Neither have I addressed the matter of those still living at the moment of His second coming. And to be sure, both of these matters are directly addressed in the Bible… as are several other highly important, closely related matters.
So for the time being, just realize that “eternal coEXISTENCE with God” does not, in and of itself, mean “eternal coEXISTENCE with God apart from a physical body.” It rather means, “eternal coEXISTENCE with God apart from one’s present, mortal body and sin nature."
In the interest of keeping this summary of the summary a “summary,” these and other subjects having to do with the soon coming “Day of THE LORD” will just have to wait. And in the interests of concluding this summary of the summary, let’s continue with the crucial part of it that can’t wait.
What can’t wait, because it is extremely important to include, is a clear understanding of “the salvation of God”… i.e. the “saving” work of THE LORD among human beings, which brings about this eternal, spiritual Life in Jesus Christ. It is extremely important that the teachings of Scripture on this closely related matter be correctly and adequately understood, as well.
What the New Testament Scriptures describe as being “the salvation of God” also has three “parts” to it. But it is important to realize… extremely important to realize… that the three parts of God’s saving work in Jesus Christ do not directly match up with the three parts of the believer’s eternal, spiritual Life in Christ. The first two parts do, but the third part does not. The reason is, “salvation” and “eternal Life” are not the same thing.
The Truth is, they are not at all the same thing, even though the vast majority of people who read and study the Bible these days regard them as being synonymous. Listen and think carefully now, and don’t be one of them!
The “saving” work of God is what brings about a person’s eternal, spiritual Life and relationship with God. One’s eternal Life and relationship with God is not “the salvation of God,” it is the result of God’s saving work.
Can you “see” that? If not, try harder!… not that there is anything complicated or difficult to understand about it. There isn’t. Nevertheless, if necessary, read that last paragraph again… as many times as it takes.
If you haven’t understood the difference between “salvation” and “eternal Life” before now, perhaps it’s just because you have never stopped to think about it. If so, think about it now, and be clear about it. It’s really important.
Or maybe it’s because you have been keeping company with other people who have never thought about it, or worse, people who have misunderstood the extremely important teachings of the Bible about salvation and eternal life in Jesus Christ. Nowadays, regrettably, that would be almost everyone who thinks about the words and teachings of the Bible at all!
In either case, think about it now, and “see” the Truth for yourself. It’s extremely important that you do.
Truly. It is. And like all of the most basic and important Truths of the Bible, it is entirely simple, straightforward, easy to understand and be clear about. But you do have to think about it for a few seconds, to understand it correctly. So please do.
To be sure, “salvation” and “eternal Life” are closely related to one another and to the Gospel itself… very closely related. They are all part of the same larger, vitally important subject, which, as I “said” at the beginning of this page, is the most important and often addressed subject in the New Testament. But there is a clear and simple distinction to be made, between “the saving work of God” and “the eternal life of the believer.” So please do make it… i.e. a clear and definite distinction between the two.
And please do realize that the three “parts” of salvation do not correspond one-to-one with the three “parts” of a person’s eternal Life and relationship with God. To be sure, they begin at exactly the same moment… i.e. the moment of spiritual “birth”… and to be equally sure, the salvation of God also continues on in an ongoing manner, throughout the earthly life of the believer. But that is the extent of their direct correspondence to one another.
Throughout the New Testament Scriptures… all of which were written to believers… the moment of spiritual birth is said to be brought about by the saving work of God. And to those same believers… living their earthly lives in Christ at the time… it is everywhere described as an event that occurred in the past. Document after document, there are numerous clear and simple statements to this effect. Recall this extremely clear and extremely important one of the many:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. [Ephesians 2]
Said another way:
23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring Word of God. [1 Peter 1]
Here are excerpts from two more passages, which refer to this initial act in the saving work of God as a past event, in the lives of God's children living in the present:
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the Gospel according to the power of God, 9 Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus... [2 Timothy 1]
5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior… [Titus 3]
Clear enough. And actually, it usually is clear enough to those who are currently believers in Jesus Christ… i.e. they realize that they were saved at some point in the past. But just as clearly, nowhere in the Bible is this eternity-changing event regarded as being the “salvation” of God in its entirety. To the contrary, it is regarded as being the beginning of God’s saving work in the life of the believer, which continues on as the believer’s life on the earth continues on. Here are two of the many verses of Scripture, which make this clear:
18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. [1 Corinthians 1]
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. [Philippians 2]
So do be clear on this too. The moment of a person’s spiritual “birth” is not the end of God’s redemptive work in that person’s life. It is not the saving work of God in its entirety, nor the end of his or her salvation in Jesus Christ. It is only the beginning.
What comes next... i.e. after the moment of a person's spiritual birth... is the believer's spiritual Life in Christ. And to be sure, the “saving” work of God continues on during the continuing life of God’s children on the earth after they are “born of His Spirit.”
So keep this clearly in mind. While the saving work of God that brings about one’s spiritual birth is an event which takes place at a moment in time, the salvation of God in the life of the believer to follow is an ongoing process, which continues on after he or she comes to know THE LORD… i.e. during the remainder of his or her earthly life. It continues on to the very last moment of the believer’s present, earthly life, at which moment direct, eternal coEXISTENCE with God begins, unobstructed by his or her mortal body and sin nature.
So then, unlike the believer’s eternal coEXISTENCE with God, which has no end, the saving work of God definitely does come to an end. It ends at the moment the believer’s present, bodily life on the earth comes to an end.
At precisely that moment, God “rescues” the soul of the believer once and for all from his or her mortal body, sin nature, and life in a sin-ridden world, "delivering" the believer's soul to Himself. This is the final act in the saving work of God, at which point the salvation of God in the earthly life of the believer comes to an end. And at that very same moment, it is complete, finished, over and done… forever!
Can you “see” that this is True? Once united in eternal coEXISTENCE with God, there is no longer anything to be “saved” from... i.e. nothing more to be“rescued” and “delivered” from! At that moment, the believer’s life of sin in a sinful world is over, and the saving work of God in his or her life is over… i.e. it is fully accomplished in its entirety, for all time.
In the New Testament Scriptures… written to believers already born of God and living out their earthly lives in Christ… this climactic, final event in the saving work of God is also referred to as “salvation,” and as being an event yet to come in the future. Here are two passages which make this clear:
27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. [Hebrews 9]
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. [1 Peter 1]
So do be clear on this, as well. It is extremely important. In the New Testament Scriptures, the word “salvation” is not used strictly and only to refer to what happens at the moment of spiritual birth. When the Scriptures speak of being “saved” by God, they speak of all three “parts” of God’s saving work. Which part depends on the context… i.e. what is being spoken about in that particular passage.
If you aren’t clear on this, then please do get clear on it now. If you are a “child of God,” born of God’s Spirit, you were saved by God at the moment in which you trusted in Jesus Christ, according to the Gospel of Scripture. But that was not the end of your salvation! The saving work of God continues on during your earthly life in Christ, and you yet will be saved at some point in the future… i.e. at the moment you die or the moment of THE LORD’s return. To be sure, “the salvation of God” spoken of in the Bible is: all of the above.
So hopefully, if you didn’t before, you now have a correct and adequate understanding of “the salvation of God” and of “the eternal Life of the believer,” which the saving work of God brings about. I hope you do, because it is extremely important to understand this clearly and correctly, and that’s as plain and simple as I can make it.
And so, that’s the end of the summary of the summary, which, if I do say so myself, was fairly concise… at least for me. Now, perhaps, I can do “part one” of the summary proper… i.e. what happens at the moment of the believer’s spiritual “birth,” which is brought about by the saving work of God, in the Person and work of Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, however, after all the introductory remarks at the start, I have already written more than enough to make a “chapter.” So, even though I intended this to be the concluding chapter of the page… as I did the one before it… I should probably make this yet another “section break.” And so I will.
@ Spiritual Birth
Now let’s “zero in” on what happens at the moment a person comes to know THE LORD. I will try to keep this part of the summary concise too, but it won’t be as concise as the summary of the summary. That’s because there are several very important things you need to know about this miraculous event. Important as they are, you not only need to know them… i.e. understand them correctly… you also need to understand these Truths clearly, as well. Still, I will try to keep it as short as possible, without leaving out any of these highly important Truths of the Bible.
As I have hopefully made clear, at the moment one is “born again”… i.e. born of the Spirit of God… God “saves” that person, from his or her condition of incompatibility and separation from Him. And what better way could there be to describe this event than spiritual “birth?” It occurs at the very moment a person trusts in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel, at which moment, God gives eternal, spiritual Life to that individual.
In the Bible, the human condition of incompatibility and separation from God is described in several different ways, one being, spiritual “death.” And what better way could there be to describe it? “Spiritual death” is the opposite of “spiritual Life.” It is the condition of every human soul not reconciled to THE LORD in Jesus Christ.
It is important to note though, that when the Scriptures speak of “spiritual death,” that does not imply that the human being is not a living spirit, apart from having a personal relationship with God. As discussed at length on the “about John” page(s), in addition to a biologically living, physical body, each and every human being is a living spirit, at all times and in all circumstances. It’s just that apart from a personal relationship with God, his or her spirit is “dead to God”… i.e. unable to personally function and interact with Him.
As I just “said,” that’s why the metaphor of spiritual “birth” is so appropriate and often used in the Bible, to depict in words, what happens at the moment one trusts in Jesus Christ. This is the moment in time at which one is “made alive to God” by the Spirit of God.
And as the Scriptures “say”… again and again… this wondrous act of God is the one and only Way in which this happens. It is the one and only Way in which human beings living in this age are “redeemed,” "reconciled to God," and “saved”… i.e. “rescued” and “delivered”… by God, from the bondage and eternal consequences of sin. It is strictly and only the work of God Himself, and in the same Way… exactly the same Way… everything that happens at the moment of spiritual “birth” is God’s doing, and God’s doing alone.
Gospel Text Box 4
In a nutshell, what happens at the moment of a person’s spiritual birth, is that the Spirit of God Personally “enters into” the believer’s soul within his or her physical body and He “connects” with that person’s spirit. In so doing, He gives eternal, spiritual Life to that person… i.e. a part in His own timeless EXISTENCE. Obviously and certainly, this is something that is in no way physical or visible, but it is nonetheless real and actual.
Think of this “connecting” of God’s Spirit with the human spirit as a “uniting,” a “joining together” and “bonding.” It is surely “all of the above.” And definitely do note that in bringing about this relationship, the Spirit of God comes to “reside” within the soul of the believer.
Here too, the terminology used in thinking and talking about this spiritual union is not the issue. As always, the issue is the Truth. The limited words of human language… even the words of Scripture… can only do so much to describe it, and our limited human minds can only do so much to comprehend it.
Nevertheless, however it be described, it is abundantly clear from the Scriptures, that this is what happens at the moment of a person’s spiritual “birth.” At that moment, the Spirit of God forms a spiritual bond with the spirit of His “newborn child.”
From that moment on, THE LORD Himself “resides” within that person’s soul, making that individual “alive” to God… i.e. “alive in the Spirit of God” and “alive in Jesus Christ,” both of which mean exactly the same thing. And as the Gospel itself makes clear, this is the one and only way in which it happens.
As discussed in the previous chapter, this moment of spiritual birth is the moment at which the salvation of God begins, in an individual human being. It is the moment at which God brings about that person’s reconciliation and forgiveness of sin, and with it, his or her eternal, spiritual Life and relationship with Him.
And so, according to Scripture, this point of connection is the “place” within the human soul, where the believer in Jesus Christ is forever united with his or her Creator. It is also the place in which there is interpersonal, spiritual interaction thereafter, between the believer in Jesus Christ and God Himself. In the Bible, this spiritual interaction is called, “fellowship.”
Here are a few passages of Scripture, which describe these glorious Truths in various words and ways, the first being the words of Jesus Himself:
63 It is the Spirit Who gives Life; the flesh provides no benefit; the words that I have spoken to you are Spirit, and are Life. [John 6]
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give Life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. [Romans 8]
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great Love with which He Loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus… [Ephesians 2]
To be sure, that part of the human soul in this union that is God Himself IS ever and always God Himself, perfect in every way. And that part of the human being which is human spirit is ever and always an individual human spirit, distinct and different from God, and in every way different, imperfect.
If you have been “listening,” then you know that according to Scripture, God IS perfect, holy, and righteous in every way, and in all that He does, while human beings are: “none of the above.” By “righteous,” I mean what the Bible means. I mean “good,” “right” and “virtuous” in every way, absent of anything “wrong,” “bad” or “sinful” in any way. Such is the Righteousness of God.
As discussed earlier, this is why human beings are separate from and incompatible with God, unless and until God Himself remedies this spiritually fatal condition, which He does at the moment one trusts in Jesus Christ in accordance with the Gospel. Prior to that moment, there is nowhere within the human being for God to “connect,” let alone to “reside”… because the necessary Truth, righteousness and holiness do not exist in the human being. And whether you were listening or not, do be assured that this is what the Bible clearly “says” and teaches.
So in order to Create this “union”with the human being, God Himself must Create the necessary holiness and righteousness in the human spirit. And this He does at the moment one trusts in Jesus Christ, in accordance with the Gospel.
Simply enough, THE LORD brings about this connection in the “place” in a person’s soul, where the Truth of the Gospel resides by faith… i.e. the faith of the believer in Jesus Christ. And in so doing, He Creates a “dwelling place” within that human soul for His Spirit, in His own perfect Truth, Holiness and Righteousness.
Here are a few passages which “speak” of this part of God’s redemptive work in Creating righteousness in the soul of the believer, at the moment of spiritual birth:
30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” [1 Corinthians 1]
21 He made Him Who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the Righteousness of God in Him. [2 Corinthians 5]
24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been Created in righteousness and holiness of the Truth. [Ephesians 4]
1 To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the Righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ [2 Peter 1]
Ultimately, the redemptive work of God in bringing about a person's spiritual “birth” is beyond the ability of human words to describe. But just as surely, in the words of the Scriptures, it is adequately described, and it can be adequately understood. In fact, incredible as it is, it is entirely simple, straightforward, clear and easy to understand.
I sincerely hope that “you yourself” understand these clear and simple Truths of the Bible. If you do, then you should also clearly “see” that just like the physical birth of a person’s body, spiritual birth takes place at a moment in time… i.e. the moment at which one trusts in Jesus Christ, for his or her eternal Life and relationship with God. If you don’t, then by all means, “see” it now.
If you do understand these clear and simple Truths of Scripture, you should also clearly see that just as it is with physical birth, spiritual birth is a one-time event, never again to occur. Once it happens, it becomes an inalterable event in the past, which cannot and does not happen again, at any time in the present or future. What happens in the present and future, is the spiritual Life that results from it, in the ongoing, earthly life and living of the believer in Jesus Christ.
If you are clear on these important Truths of Scripture, we can move on to the next part of the summary. This is the second part of the summary, which is about the second part in the believer’s spiritual Life in Christ, and the second part of his or her salvation in Christ, both of which come after a person’s spiritual birth. Think of these together as, “the saving work of God in the earthly life of the child of God.” Just don’t confuse the saving work of God, with the spiritual Life of the believer.
And since I now seem to be adding additional “chapters” to the Gospel page anyway, I might as well make this a separate section too, and give it its own title. That will also make this chapter a bit short, but that will make up for the previous chapter, which went a bit long.
@ Salvation and Eternal Life, Part Two
In this section, I will try to summarize the teachings of the Bible for you, about the saving work of God in the earthly life of the believer, after spiritual birth. And at the risk of taking this summary past the dimensions of a “summary”… whatever those are… let’s start with what also happens “automatically” and is the same for all believers in Jesus Christ, in all places, times and circumstances.
Think of it as “eternal security,” as some people call it. This particular expression is not found in the Bible, but it is, nevertheless, an apt and fitting way of describing the Truth of the Bible on this matter.
The simple and glorious Truth is, once born of God's Spirit, the believer in Jesus Christ belongs to God forevermore. Having become a child of God, one cannot cease to be a child of God thereafter, at any time, for any reason, under any circumstances. From that moment on, he or she is ever and forever a child of God, come what may and no matter what.
This is the Truth of the Bible… i.e. the Word of God… and the promise of God to all who entrust their souls to Him, through faith in Jesus Christ. So do be clear on this. According to Scripture, the “eternal security” of the born-again believer in Jesus Christ is 100% certain, for the simple reason that both the salvation of the believer and the eternal life and relationship with God that results from it… all three parts of both… are 100% the work of God Himself.
Everything about all of it is purely, only and entirely of God’s doing, and God’s doing alone. The only “doing” of a human being involved in it, is the receiving of it, which one does by trusting in its Truth… i.e. by faith in Christ and faith alone. This is the Truth of the Gospel itself!
And what could be more self-evident and obvious? No human being, substance, power or force in the universe, absolutely nothing other than God Himself can bring about a person’s eternal Life and relationship with Him. God alone can do that, and that’s exactly what He does, at the moment one Trusts in Jesus Christ, in accordance with the Gospel of Scripture.
As the Scriptures make clear, this is the saving work of God, and nothing that any human being does is part of the saving work of God. It is all God’s doing. And for that very reason… exactly that reason… nothing can "take it away,” “negate it,” “nullify it,” or in any other way “undo” what God Himself has done.
And this is extremely fortunate for human beings, because the Truth is, we human beings are extremely fallible, faulty, sinful beings, before and after coming to know THE LORD. Like it or not, we are subject to a wide array of adverse forces and influences throughout the course of our earthly lives, and we are highly capable of personal changes and failures of numerous kinds… in some cases, to the extreme. Fortunately… very fortunately… our Creator is: “none of the above.”
As the Gospel itself makes clear, our eternal Life and relationship with God is not in any way dependent on anything we do or don’t think, feel, believe, say or do before or after we place our faith in Jesus Christ to receive it. It is 100% dependent on the saving work of God Himself and God alone. Thank God!
Thank God indeed! For if anyone or anything other than our Creator had anything do do with it, no one could ever be confident of obtaining or retaining his or her spiritual Life and relationship with THE LORD, let alone going on to heaven, to be with Him forevermore.
The key Truth to remember, is that “salvation in Jesus Christ”… all three parts of it… is 100% apart from the “works” and “doings” of human beings, of any and every kind. Neither spiritual birth nor the eternal Life and relationship with God that follows it, is in any way dependent on anything we ourselves do or don’t do, other than trusting in THE LORD Jesus Christ to receive it, at which moment both the salvation of God and the eternal Life of the believer begin.
So are you clear on this? No amount of faithfulness, obedience, good character or good works of any kind or quantity bring about our spiritual Life in Christ, nor do they maintain it thereafter, nor do they result in our final deliverance to THE LORD and our eternal coEXISTENCE with Him in heaven. And to be sure… absolutely positive… it could not be otherwise, because none of these are things that human beings are capable of bringing about, in any way, by any means!
In His incomprehensible Love, mercy and grace, our Creator requires one and only one thing of us, in order to be reconciled to Him and given this eternal, spiritual Life and relationship with Him: that we place our faith in Him to receive it, at a given moment in time, in accordance with the Gospel of Scripture. From that moment on, our connection with God… i.e. our eternal, spiritual union with Him… is dependent purely and only on God Himself and Him alone.
And for this very reason, once “joined together” with THE LORD, a person’s spirit cannot be “unjoined”… i.e. “broken apart,””separated” or otherwise “disconnected” from the Spirit of God, in any way, at any time, for any reason, by anyone or anything. Nothing whatsoever.
And even if the Scriptures didn’t “say” so… which they do… this is nothing more than common sense. As I “said” at the end of the last chapter, “birth” is a once in a lifetime event, which happens at a given point in time, and never happens again. This is True of one’s physical birth and also of one’s spiritual birth, as well.
“Birth” is also an event that cannot be undone. Simply enough, once born, a person cannot be “unborn.” Surely you can “see” that this is so. In the physical life and living of human beings, “fellowship”… i.e. personal interaction… between a parent and child can be “broken off,” but the parent/child relationship cannot be. Once formed, it is permanent and irreversible.
The same is True of the relationship between brothers and sisters. Once you are one, you are one, and you can never stop being one at any time, under any circumstances.
This is also True of the spiritual relationship that is Created by God, at the moment one trusts in Jesus Christ, in accordance with the Gospel. His or her faith in Christ instantly and “automatically” results in the saving work of God, which brings about that person’s spiritual “birth” into the “family” of God. And as I have hopefully made clear as day, this is the work of God Himself, and as such, it cannot be undone by anything or anyone, including the person who at that moment is “born” of the Spirit of God.
Simply put, once you become a child of God you are one, and nothing can change that fact… i.e. that Truth, that reality. And as I just said, this is extremely fortunate, because the Truth is, believers in Jesus Christ will continue to sin, and they are entirely capable of being unfaithful and disobedient to THE LORD, after coming to know Him... as more and more are becoming by the day these days.
Anyone at all familiar with the people of God in this day knows that. In fact, most people know it from very unpleasant, first-hand personal experience… probably several.
And if "you yourself" are a child of God, then you yourself know this to be True from firsthand, personal experience with yourself… or simply from looking in the mirror… unless, of course, you are "blind" to your own human nature and personal sinfulness, faults and shortcomings, as more and more people are becoming by the day these days. Perhaps you have noticed that trend too.
Anyone familiar with the Bible knows that a large part of the Bible was written for the very purpose of addressing this very problem… i.e. the ever-widening and worsening unfaithfulness, sins and disobedience of God’s people. Those slightly more familiar with the words and teachings of Scripture, might also know that this was the pattern followed by the people of God in every age of God's redemptive work
With a correct and adequate knowledge of the Bible, one would also know that the present age is the last age in the redemptive work of God on the earth, and that as foretold in Scripture, it ends with the household of God in a deplorable state of spiritual corruption, in the days immediately preceding the second coming of THE LORD Jesus Christ. Here is how it is described in one passage:
1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power [2 Timothy 3]
Sound familiar? It should. If not, take a "look" around you and give a "listen" to those claiming to be “children of God,” and expecting to be future residents of heaven. Just make sure your "eyes" and "ears" are open... literally and figuratively.
Regrettably, in these last days of the last age in the day of man, more and more of God's children are becoming more and more unfaithful and disobedient to their Heavenly Father, with each passing day. Worse still, some have lost their faith in God altogether, even to the point of no longer believing in God at all. This is happening more and more by the day these days, and at a rapidly accelerating pace.
Nevertheless, when a person entrusts his or her soul to THE LORD in accordance with the Gospel, it is thereafter in His safekeeping. From that moment on, it belongs to God, it is kept by the power of God, and that person’s eternal Life and relationship with God are as safe and secure as God is powerful and faithful to His Word. And as the Scriptures make clear, God is not only all-powerful, He is 100% faithful to His Word, in every way and at all times.
This is not to say, however, that there are no consequences to the believer’s unfaithfulness to THE LORD, and for the sins he or she commits after becoming a “child” of God. According to Scripture there surely are consequences… profound consequences, both in the remainder of the believer’s earthly life and in his or her eternal coEXISTENCE with God to follow.
Unfortunately… very unfortunately… this is an area of the Bible’s teachings of which 99.9%+ of the people of God in this day are severely if not totally ignorant, despite the fact that these are among the most basic and important of all the Truths of the Bible. And for this reason, it is an ignorance I intend to dispel, before this “Gospel page” is over.
But for the time being, just realize that the loss of one’s eternal Life and relationship with God is not among the consequences, to which I refer. I “say” again, according to the Scriptures, once obtained, eternal, spiritual Life and relationship with God cannot be lost, under any circumstances.
If this were not so, the “eternal Life” offered by Jesus Christ would not be “eternal Life” at all. It would instead be only “the possibility of eternal life.” Such a concept is totally foreign to the words and teachings of the Bible… totally foreign.
Nowhere in the Bible is a person’s eternal Life and relationship with God ever said to be conditional, on the basis of what a person does or doesn’t do after coming to know THE LORD. And never in Scripture is anything said to the effect that one’s eternal life and relationship with God can be forfeited after being obtained, let alone, how such a thing could happen. The reason is simple: it can’t, and, therefore, it doesn't.
And to be sure, if such a thing were possible… i.e. the loss of eternal life after obtaining it… this would be a matter of the utmost importance, second only to the Gospel itself! As with the Gospel, it would be specifically addressed and explained in detail, throughout the New Testament Scriptures. The fact is, it is most surely not.
So do realize that there is nothing whatsoever said anywhere in Scripture about such a possibility. Not a word. Some might call this, “an argument from silence”… i.e. a case built on what the Bible doesn’t “say” and teach. But to be sure, it is a deafening silence!
Nevertheless, don’t go by what the Scriptures don’t say and teach, go by what they do say and teach… clearly, consistently and repeatedly. To be sure, the Scriptures are by no means “silent” on this matter. They speak directly to this issue, and what they “say” is simple, clear and consistent.
The Scriptures constantly speak of eternal Life and relationship with God as an absolute certainty for all who have trusted in Jesus Christ to receive it. Anyone who is at all familiar with the Bible knows that everything about spiritual Life and relationship with God is eternal, and that heaven is described as guaranteed and waiting for the people of God, never as merely “possible” or awaiting only some of those who have entrusted their souls to Him, through faith in Jesus Christ.
Every statement of Scripture that looks forward to the eternal state of those who have trusted in Christ… i.e. “heaven”… regard it as an absolute certainty and foregone conclusion. Never is heaven described as being contingent on subsequent behavior or on being faithful to THE LORD, nor is it ever said to be only for those who “continue to be born of God’s Spirit,” “maintain their eternal lives,” “remain in the family of God,” “don’t loose their faith,” "don’t change their minds,” “don’t commit certain sins,” or any such thing.
To the contrary, every statement of Scripture that speaks of eternal Life in Jesus Christ speaks of it as an unconditional fact… for example: “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal Life.” If that isn't a statement of fact and an unconditional promise, nothing is! And to be sure, there are dozens of other similar statements of Scripture to the same effect, every one of which is every bit as clear and straightforward.
So call it “eternal security,” “guaranteed eternal life,” or whatever works best for you. But do realize that however it be described, this is what the Scriptures clearly and emphatically “say” and teach. This is the Truth of the Scriptures, according to the Scriptures themselves.
And if these many repeated statements of Scripture throughout the New Testament aren’t clear enough to you, consider those which specifically address the issue. Here are a few, the first being the words of Jesus Himself:
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one. [John10]
21 Now He Who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us IS God, 22 Who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. [2 Corinthian’s 1]
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise… [Ephesians 1]
The Truth is, the Bible is extremely clear on this extremely important subject… i.e. “eternal security.” I hope you are, as well.
Of course, that doesn’t stop some people from believing… and teaching others… that one can “loose” his or her eternal life after obtaining it. The sad Truth is, no matter how clear and simple the words and teachings of the Scriptures might be on any given subject, people who misunderstand them will always come up with alternative beliefs, which are out of harmony with the words and teachings of the Bible, if not flatly contradictory to them.
And speaking of “silence,” among those who incorrectly believe that once obtained, eternal Life can be lost, there is stark disagreement as to whether or not it can be regained thereafter. The reason for the disagreement, is that nowhere in the Bible is this subject addressed… as it surely would be, if eternal Life could be forfeited after being acquired. The Truth is, the Scriptures “say” nothing whatsoever about a person’s eternal Life being “lost” after being obtained, for the simple reason that it cannot happen.
There is also stark disagreement among those who believe that eternal Life can be lost and then reacquired, as to what must be done to reacquire it. Here too, the reason for the disagreement is that nowhere in the Bible do the Scriptures say anything about how eternal Life could be regained after being lost. And why would they? Why would the Scriptures say anything about something being regained that cannot be lost? They wouldn’t… and they don’t.
So the question is rightly asked, “Why do some people believe that eternal life can be lost, after being acquired?” For most, it is simply a lack of information. In other words, they are missing the Truth of the Scriptures on this matter… just as they undoubtedly are in many other important matters. For others, the problem is not that the needed information is missing from their minds, the problem is that they misunderstand the teachings of the Bible on this subject… just as they undoubtedly do with many other important subjects.
In either case, this incorrect belief… that one’s eternal Life in Christ can be lost… results from a failure to correctly and adequately understand the Truth of the Bible they need to know. By “incorrect belief,” I mean an incorrect determination of Truth... i.e. one that is out of harmony with the Truth of the Bible and thus, contradictory to the Word of God... i.e. the Truth of the Bible
For example, some who believe that eternal Life in Christ can be lost after being received believe that certain sins or a sufficient amount of sin can cause people to loose their eternal Life and relationship with God. One way or another, those who believe this to be True, believe that their proper personal conduct and behavior after coming to know THE LORD sustains their eternal Life and relationship with Him. This is flatly contradictory to the Truth of the Scriptures... i.e. the Word of God.
Do you “see” the contradiction? Assuming these people understand the Gospel correctly… apart from which they would not be children of God at all… they realize that they were born of God’s Spirit by the grace of God, entirely apart from their works. But at the same time, they believe that the maintaining of their spiritual Life and relationship with God thereafter, is dependent on the things they do and don’t do in their daily lives… in other words, their works. Sound right to you? I hope not.
What these people fail to realize, is that their salvation and eternal Life… all three parts of both… are the work of God and God alone. All of it… from spiritual birth to heaven… is brought about by the saving work of God, totally apart from the works of the believer, past, present and future.
Others without a correct and adequate knowledge of the Truth of the Scriptures believe that since eternal Life and relationship with God is dependent upon faith in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel, it would be lost, should one loose his or her faith in Jesus Christ, or come to a subsequent, incorrect determination of Truth about any one or more of the individual Truths of the Gospel. Fortunately… very fortunately… this is not so.
The essential Truth these people miss, is that their eternal Life and relationship with God is not dependent on their ongoing faith in Him in their daily lives, after coming to know Him. Again, it is solely dependent on the saving work of THE LORD, in response to their faith in Jesus Christ, at the moment they trust in Him, in accordance with the Gospel. From that moment on, their eternal Life and relationship with God was, is and ever will be as certain and irrevocable as God is all-powerful and faithful to His Word.
So do be clear on this. The believer’s eternal Life and relationship with God is in no way at any time the result of the believer’s works, past present or future, nor is it dependent on the continuing faith of those already reconciled to God and born of His Spirit. For all who have come to know THE LORD in Jesus Christ, the continuation of this interpersonal, spiritual relationship is dependent solely and entirely on the power and faithfulness of God Himself, for which reason it is 100% certain and eternally secure.
The main cause of these errors is a failure to correctly and adequately understand the teachings of the Bible about the ongoing salvation of God, in the ongoing life of the believer… i.e. “salvation part two”… beyond and in addition to "eternal security." And to be sure, there definitely is more to the saving work of God in the earthly life of the believer than eternal security alone. It is about that, something more, and something extremely important. And this being the case, it definitely deserves to be its own chapter.
@ Sanctification and Spiritual Growth
In this next and hopefully last “final chapter” of the Gospel page, I will try to finish my somewhat prolonged summary of the saving work of God in the earthly life of the believer, after spiritual birth… i.e. “salvation, part two.” In the process, I will explain the teachings of the Bible about this ongoing work of God in the ongoing life of the child of God, beyond and in addition to “eternal security.”
And I must caution you at this point, to “listen” and think extra-carefully. But that’s not because what follows is in any way complicated or hard to understand. It’s not. It is every bit as simple and easy to understand as everything else I have “said” so far… as are all of the most important Truths of the Bible.
The reason you need to read and think extra-carefully, is that these teachings of the Scriptures are not only vitally important, they are almost certainly unfamiliar to you. And to be sure, when it comes to the Truth of the Bible on this matter, “vitally important” and “unfamiliar” is a bad combination. Really bad.
In fact, as I “said” earlier, these are the most misunderstood of all the extremely important Truths of the Bible, among the people of God in this day. And as to the importance of this subject… i.e. the saving work of God in the life of the believer… it can be rightly said that after the Gospel, this is the most important subject in the Bible.
Do you know why this is so? If not, then please note that you yourself are unfamiliar with the teachings of the Bible on this subject. At the very least, you do not understand them correctly and adequately. The reason is, anyone familiar with the Truth of the Bible on this subject, is well aware of why it is so very important.
As you might have anticipated, I am not about to assume that you yourself are familiar with these teachings of the Scriptures, let alone that you are one of the extremely few people left on the earth in these last days, who knows why they are so extremely important. And so, I will try to explain these Truths of the Bible to you extra-carefully, and help you “see” for yourself why they are so vitally important.
First of all, be clear about what the saving work of God in the ongoing, day-to-day life of the believer is not about. It is not about forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God. Neither is it about one’s rescue from spiritual death and separation from God, nor one’s deliverance to eternal Life and relationship with God. For all who have trusted in Jesus Christ in accordance with the Gospel, these things have already been taken care of and fully accomplished, once and for all.
The salvation of God in the life of the believer is not about any of these already-resolved matters, or anything else having to do with obtaining or retaining one’s eternal Life and relationship with THE LORD. It is about the relationship itself… in particular, the believer’s compatibility with God.
As you will recall… I do hope… the problem of incompatibility between imperfect and sinful human beings, and a perfect and holy Creator is also remedied once and for all, at the moment of one’s spiritual birth. At that moment, God Creates the holiness and righteousness in a person, necessary for Him to “connect” with and “reside” within that person’s soul. This is the beginning of God’s saving work, in all who entrust their souls to Him in Jesus Christ, as explained in Scripture by the Gospel of Scripture.
Simply enough, the ongoing salvation of God in the believer’s ongoing Life in Christ, is God’s work in Creating more and greater holiness, righteousness and Truth in the believer. And with this greater holiness, righteousness and Truth comes greater compatibility with God.
Do you “see” why? The more holiness, righteousness and Truth there is within the believer, the more like God is the child of God. And the more like God, the greater the compatibility.
As the children of God become more and more compatible with their Heavenly Father, the presence and work of His Spirit increases in them, bringing about more and greater unity between the spirit of the believer and the Spirit of THE LORD. As this process continues, more and more of God’s Spirit comes to reside within that person’s soul.
The result is a larger, deeper, fuller, stronger, closer and in every other way better relationship with THE LORD, through which comes greater knowledge of God and greater fellowship with God. And as the child of God continues to grow in God’s Spirit, so does “all of the above.” This is the process of “spiritual growth,” spoken of throughout the New Testament Scriptures.
As it is with all of the most important Truths of the Bible, this ongoing work of God’s Spirit within His children is described in the Scriptures in various words and ways. In some passages… such as those already quoted… it is called “salvation” and/or the “saving” work of God. In others, it is called, “sanctification” and/or the “sanctifying” work of God.
And don’t be “thrown” by the word, “sanctification.” This is a word rarely found in everyday conversation. It is typically used and heard only in the context of “religion.” And given the many different religions among people and societies, it has come to have many different meanings, when used by different people, in different times, places and circumstances.
But as with all of the words of the Bible, the only meaning that matters is the meaning of this word in the Scriptures, as defined by the Scriptures themselves. And there is nothing at all complicated about the meaning of this simple and highly important word, as it is used in the Scriptures.
As used throughout the Bible, the word “sanctify” simply means, “make holy.” In fact, in the original languages of the Scriptures… Old Testament and New… the verb “sanctify” and the noun “sanctification” are simply different forms of the very same word, made from and containing the adjective “holy.”
And so, while the words, “salvation” and “sanctification” are not synonyms… i.e. the words themselves do not mean the same thing… they are both fitting ways of describing the saving work of God, both at the moment of spiritual birth and in the ongoing life of the believer to follow. For this reason, these words are used interchangeably, throughout the New Testament.
Do you “see” why both words are equally appropriate? At the moment of one’s spiritual birth, God “Creates the holiness” necessary for His Spirit to connect with and dwell within the believer’s soul And in so doing, He “saves” that person from the grip and the penalty of sin.
The “penalty” of sin is continued separation from God, which if not remedied during the time allotted, becomes permanent… the time allotted being the duration of one’s life on the earth. The “grip” of sin is the controlling influence of one’s own sin nature.
Through His ongoing work of sanctification, the increasing presence of God’s Spirit in the believer provides the increasing power of His Spirit, needed to overcome the power of sin. In so doing, THE LORD “saves” His children from the power of sin, so that as they mature, they become increasingly able to overcome the control of their sin nature and inclination to commit sins. And to be sure, the greater the presence of God’s Spirit, the greater the power.
Here is a passage in which the words “salvation” and “sanctification" are both used to describe the work of God in bringing about the spiritual Life of those who trust in Jesus Christ, in accordance with the Gospel:
13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the Truth. 14 It was for this He called you through our Gospel, that you may gain the glory of our LORD Jesus Christ. [2 Thessalonians 2]
And here is a verse in which the word “sanctification” is used as a verb, in “speaking” of the ongoing salvation of God in the believer:
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ. [1 Thessalonians 5]
In other passages of Scripture, this ongoing process of sanctification is described as the “perfecting” work of THE LORD. This simply describes the same process in yet another way.
And please don’t overthink or complicate this. Over time, the ongoing, “sanctifying” work of God Creates greater holiness in the child of God. In the process, the believer becomes less and less unholy… i.e. less sinful. To describe this process as the “perfecting” work of God, is simply to say that over time, the believer becomes less and less imperfect. Either way, through the ongoing work of God’s Spirit, the children of God become more and more like their holy and perfect Heavenly Father, resulting in more and greater fellowship with Him, both in their ongoing, earthly lives, and forever after.
Here is a passage of Scripture in which the saving/sanctifying work of God in the believer is described as the “perfecting” work of God:
6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. [Philippians 1]
Throughout the New Testament Scriptures, the result of God’s saving/sanctifying/perfecting work in His children is described as “spiritual growth”… i.e. the growth of the believer’s spirit in the Spirit of THE LORD. And when described in figurative language, the process is likened to the “maturing” of the “child” of God, from spiritual “infancy” to "adulthood.” In fact, across the many different versions of the Bible in English, the words “perfect” and “mature” are simply alternate translations of the very same word.
Here is a brief passage on the subject, which starts out “literal” and finishes in figurative terms:
Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. [1 Peter 2]
Here is a passage in which the word “perfect” appears, in many of today's English Bibles:
13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; [Philippians 3]
And here is a passage in which the same word is translated “mature” instead:
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. [Ephesians 4]
And while we're at it, here is one of the all-too-common passages in which the children of God are rebuked for their failure to do their part in the process… which is to obey the Word of God in the things they do in their daily lives:
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the Word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. [Hebrews 5]
Gospel Text Box 5
So by all means, think of the ongoing salvation of God in the ongoing life of the child of God in all of these ways, because these are the various ways in which it is described in the Bible. And to be sure, you will find all of these descriptions all over the New Testament. The reason is, owing to its extreme importance to the children of God, to whom the New Testament Scriptures were written, the substantial majority of the New Testament is devoted to this very subject… i.e. the spiritual growth of God’s children.
Just keep in mind that however it be described, the sanctifying work of God in the life of the child of God is also 100% the work of God and 0% the work of any human being. As the Scriptures repeatedly emphasize… as do I… every aspect of every part of the saving work of God is God’s doing, and God’s doing alone.
Also keep in mind, that every aspect of every part of God’s saving work is God’s response to the faith of those who trust in Him. The initial act of God in salvation… i.e. “salvation, part one”… is God’s response to a person’s faith in Jesus Christ, in accordance with the Gospel. The ongoing salvation/sanctification of the believer thereafter… i.e. “salvation, part two”… is God’s response to the believer’s faith in Him, in the daily living of his or her Life in Christ after spiritual birth.
Realize as well, that neither the saving work of God nor the believer’s faith are physical or visible in any way. They are both 100% immaterial in nature. And yet, while they are ever and always the same in nature, they are not always the same in their operation.
And don’t overthink that either. Water is always water, but it functions differently in putting out a fire, than it does in watering a fruit tree. The same is True of the salvation of God... i.e. the saving work of God.
One difference in operation, we discussed in the summary of the summary. The initial act of God in salvation… part one… happens at a moment in time, bringing about one’s spiritual Life and relationship with THE LORD. But the ongoing salvation of God thereafter… part two… happens over a period of time, bringing about the believer’s spiritual growth in THE LORD.
There is also an important difference between the initial exercise of a person’s faith in Jesus Christ, and his or her faith in God thereafter. And it is a highly significant difference, so please do “listen” extra-carefully.
In coming to know THE LORD, one’s faith in Jesus Christ is made real in that person’s real life in the real world, by his or her obedience to the Gospel of Scripture. A person obeys the Gospel, by trusting in Jesus Christ accordingly. And in so doing, there is nothing external that is physically done, by means of one’s physical body.
Indeed… and obviously… this initial exercise of faith in the Person and work of Christ is an entirely “internal,” invisible, immaterial operation. It involves no “external,” visible, physical action of any kind. It is entirely real and actual, happening at a moment in time in a person’s real life in the real world, but nothing about it is physical in nature.
And so, while this initial exercise of trusting in Jesus Christ is most definitely the “doing” of a human being, it is not in any way a “work,” as the Scriptures define a person’s “works.” Consequently, there is no “external,” visible evidence… let alone proof… of a person’s trust in Jesus Christ, for his or her eternal Life and relationship with THE LORD.
The believer’s ongoing faith in God is also invisible and immaterial, and it too is made real and actual by obedience. But the believer’s faith in God in daily life is made real and actual not by obedience to the Gospel, but by obedience to the rest of God’s Word… i.e. the Truth of the Bible in its entirety, and in particular, God’s instructions, directions and commandments to His people.
Simply put, the people of God trust in God in the daily living of their lives, when and only when they obey God’s Word in the things they do, minute to minute and day by day... i.e. their words and deeds, actions, behaviors and personal conduct. In other words, their works. In the Bible, these are referred to as the “good works” of the believer, as here:
18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is Truly Life. [1 Timothy 6]
And so it is, that unlike a person’s initial faith in the Person and work of Christ, the believer’s faith in God after spiritual birth most definitely is evidenced by external, visible, physical actions… i.e. the things he or she says and does in the course of daily life. These “good works”… i.e. acts and deeds in conformity with God’s Word… are the evidence of the believer’s faith and obedience.
And just as certainly, the believer’s lack of faith and obedience is also evidenced by his or her works… i.e. the absence of good works. Worse still, are a person’s real-world acts of wrongdoing, which are evidenced by works that are contrary to God’s instructions and commandments.
This, in fact, was a prominent subject of THE LORD, in the days of His earthly ministry, at His first coming. He often spoke of faith in action, and in so doing, He made a point of comparing a person’s works to the “fruit” produced by various types of trees and bushes, good and bad.
And his point was always the same: a person’s good works are the visible, physical evidence of a person’s faith and obedience, while the absence of such evidence… and evidence to the contrary… are the real-world proof of a lack thereof. Here are some of THE LORD's words and teachings on the subject:
16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits. [Matthew 7]
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing… 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. [John 15]
And as might be expected, this same analogy is to be found all throughout the writings of the New Testament, in which the words and teachings of Jesus are repeated and further explained. Here, for example:
9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; [Colossians 1]
And because this way of describing the work of the Holy Spirit is figurative… i.e. it conveys a “mental picture” rather than a physical fact... the image of “bearing fruit” is also a good way of describing the spiritual characteristics of the faithful believer, as it does in this key passage of Scripture:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. [Galatians 5]
For all intents and purposes, the sanctifying work of God’s Spirit is God’s response to the believer’s good works. Just keep in mind that in reality, it is not God’s response to the works themselves, it is His response to the faith and obedience of the believer, which produced them.
The good works of the believer are simply the things the believer does in obedience to God’s Word, which are the manifestation of that person’s faith in God… i.e. his or her faith made real and actual in the real world by obedience to God's Word. As such, they are also the evidence of a person’s faith, the works themselves revealing the object of that person’s faith…. i.e. who or what he or she is actually relying upon, in the living out of his or her life.
And make sure you are clear on this too. Throughout the Scriptures, the people of God are told to be holy and righteous in thought, word and deed. But it is not the works themselves that make the child of God any more holy, righteous or compatible with God. God Himself Creates the greater holiness, righteousness and compatibility in His children, in response to their faith and obedience.
In fact, be extra-clear on this. To believe that our works in any way make us holy, righteous and compatible with God, is to believe that we ourselves… i.e. sinful human beings… make ourselves holy, righteous and compatible with God. This is contradictory to the Truth of the Bible, and, in fact, to the Truth of the Gospel itself… flatly contradictory.
So if you yourself are a child of God, born of His Spirit, do beware of this tendency toward self-righteousness. It is an easy trap to fall into, and it will spell the end of your further salvation… i.e. sanctification… by the Spirit of THE LORD.
Unfortunately, this inclination toward self-righteousness always has been a problem common to God’s sinful people, especially, those who have failed to mature in God’s Spirit. Here is one of many references to the problem:
2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? [Galatians 3]
The simple and vitally important Truth is, God’s children obey Him by obeying His Word… i.e. the Truth of the Scriptures… in, by and because of their faith in Him and the Truth of His Word. When by faith, His people obey the words and teachings of Scripture in their real lives in the real world… and to the extent that they do… God works in their souls, Creating greater holiness, spiritual growth, and all that comes with it. This is the sanctifying work of God, which is “salvation, part two.”
How simple is that? Really! What’s not to understand about these extremely simple, extremely important Truths of the Bible, about the ongoing salvation of God, in the ongoing life of the believer? Answer: nothing whatsoever.
And after coming to know THE LORD Jesus Christ, what could be more important to the child of God, than an increasingly better and closer relationship with Him, bringing about greater knowledge of God and greater fellowship with Him? Same answer: Nothing whatsoever.
This is how God works in the souls of His children… or doesn’t… for the remainder of their earthly lives, after spiritual birth. I say, “or doesn’t” because just as it is with the Gospel, one must trust in THE LORD and obey His Word, of his or her own free will and personal choice. For just as it is with the Gospel, God does not force this process of spiritual growth on anyone. As the Bible “says” and teaches, He desires the fellowship only of those who seek to know Him, trust Him, and obey Him, of their own free will and personal desire.
And doesn’t that make perfect sense? I mean, if you were God, who would you want to have an eternal relationship with? Would you want it to be with someone like that, or someone who isn’t like that?
When God’s people fail to obey His Word, they are not only disobedient to His Word, they are disobedient and unfaithful to Him Personally. Simply enough… and rightly so… the result of their unfaithfulness and disobedience is that God does not sanctify and perfect them.
And so, over time, the unfaithfulness of God’s children results in no further sanctification, keeping them from further spiritual growth in THE LORD. And as happens far too often, those who come to know THE LORD but then fail to be faithful and obedient to Him thereafter, remain in a state of “spiritual infancy,” for the duration of their unfaithfulness.
Here is just such a situation, caused by the disobedience of God’s people, in their daily living:
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? [1 Corinthians 2]
So if you didn’t before, do you “get the picture” now? The sanctifying/perfecting work of God’s Perfect and Holy Spirit is how THE LORD rewards the faithfulness of His children. And when they are unfaithful and disobedient, He withholds this reward from them, as any good and loving parent would do.
Indeed, all good and loving parents reward their children for their obedience, and no good and loving parent rewards them for their lack of obedience and disobedience… which in reality, are the same thing. Right? To do what one has been told not to do is: disobedience. To not do what one has been told to do is: disobedience. Same difference: none. And if you yourself are a child of God, the same goes for you.
So please do be clear on these vitally important teachings of the Bible. This is how the relationship between God and His people works… or doesn’t… for the remainder of their days on the earth.
And if you yourself are a child of God, born of His Spirit, this is how your relationship with God works… or doesn’t. Simply enough, when you trust and obey your Heavenly Father in the things you do in your day to day daily life, He sanctifies you, bringing about your growth in His Spirit. When you don’t, He doesn’t. It's just that simple, and that's the way it is.
The same goes for me and every other child of God. We grow in spirit and in our relationship with THE LORD… and all that comes with it… only through His sanctifying work. And the more faithful and obedient we are to Him, the more the sanctifying power of His Spirit works in us.
Simply enough, the more God sanctifies us, the more we grow in His Spirit. And the more and longer this growing relationship continues, the further we mature and progress in the Way of God, in our spiritual development, and in our personal relationship with our Creator, in preparation for our eternal coEXISTENCE with Him.
This is the second part of the saving work of God. It is what Jesus spoke of in the second part of His two-part “purpose statement,” when He said:
10 I came that they might have Life, and have it abundantly. [John 10]
And what could be any more fair and gracious? The more we do our part, the more God does His part, and the more abundant will be our spiritual Life and relationship with Him… now and forevermore.
Do you “see” how this works over time? The more we trust and obey THE LORD, the more He sanctifies us, the more we grow in His Spirit, and the more mature in Christ we become. And the more we grow in the Spirit of THE LORD, the more and better we are able to trust Him, obey Him, please Him, and serve Him… due to our increasing spiritual strength, greater knowledge of God, and greater faith.
Did you catch that last part? And do you “see” how this growing faith comes about in the child of God?
When God’s people are faithful and obedient, God is faithful to His Word in response… as He always IS. As far as what He actually does on a given occasion, the specifics will vary from person to person and situation to situation. But in every case, He is faithful to bless His people for their obedience. This He has always done without fail, from generation to generation and age to age, as is made clear throughout the Bible, from cover to cover and page to page.
And while the blessings of God are many, the most important and valuable are the spiritual blessings, which, unlike the material blessings He might provide, affect our eternal relationship with our Creator, rather than our temporary circumstances on the earth. And to be sure, the greatest and most enduring blessing of all is: the sanctifying work of God!
When we “see” and experience the faithfulness of God… which we can more readily do as we mature in His Spirit… it strengthens our faith. And as our faith in God grows stronger, we become more and more able to trust and obey Him, and over time, to do so to a greater and greater degree.
The reason is, as we mature in the Spirit of God, we come to better understand the Word of God, the will of God, and the work of God… i.e. the invisible operation of God’s Spirit. And so, as THE LORD gives us more and more of the enlightenment and power of His Spirit, we become more and better able to please Him, serve Him, deal with the challenges of life, and overcome the obstacles to our further progress in the Way of THE LORD… which obstacles we will surely encounter in the days ahead, however few might remain.
And so it is, that as we do our part... i.e. trust and obey... God not only perfects us personally… i.e. sanctifying our spirits… He also perfects our faith. And to be sure, the more faith the better, because as anyone who has done even a tiny bit of it knows, being faithful and obedient to THE LORD in a sinful body and world is a difficult proposition, to say the least… more and more so by the day these days.
But then, it is in the difficult times of greater challenge that our faithfulness is the most pleasing to God. And for that very reason, it produces the greatest results. The Scriptures “speak” of this part of the process, as well:
3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; 4 therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the Churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. [2 Thessalonians 1]
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. [James 1]
6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; [1 Peter 1]
And since the word has come up, I should probably mention that in the New Testament Scriptures, the “family” of God is more often referred to as the “Church.” I capitalize the word “church,” in order to emphasize that according to the Scriptures, the one True Church of Jesus Christ consists only of those who are “believers in Jesus Christ,” as defined in the Scriptures… i.e. those and only those who have trusted in Jesus Christ, in accordance with the Gospel of Scripture.
According to the Scriptures, these and only these are "the people of God” in this age, who know God personally in THE LORD Jesus Christ. They and only they are "the children” of God," who have obtained their eternal, spiritual Life and relationship with God, in Jesus Christ. They and only they are “in Christ”and bound for “heaven”… i.e. eternal coEXISTENCE with God. Hence the capital “C.”
In some passages, the word “church” refers to “believers” in general, and in other passages it refers to those who live in a given location at a given time… i.e. a city, town or geographical area. For example, “the Church in Corinth.” This word is also used in the plural… i.e. “churches”… when referring to more than one such community of believers. For example, “the Churches of Judea.”
I should also probably mention that the Church is also at times called the “body” of Christ and the “bride” of Christ. Along with “family” of God, these are among the several figurative ways in which the Church is described in the Bible.
And I should definitely point out, that nowhere in Scripture is the word “church” ever once used to refer to a building, organization, institution or “denomination.” Nowhere.
Oh well, it looks like it’s going to take one more “chapter,” to get this “page” done… again. So here it is.
@ Faith and Works
Hopefully, you are now fully aware of the importance of your works, as well as your faith. Just because you have been saved by the grace of God apart from your works, that does not in any way mean that the things you do in your life after coming to know THE LORD… i.e. your works… are not highly important and consequential. They are. Are they ever. And so “say” the Scriptures… over and over again.
For example, here are those same two clear-as-can-be verses of Scripture you have read on this “page” before, more than once. But this time, in the hopes that you will now better understand it and more fully appreciate its importance, I will include the third verse in this clear-as-can-be passage, as well:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, Created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. [Ephesians 2]
And now, maybe this passage will also be clear to you, as well:
4 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. [James 2]
As clear, plain and straightforward as it is, this is one of the most badly misunderstood of all passages, among believers in Jesus Christ, in these last days of the last days. The reason is: ignorance of the Truth of the Bible, on this vitally important subject… i.e. the ongoing salvation of God’s children, after spiritual birth.
Regrettably… very regrettably… the clear and simple meaning of this passage of Scripture is all but entirely lost to the people of God in this day. They see the word, “save” and they automatically assume that it refers to the initial work of God in salvation, which brings about a person’s spiritual birth and eternal Life. It most certainly does not.
Once again, notice from the first words of this passage, that the author of these words of Scripture addresses his readers as “brethren.” Like all the New Testament writings, these words were written to the people of God, who had already come to know THE LORD as their Heavenly Father.
By, “can that faith save?”… the answer being “no”… the writer of these words was referring to the ongoing, sanctifying work of God in their lives as children of God. He simply chose to refer to it as “salvation,” rather than “sanctification.” As I said, the words “salvation/save” and “sanctification/sanctify” are used interchangeably, throughout the New Testament.
What the writer was and is saying, is that apart from doing what God said to do… i.e. obeying His Word in meeting the needs of others… the saving/sanctifying work of God does not happen. As you yourself now know, it happens only in those who are faithful and obedient to THE LORD in the things they do in their daily lives, after being “born” of His Spirit.
And so you “see,” beyond eternal security, this crucial, second part of God’s saving work… i.e. the sanctification of His children… definitely does not happen automatically, and it is definitely not the same for all believers. It is God’s response to the faithfulness and obedience of His children… each and every… for which reason it varies from individual to individual, however many individuals there might be in the eternal “family” of God.
Far from automatically, each and every child of God decides whether or not the sanctifying work of God will happen at all. He or she also determines when it happens, and the extent to which it happens, if it does. The extent to which it happens is the extent to which the child of God is faithful to THE LORD and obedient to His word, after coming to know Him.
You yourself are a unique individual, and if you are a child of God, so is your own personal relationship with your Heavenly Father. How the relationship goes for the rest of your life and how it turns out, is up to you. It will happen in accordance with your faith in God, made real and actual in your obedience to His Word, as evidenced by your works.
You do understand this, don’t you? I sincerely hope you do, because it is not only extremely clear and simple, it is extremely important. Minute to minute and day by day, you decide for yourself what to think, feel, believe, choose and do in your life, and in the process, you become the person you are.
If and when you obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ… the first and foremost Truth of God’s Word… THE LORD redeems your soul from spiritual death and separation from Him, granting you eternal life and relationship with Him. But again, this is not the salvation of God in its entirety, it is rather the beginning of salvation and eternal Life… i.e. “salvation, part one” and "eternal Life, part one"… at which moment one becomes a “child of God.”
Having become a child of God, you continue to think, feel, believe, choose and do as you decide for yourself. Should you choose to continue trusting THE LORD, and you actually do so in real life… by obeying His Word in the things you say and do… His saving/sanctifying work in you continues, to the extent that you do.
And so, as with every part and every aspect of your salvation, your sanctification is strictly and only the work of God Himself. But whether or not it happens… and the extent to which it happens… is strictly up to you.
Just as with spiritual birth, God forces this second part of His salvation on no one. And the reason is as simple as it is obvious. God doesn’t want to have a relationship with anyone who doesn’t want to have a relationship with Him. And not only does He have no desire to spend eternity with people He forces to be there, He also doesn’t want a relationship in which He compels people to think, feel, choose and act as He alone desires.
Would you? Of course you wouldn’t! When it comes to personal relationships, the only good relationship is one that is mutually desired and freely chosen. And how could such a relationship be at all satisfying, if both parties were not free to think, feel, choose and do in this relationship as they decide for themselves? Answer: it couldn't be and wouldn't be.
And so it is that "you yourself" must decide for yourself, whether or not to have this relationship with God, obtained by trusting in Jesus Christ in accordance with the Gospel. And if you do, you must then decide for yourself whether or not to trust and obey THE LORD in the living out of your life thereafter, and if so, to what extent. Simply enough, the extent to which you trust and obey THE LORD day by day is the extent to which He sanctifies you, making you into the person He wants you to be.
To be sure, the person God wants you to be is the unique individual you are, having your own thoughts, feelings, personality and personal characteristics. But to be equally sure, He wants you to be the “you” He has made into the person He wants to spend eternity with… which is something only He can do.
As your faith in obedience continues over time, your sanctification continues, causing your spiritual growth to continue. And as you continue to grow in His Spirit, He imparts more and more of Himself to you… and all that comes with it.
Simply and fairly enough, the more you trust and obey THE LORD in your daily life, the more His Spirit works in you, fashioning you into the person He wants you to be. And the more you are the person God wants you to be, the closer and better will be your relationship with Him… and all that comes with it.
What comes with it, is closer, deeper, greater fellowship with THE LORD, resulting in greater knowledge of the God Who Created you. And as you grow in your knowledge of THE LORD, you better and more fully know the mind of God, the heart of God, and the Love of God.
As your spiritual growth in THE LORD continues, you also come to better understand the Word of God and the will of God. And in all these ways, you gain a greater capacity to love God, please God, and serve God… which is what you will be doing for all eternity, in your never-ending coEXISTENCE with Him.
This is what your earthly life in Christ is all about… i.e. "eternal Life, part two." It is the period of time in which THE LORD equips and prepares you through His sanctifying work… i.e. “salvation part two”… for your eternal coEXISTENCE with Him, which He does to the extent you allow Him to. And simply enough, the extent to which you allow Him to do this, is the extent to which you trust and obey Him in your daily life.
So if you didn’t before, do you now “see” the “big picture?” What I have been trying to help you “see,” is what I have been trying to stress throughout this not-so-brief summary: It is essential for you to realize, that your eternal Life in Christ after your present, earthly life is over… i.e. “eternal life, part three”… is the continuation of your present spiritual Life in Christ on the earth. And your eternal relationship with God to come… and last forevermore… is the continuation of your present relationship with God.
And isn’t that just simple, common sense? Of course it is! If you have obtained your eternal, spiritual Life in Jesus Christ, then by definition, your present, spiritual life in Christ is eternal. It never ends! It continues on past the end of your present, physical life on the earth, as does your personal relationship with THE LORD.
You can “see” that this is True, can’t you? If you yourself are “going to heaven,” that means the person you are in heaven will be the same “you” presently living on the earth, in your present physical body. You will certainly be transformed in many ways for your eternal state of coEXISTENCE with God, but “you” will still be “you.” And simply put, who you become in the course of your earthly life is who you will be thereafter, for all eternity!
And so it is, that when your present life on the earth comes to an end, the saving work of God in you comes to an end. From that moment on, there will be no further salvation, no more sanctification, no more maturing, no more perfecting by the Spirit of God. From that moment on, you will ever be the person you were in your earthly life. And in terms of the “family” of God, the spiritual “infants” will be “infants” the toddlers toddlers, the adolescents adolescents, and the adults adults… so to speak.
At that moment, the extent to which you have been sanctified, is the extent to which you were faithful and obedient to THE LORD in your earthly life. It is also the extent to which you came to be the person God wants you to be.
And seeing as how that’s the person you will be forevermore… i.e. in your eternal, coEXISTENCE with your Creator… it is safe to say that as the final moment of your life approaches, the closer you are to the person God wants you to be, the better. In fact, nothing could be safer to say! For the more you are like Him, the closer you will be to Him and the more abundant will be your eternal Life and relationship with Him, in the days to come and forevermore.
Can you not understand this simple and obvious Truth? The person you become through your earthly faithfulness and obedience to God… or lack thereof… is the person you will be for all eternity. And the more faithful and obedient to THE LORD you are in your earthly life, the more you will be the person God wants you to be… which can only be the best outcome there could possibly be for "you personally!"
This is the eternal, heavenly blessing of God for the believer’s earthly faithfulness, which in the Scriptures is more often referred to as the “reward” of the faithful believer. It is the “reward” Jesus so frequently spoke of, and promised to those who trust and obey Him... in statements such as these:
11 Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great… [Matthew 5]
19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. [Matthew 6]
It is the reward also spoken of throughout the New Testament Scriptures, also at times referred to as the “inheritance” awaiting the faithful children of God. Here are a few of the pertinent passages:
8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor… [1 Corinthians 3]
11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident; for the Day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. [1 Corinthians 3]
And mind the figurative language in that last passage. Besides the image of worthless works being incinerated, note that the “gold, silver and precious stones” represent your good works… i.e. the things you do in obedience to the Word of God, which proceed from your faith in God, made real and actual in the real and actual world by your works. The “wood, hay and straw” are: anything and everything else you do, acquire and/or accomplish in the course of your earthly life, which, at the moment your earthly life ends, will be of no further consequence or value to you whatsoever, ever again.
Here are a few more clear, plain and easy-to-understand passages of Scripture, which make these vitally important Truths of the Bible clear, plain and easy to understand:
23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for THE LORD rather than for men, 24 knowing that from THE LORD you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is THE LORD Christ Whom you serve. [Colossians 3]
8 Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward… [2 John 2]
And these are the last words of Jesus Himself to all who await His return, as recorded in the last words of the Scriptures:
12 Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. 13 I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. [Revelation 22]
In the Scriptures, the moment at which THE LORD renders these rewards… or doesn’t… is described in different ways and words, including, “the revelation of Christ” and “the Day of Christ.” It is also described as the Day of God’s judgment yet to come, awaiting every one of His children… including you, if you Truly are one.
The believer’s final judgment before God takes place upon the final deliverance of his or her soul to God… i.e. “salvation, part three.” And that’s the way it is, regardless of when and how your present life on the earth might end.
Did you “hear” that? If not, then try again, and this time “listen” even more extra-carefully!
Contrary to widespread belief among the unfaithful and disobedient children of God, the judgment of God to come awaits believers, as well as unbelievers. It is surely judgment of a different kind… a totally different kind… but it is the judgment of God nonetheless. As the Scriptures make clear, plain and simple:
9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. [2 Corinthians 5]
17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the Gospel of God? [2 Peter 4]
Nothing mysterious or complicated about these plain and simple Truths of the Bible, now is there? Of course not! And yet, of all the missed and misunderstood of the most important Truths of Scripture, these are among the most missed and misunderstood of all, among the unfaithful and disobedient children of God in this day.
Everyone in the household of God is quick to realize that according to the Bible, eternal Life and relationship with God in heaven is not only eternal, it is perfect in every way. To be sure… absolutely, positively sure… there will be no more death and dying, no suffering, sickness or sorrow, and no sin, strife, or evil of any kind. But there will also be perfect justice, fairness and accountability. as well. And in said condition, there will be eternal coEXISTENCE with the almighty and Perfect God of Creation, in His Perfect Love and Righteousness.
But to be equally sure, it will most definitely not be the same for everyone. Contrary to popular opinion… very popular opinion… the “slate” is not “wiped clean,” and the spiritual Life of the children of God does not “start over again from scratch,” without regard to their earthly lives gone by. If that were the case, what would have been the purpose of your life on the earth, after coming to know THE LORD? Answer: none.
The inescapable fact is, if the God of the Bible really and Truly does EXIST, then it can only be that the very reason He designed your earthly existence the way He did, was to allow you to come into the knowledge of Him, and make the all-important, all-determining decisions in your life for yourself, of your own free will… in particular: 1) whether or not to seek God, 2) whether or not to accept His offer of eternal Life and fellowship, and 3) to decide for yourself how to live your life and who you want to be as a person… both in your earthly life and in your eternal Life and relationship with your Creator to come.
You do “see” these vitally important Truths of the Bible, don’t you? I sincerely hope so. And you do know the person God wants you to be, don’t you? The person He wants you to be is made clear in the words and teachings of the Bible, which is why it is so important to read and study the Bible.
And if you didn’t before, I trust you can also now “see” why it is so vitally important to understand the Scriptures correctly . By means of His Word… i.e. the Truth of the Scriptures… THE LORD reveals what you need to know and do, in order to be faithful and obedient to Him. You can’t know and do as God directs without knowing His Word, and you can’t know His Word without understanding the Scriptures correctly.
Admittedly, learning all you need to know of the Word of God requires some time and effort. But the more you grow in the Spirit of THE LORD, the greater will be your understanding of His Word, the more you will desire to know it, and the more readily it will come to you. That’s what spiritual growth is all about. It is much like the physical/mental/emotional maturing that goes on in human life, from childhood to adulthood, except that the spiritual growth of the child of God is vastly more important, and with eternal implications... profound eternal implications.
And to be sure, the more you know of the Truth of the Scriptures, the better. But fortunately, it is not necessary that you know everything there is to know about the Bible and its teachings. As I have been “saying” all along, it is only necessary that you correctly and adequately understand the most basic and important Truths of the Bible, and it is only essential that you correctly and adequately understand the essential Truths of the Bible, starting with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As I have hopefully made clear on this "page," the essential Truths you need to know begin with the individual Truths of the Gospel of Scripture. For according to the Scriptures, these are the Truths that are essential to knowing God… i.e. having a personal relationship with Him, and in so doing, obtaining eternal Life and fellowship with Him.
On this “Gospel page,” I have stated and explained the Gospel of Scripture to you, and also explained the Truths you need to know, in order to grow in the Spirit of THE LORD beyond “spiritual infancy.” And I have hopefully impressed on you that the further you progress toward spiritual “adulthood,” the better your relationship with THE LORD will be, both in the remainder of your earthly life and forever after. Quite a "prize," to be sure.
Gospel Text Box 6
Once you correctly understand these essential Truths, the most basic and important Truths will come easily and fall into place. From there, the more you learn of the Truth of God, the better.
But the essential Truths are the ones you have to know. Not one can be left out, or you will not have the knowledge that is essential to have. And you will know that these Truths are True and reliable, because 1) they all agree with one another, 2) they all combine together harmoniously, into more complete, greater and “higher” Truth, and 3) they agree together with all the words and teachings of Scripture.
Not one essential Truth can be left out or misunderstood, or you will loose your connection to the power of Truth. For Truth itself is like electricity, and in your mind, the essential Truths of Scripture are like the individual links in a metal chain, each one connected to the next. Not one can be left out, or the "chain" will no longer conduct the "current." No current no power, no power no light, no light, and you are unable to “see” the Truth you need to know.
And there really aren’t all that many essential Truths to learn. In fact, they are all to be found on this website, most on this “Gospel page.” If you have been reading and “listening” carefully, you should already know them, and be able to “see” how they all fit together and harmonize with all of the most basic and important Truths of the Bible.
Once you have connected all the essential Truths, they provide the “light” you need, in order to “see” the most basic and important Truths. And once you have connected those, you have all the “light” you need, to more easily and readily “see” the rest of the Truth you seek to know… assuming you do… each and every individual Truth being an individual “link” in the “chain.”
And just to be sure you have it right… i.e. correct… check your math! Check each individual Truth you determine, to confirm that it agrees with every other, and with all the words and teachings of Scripture. That’s how you know you have made correct determinations of Truth, and in so doing, understood the Scriptures correctly.
And in addition to the written Word of God… i.e. the Truth of God conveyed by the written words of Scripture… you also have the guidance of the Living Word of God to go by: THE LORD Jesus Christ Himself! So while you are learning the teachings of the Bible and striving to obey them, keep your eyes on Him!
Look closely, and you will “see” that in His first coming, THE LORD not only came to reconcile mankind to Himself through His death and resurrection, He also came to Personally show the Way. And so “say” the Scriptures:
18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. [John 1]
Indeed, in His sinless Person and work in His own human life on the earth, THE LORD Himself explained and modeled the person He wants you to be. He came to be a living example of what it is to be a faithful and obedient child of God… which every child of God should strive to be.
In large part, that’s why He made Himself known as the “Son” of God in the daily living of His life as a human being. He did so, in order to Personally demonstrate how the “children of God” should live their earthly lives before their “Heavenly Father,” starting with: trusting and obeying Him, speaking and praying to Him, worshiping and serving Him.
As to serving THE LORD, an all-inclusive summary of His instructions is to be found among His last words to His followers, as His first coming drew to an end. Some people appropriately refer to it as “the great commission,” and you will find parts of it at the end of each of the first four “books” of the New Testament, which writings document THE LORD’s earthly life and ministry.
The essential words are these: “make disciples of all the nations,” and “teaching them to observe all I have commanded you.” The two-part summary is: God’s people are to 1) share the Gospel with the “unsaved,” and 2) serve THE LORD by serving His people… i.e. our spiritual “brothers” and “sisters” in Christ. In short, we minister to them by helping them with their own spiritual growth in THE LORD.
By the way, as used in the Scriptures, the English verbs “minister” and “serve” are simply alternate translations of the same word. In other words, they mean the same thing.
The same goes for the nouns “ministry” and “service.” As used in the Bible, they mean exactly the same thing. And by no accident or coincidence, the meaning is: “meeting the needs of others, at cost to self”... just as He did.
Simply enough, if you are a child of God, the extent to which you think, feel, speak, behave and live as He did, is also the extent to which you are obedient to the Word of God! And so, as you follow His example, the sanctifying work of God’s Spirit shapes and perfects you, the more like Jesus Christ you become, and the more you become the person God wants you to be.
So, in addition to learning and following the teachings of the Bible, we should also do our best to be as much like Jesus Christ as possible, at all times and in all circumstances. As we become more and more like Him in our thoughts, feelings, words and deeds, we become more and more like God, in the ways in which a human being can be like God… loving, caring, kind, giving, forgiving, forbearing and so on… which traits are purely spiritual in nature.
Over time, these qualities become part of us, and of who we are as individual human beings. And this we will take with us, in our final deliverance to God in heaven... i.e. “salvation, part 3.” There, we will be united with God forevermore… i.e. “eternal Life, part 3.”
@ The Prime Directive
Between the earthly life of Christ and the teachings of the Bible, the personal characteristics God wants us to have are entirely obvious. To name but a few: Truthfulness, faithfulness, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, gentleness and humility. And what they all have in common, is that they are all encompassed in love.
That’s why “love” is so often spoken of in Scripture, as the supreme and all-encompassing virtue. As THE LORD said of the “Old Testament” in its entirety:
37 "...You shall love THE LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets. [Matthew 22]
And as for the age to come… i.e. the present age in which we are currently living, here in the twenty-first century… He said:
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have Loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” [John 13]
I could fill a lengthy chapter with the teachings of Scripture on the subject of love, but here are just a few of the many:
12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. [1 Corinthians 13]
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. [Galatians 5]
14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the Truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from Whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. [Ephesians 4]
1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. [Philippians 2]
12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. [Colossians 3]
11 Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our LORD direct our way to you; 12 and may THE LORD cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; [1 Thessalonians 3]
5 But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. [1 Timothy 1]
13 Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit Who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. [2 Timothy1]
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. [Hebrews 10]
22 Since you have in obedience to the Truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, 23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the Living and enduring Word of God. [1 Peter 1]
8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. [1 Peter 4]
5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the True knowledge of our LORD Jesus Christ. [2 Peter 1]
5 but whoever keeps His Word, in him the Love of God has Truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. [1 John 2]
16 We have come to know and have believed the Love which God has for us. God IS Love, and the one who abides in Love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He IS, so also are we in this world... 19 We love, because He first Loved us. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God Whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. [1 John 4]
And so, if you want an immediate knowledge of all the most important instructions of Scripture, they can all be summed up in one word: love. Just keep in mind and in focus, that the “love” spoken of in Scripture… i.e. the “Love” that originates in God… is not merely an emotional feeling or state of mind. It is first and foremost our acts of meeting the needs of others, at cost to ourselves.
Recall the definition of God’s Love:
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. [John 3]
And here is an explanation of the Love of God in action, in, among and through God’s children:
16 We know Love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the Love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and Truth. [1 John 3]
So if you want to be faithful and obedient to THE LORD and follow His example, start with the all-encompassing, all-inclusive commandment of God to His children in this age, that we love one another as He has Loved us. Everything we do toward others in obedience to Him, proceeds from this “prime directive” of THE LORD.
This is what it is to “follow” Him, “walk” with Him, worship Him, and serve Him. This is what it is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ!
And remember, the sacrificial Love He spoke of, lived, and extended to others was made real in the real world by the things He actually did in the real world. In the same way, we obey His commandment to meet the needs of others only in the things we actually do in real life, not merely think, feel, say or sing.
Very often the only cost of serving others is a little time and effort on our part. But whenever we feel the “sacrifice” becoming too great, we should reflect on what THE LORD Himself gave, and use that as the standard against which to compare what we give of ourselves. Here is what He said about that:
23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” [Luke 9]
27 “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” [Luke 14]
Obviously, THE LORD was speaking figuratively in saying this. He didn’t mean we must literally carry a cross and physically die on it. He meant that in order to obey His “prime directive,” we must “die to self” in order to live for Him and do as He has commanded, as a way of life. Here is a clear explanation of the meaning of this key Truth of the Scriptures:
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. [Romans 12]
And if you want to know what is “acceptable" and "perfect” in the eyes of God, just read Matthew, chapters five through seven. In these three “chapters” of Scripture, you will find in plain and simple human language, a “crash-course” on all of the most basic and important teachings of the Word of God, along with a summary of His instructions, directions and commandments.
And be sure to notice this key verse, which is the summary of the summary of all THE LORD’s teachings and instructions, direct from the mouth of THE LORD Himself:
48 Therefore you are to be perfect, as your Heavenly Father IS Perfect. [Matthew 5]
Obviously again, no human being other than Jesus Christ Himself can be Perfect. That's why He also instructs us to ask for His wisdom, strength and help in obeying Him, and for His forgiveness, when we fall short... which we surely will. How short is up to each and every individual child of God… “you” and “me” included. So choose extra-carefully, because you most surely will do as you choose.
There! I have finally finished the “Gospel page”… again. I just hope it stays finished this time, so I will finally be ready and able to concentrate on my mission to the wayward people of God... and whoever else might choose to “listen"… on the "page” for my messages.
But even though I have yet to begin these “messages,” I have already told you what you need to know and do, in order to be prepared for the return of THE LORD. Do you remember what it is, or have you forgotten already?
What you need to know is the Word of God… at least the most basic and important parts of it… which one cannot do apart from understanding the Scriptures correctly and adequately. What you need to do is simply this: Strive to be faithful to God and obedient to His Word... "written" and Living... so He will find you doing that upon His arrival… or upon your physical death and arrival before Him, should that come first.
Come to think of it, I have also given you a “glimpse” of what comes after that, so you are now at least adequately informed in that regard, as well. So at a minimum, I have gotten you started in the Way of God or, at least, pointed in that direction.
Additionally, I have informed you that far better than I could ever do, you have the Bible to provide you with all the Truth you need to know and more… much more. And as it happens, reading and studying the Scriptures is itself obedience to THE LORD. Just don't forget the doing part... i.e. your works. As the Scriptures say:
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of Truth. [2 Timothy 2]
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. [2 Timothy 3]
21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. [James 1]
And as THE LORD Himself said:
31 …If you continue in My Word, then you are Truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the Truth, and the Truth will make you free. [John 8]
So hopefully, I have now at least done my part in part. What you do about it, and what part you do of your part is strictly up to you.
© copyright 2020, John the Baptist (Balaamsass publishing). All Rights Reserved... except that permission is hereby granted to reproduce anything on this
website, under the conditions that it not be altered in any way… including the dots… not be taken/used out of context, and that its origin be properly cited.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible® Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by
The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org”
Powered by GoDaddy