C. The Gospel Received

SALVATION THROUGH FAITH / BELIEVING IN JESUS

Salvation is the forgiveness of sins received when a person puts their faith in Jesus, that is, when a person believes in Him and His death on the cross for the atonement for all their sins. These two words, “faith” and “believe” are sometimes used alone and at other times interchangeably to explain two things which take place in the heart of a person who receives the Gospel. Before we take a look at what takes place in the heart, let’s survey some of the scripture which highlight these two important words and how they are used in the Bible.

“…by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8)

“…having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1)

“…apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, {22} even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; (Romans 3:21-22)

“…a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law;

“…Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31)

“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 3:16)

In these six verses given above we have a small sample of how these words “faith” and “believe” are used to describe, somewhat interchangeably, the two things which need to take place in the heart. With our mind, we understand the facts, and with our heart we trust in those facts to be true for ourselves. When a person hears the message of the Gospel and believes it to be true, and puts their faith and trust in Jesus, then that person has received the Gospel.

We realize of course that for one to believe the Gospel they have already embraced two other important things taught in the Bible. First, that all have sinned, and second, that all are under condemnation because of that sin. So then, there are four things which one needs to understand and acknowledge as true. The four essential facts that one needs to understand are these:

1. All have sinned.

2. All are under condemnation because of sin.

3. Forgiveness of sin was made possible through the death of Jesus.

4. Forgiveness is received through personal faith in the death of Jesus.

If a person understands these four statements and acknowledges them to be true, then that person is ready to believe and exercise saving faith for themselves – they are ready to receive the Gospel. However, to simply know these four things and to acknowledge them to be true does not constitute saving faith. A person must personally exercise faith in Jesus for themselves! Only then will they have truly received the Gospel.

A GIFT OF GOD BY GRACE

The salvation which is being explained here is a gift from God. This gift is given out of a heart of love. God loves this world and the people in it and He wants to forgive our sins and bring us into His family. The Bible tells us that God has brought this salvation to the world being moved by His kindness and mercy. God is compassionate and merciful and He has remembered us in our helpless condition providing salvation by His grace. Grace is undeserved favor. God’s grace is active in salvation when forgiveness is extended to undeserving sinners based on mercy rather than merit. When a gift is offered the gift-giver does not require payment, but gives the gift desiring a blessing for the recipient.

Let’s take a look at some passages in the New Testament which speak to God’s love, mercy and grace in His plan of Salvation.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; (Ephesians 2:8)

being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; (Romans 3:24)

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:7)

In a much longer passage in the book of Romans the apostle Paul explains many of the important things we have been discussing thus far. Let’s consider what he writes in chapter five.

But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. {16} And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. {17} For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. {18} So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. {19} For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. {20} And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, {21} that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:15-21)

Even though King David lived during the time of the Old Covenant He understood, perhaps as no one else, how loving and merciful God is to His creation, remembering that we are but dust. We will finish here with what David wrote in the Psalms.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; {3} Who pardons all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases; {4} Who redeems your life from the pit; Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; {5} Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. {9} He will not always strive with us; Nor will He keep His anger forever. {10} He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. {11} For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. {12} As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. {13} Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. {14} For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. (Psalms 103:1-14)

RECEIVING JESUS

In the Gospel of John, we learn that believing in Jesus is one and the same as receiving Him. (John 1:12) In explaining what it means to receive Jesus we said before that, when one understands that Jesus is the Savior of the world, and also realizes that He is Lord of all, then one simply welcomes Jesus into their life for who He is and what He has done. First, as our savior, we trust in Him for forgiveness, and second, as our Lord we bow our knee in submission, and begin to follow Jesus in a life of obedience. (I John 4:14; Philippians 2:11; Hebrews 5:9)

We have discussed in detail why we recognize Jesus as our Savior from sin and now we will look at why we view Jesus as our Lord. We begin with Jesus, when He gave His final instructions to the apostles as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. Here Jesus makes clear that all authority in Heaven and earth has been given to Him.

Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; (Matthew 28:18-20)

The apostles believed Jesus and followed these instructions as we see in the early sermons that they preached, a good example of which we find in the words of Peter when he said:

“…let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ– this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36)

The apostle Paul wrote:

“…God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, {10} that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, {11} and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

So then, it is clear that Jesus and the apostles confirmed that not only was Jesus the Savior of the world but that He is also Lord of all. What does this mean as we continue to consider all that is involved in receiving the Gospel?

REPENTANCE FROM SIN

Obedience to Jesus Christ our Lord means that we are going to turn away from the sins we were formerly practicing. This is what it means to repent. The apostle Paul referred to this as the “obedience of faith” and he explained that this was in part what he was called to do in the proclamation of the Gospel.

“…we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake; (Romans 1:5)

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, 26 but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 16:25-27)

The gospel message of salvation by faith through grace is presented to man as a free gift. But we believe that inherent with saving faith is a change of mind regarding the practice of sin which is known as repentance. This is not to be construed as man-made “work” or as a person earning their own salvation by doing good works. This call to repentance is found throughout the New Testament and is the natural byproduct of a true understanding of the nature of sin and its consequences, and of a person’s new relationship to Jesus their Lord.

The need for salvation is the result of rejecting the authority of God. In breaking God’s commandments and disregarding God’s plans and purposes man has brought condemnation upon himself and untold misery on the human family. The invitation to receive forgiveness of sin is the call to reconciliation with God. True conversion takes place when the sinner sees the folly of life lived in disobedience to God and the blessing of living in total obedience to Him.

Repentance then is not a man-made requirement but a God given blessing which is inherent to true conversion. This is what is meant by “the obedience of faith”. One wonders how anyone could conceive of a “Plan of Salvation from Sin” that invites men to acknowledge some facts of history and continue to live in sin and disobedience to God. Salvation from sin is not just forgiveness of the moral debt of sin but deliverance from a life of sin through personal repentance and obedience to the word of God under the Lordship of Christ.

The apostle Peter in one of his first sermons after Jesus rose from the dead made this clear that God intended that the salvation which He offered came with the understanding that those who received it would be turning away from their sins,

“For you first, God raised up His Servant, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.” (Acts 3:26)

Consider the call to repentance as found over and over in scripture:

1. Jesus: “…and He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; {47} and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.’ ” (Luke 24:46-47)

2. Peter: And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

3. Paul: I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, {21} solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:20-21)

“Consequently, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, {20} but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance. (Acts 26:19-20)

Repentance from sin is the natural course of action for one who has responded to the call to receive Jesus and believe in His name. Notice how the apostle Paul in the previous two verses links repentance and faith. Any call to faith in Jesus that does not include a call to repentance from sin is contrary to what is taught in the Bible.

CONFESSING JESUS

We have learned that believing in the name of Jesus means that one is receiving Him as Savior and Lord. When we receive Jesus as Lord we will naturally repent and turn from our sins. But there is one other thing which will come naturally from our new relationship to Christ, we will confess Him with our mouth. Let’ look again at what the apostle Paul wrote.

“…God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, {10} that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, {11} and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

As we mentioned earlier, when a person has believed in Jesus, been baptized and become His disciple he will have started a new life in Christ! The new believer will sooner or later have occasion to make known to others his new relationship to Jesus. Jesus taught his followers that no one who believes in Him should be ever be ashamed to confess Him as their Savior and Lord. (Matthew 10:32-33)

The apostle Paul writes:

If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord,

and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,

you shall be saved. (Romans 10:9)

NOT BY WORKS

The scriptures teach us that salvation is not attained by doing good works. The statements in the Bible which explain this usually do so in the context of the works of the law of Moses. Many in the early Christian community came from a Jewish background and were committed to keeping the Old covenant as found in the Law of Moses. One of the biggest issues for the early church was the question of the status of the Law of Moses. Some insisted that in order to be saved a person must continue to keep the law including the practice of circumcision.

One can understand the difficulty these early Christians had in breaking away from their Old Testament roots. However, the apostles clearly taught the new covenant in Christ had replaced the old covenant with its practice of the law of Moses. This idea of salvation by works also would include any other attempt by an individual to try and merit God’s acceptance and forgiveness by means of the practice of any system of good works, morals or ethics. Some would suggest that it really does not matter what religion you practice as long as you are “living a good life”. However, there is no religious system on earth that can cancel out the debt of sin and give back to man the perfect righteousness lost to sin!

God is not calling the people of this world to adopt a religion but to come into a very real relationship with Him and His Son Jesus Christ. While Christians are called to continue to keep God’s commandments this is not the means by which a person gains salvation. Consider the following scriptures:

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, that no one should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, {5} He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy. (Titus 3:4-5)

In the next verse Paul points out that a person who wants to work for his salvation is paid what he deserves. Unfortunately, the wages of sin, any sin, is death. However, the one who does not work, but receives the gift of forgiveness of sin by faith, this one is considered righteous by God.

Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. {5} But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. (Romans 4:4-5)

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

In another place Paul points out that if a person could be declared righteous by doing good works then there would have been no need for Christ to go to the cross to die for sins. This again points out the error of the one trying to work for their own salvation.

…nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified… {21} “I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.” (Galatians 2:16;21)

KEEPING GOD’S COMMANDMENTS

To say one is saved by faith and not works is not to say that one is no longer called on to observe God’s commandments. All are called to live in obedience to God’s commandments, however, the believer realizes that this is not the basis of salvation but rather the result of salvation and genuine conversion. The numerous places in the New Testament which warn of certain judgment for those who continue in persistent and willful sin should make it very clear that we are to keep God’s commandments after conversion.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, {10} nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. {11} And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, {20} idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, {21} envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. {6} Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. {7} Therefore do not be partakers with them; (Ephesians 5:5-7)

Some might suggest that the keeping of commandments is very legalistic and that all one needs to do is love. This sounds good on the surface but fails to take into account some important biblical instruction. First, we would remind the reader that Jesus told His disciples to go and teach all that He had commanded them (Matthew 28:19-20). While Jesus commanded love He also said that none of God’s commandments were to be annulled.

“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. {18} “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished. {19} “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19)

Jesus did teach that love of God and neighbor are the most important duties of man but with that He pointed out that all the laws of the Old Testament were designed and built upon the principle of love.

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” {37} And He said to him, “‘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 22:36-40)

Furthermore, the apostle Paul also taught the supremacy of love in all things but was careful to point out that real love of neighbor is total conformity to all of God’s commands, given for the preservation of life and the good of our neighbor.

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. {9} For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” {10} Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:8-10)

We have explained in detail what the Gospel message is and what it means to receive that message. But the apostle Paul wrote to the early believers that they would be saved if they were to “hold fast” onto this message which they had received. Please continue to the next topic, “The Gospel Held Fast” to learn more.