A Gospel Refresher

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Gospel of our salvation (Eph 1:13). The Good News is that God, in His predetermined plan and foreknowledge (Acts 2:23), chose a people for salvation (Rom 11:5–6; Col 3:12; 2 Thess 2:13). He predestined His elect to adoption as sons before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:5). He saved us from beginning to end (Rom 8:30); for salvation belongs to the Lord (Ps 3:8; Jon 2:9; Rev 19:1), to the glory of the Father (Phil 2:11; 4:20), who sent His Son into the world (Jn 3:16; 1 Jn 4:14), to be the one and only Savior of sinners (Acts 4:12; 1 Tim 1:15; Titus 1:4; 2:13; 2 Pet 1:1).

The Fall

When God the Father gave His church to God the Son, He wrote our names in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev 13:8; 17:8; 21:27). Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world from His beloved (Jn 1:29; Rom 11:27; 1 Jn 3:5), who were captive to sin in the world (Jn 8:34; Rom 6:6, 16–20). This captivity began when the serpent tempted Adam and Eve into unbelief, leading to disobedience (Gen 3). The original sin of Adam has been humanity’s inheritance in every generation (Rom 5:12). We have all been conceived in sin in our mother’s womb (Ps 51:5).

Sin

Sin pervades everything in this evil world of darkness (Is 13:11; Jn 3:19; 12:46; 1 Jn 5:19). Sin is lawlessness (1 Jn 3:4); and all have sinned against the Law-giver (Rom 3:23; 5:12), who is Yahweh, the covenant making God of Israel. Humanity is at enmity with God (Rom 5:9–10). The natural man (1 Cor 2:14), void of the Holy Spirit is a hater of God (Jn 14:17; hater of Christ (Jn 7:7); and hater of Christians (Jn 15:18–25).

The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). Death is the ultimate enemy of every living soul. It is appointed for a man to die, once, and then comes the judgment of God (Heb 9:27), and the sentence of eternal punishment of fiery hell in the lake of fire (Mt 25:41, 46; Jude 7; Rev 20:14–15). This is the bad news that makes the good news so good.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, came into the world to save sinners (Lk 19:10; 1 Tim 1:15). He came to save His people from their sins (Mt 1:21). Christ died for us, according to the Scriptures (Rom 5:8; 1 Cor 15:3; 1 Pet 3:18). He laid down His life for his sheep (Jn 10:11, 15). He bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Pet 2:24). He shed His precious blood for the forgiveness of our sins (Mt 26:28; Heb 9:22). He appeased the wrath of God directed against us — ungodly, unrighteous sinners (Rom 3:25; Heb 2:17; 1 Jn 2:2; 4:10). He released us from our sins and redeemed us from the curse of the Law (Gal 3:13; Col 1:14; Rev 1:5).

The Substitutionary Sacrifice

In love, Christ offered Himself to God as our substitute sacrifice for sins (Heb 9:26; 10:12). The Lamb of God, in an act of self-sacrifice by our great high priest (Heb 4:14), was slain (Rev 5:6, 12). Christ’s church has been purchased by the precious blood (Acts 20:28). We are a people of God’s own possession (Titus 2:14; 1 Pet 2:9). We belong to Christ (1 Cor 3:23), our God and Savior (Titus 1:4; 2:13; 2 Pet 1:1), who reconciled us to God (Rom 5:10–11; 2 Cor 5:18–20; Col 1:20, 22). We have peace with God (Eph 2:14–15).

The Holy Spirit

The application of Christ’s atonement is the work of the Holy Spirit. Christ gives eternal life to whomever he wishes (Mt 11:27), always doing the will of the Father (Jn 8:29; 14:31), who is well-pleased with His beloved Son (Mt 3:17; 17:5). The Father and the Son send God the Spirit to the ones chosen by the Father and redeemed by the Son (Jn 14:26; 15:26). It is the Holy Spirit who causes the elect, redeemed to be born again of God (Jn 3:1–8; Eph 1:13; 1 Pet 1:3).

Regeneration

The new birth is the resurrection of one’s soul from the spiritual deadness caused by inherited sin and the indwelling sin nature (Eph 2:1, 3, 5). Sin reigns in the mortal flesh until this regeneration occurs, whereby the Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in one’s soul (Jn 14:17; Rom 8:9, 11; Heb 13:5). Some have the indwelling Spirit; while others do not have the Spirit of Christ. The presence or absence of the life-giving Spirit is the evidence of one’s salvation or damnation (Jn 3:36; 1 Jn 5:12).

Christian Life

The life of God in the soul of man is the grace of God at work in those He made alive, spiritually (Eph 2:5; Col 2:13). For by grace we are saved, it is not of ourselves, it is a gift of God so that no true believer will boast in anything pertaining to salvation (Eph 2:8–9). Our boast is in the Lord Jesus Christ who has accomplished everything that concerns us (Ps 138:8). The life we now live is by faith in the Son of God (Gal 2:20)

Faith is a gift of God granted by God in His grace toward those He has enlightened by illumining the eyes of their hearts (Eph 1:18; Phil 1:29). Faith can see things the physical eye of the body cannot see. Jesus opened the eyes of the blind (Jn 9); and the Spirit of Christ has opened the eyes of the believer that he or she might see Jesus for all He is and all He does. The unseen things, revealed by hearing the Word of Christ, is the source of one’s faith (Rom 10:17). Jesus is the author of one’s faith (Heb 12:2). The receiver of Christ says, “I know whom I have believed…”

The life of faith is a walk led by the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:16, 25), who teaches the saints along the way home to the Father (Jn 14:26). We learn the truth as it is in Jesus (Eph 4:21); and we do not lean on our own understanding because it is the father of lies who is ever deceiving (Jn 8:44; 2 Cor 4:4). God is true; and every man is a liar (Rom 3:4). Therefore, we learn God’s Word because it is the Word of truth (Jn 17:17). This is the truth that sets us free from the false teachers promoting the doctrines of demons (Jn 8:32–36; 1 Tim 4:1).

With the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16), and with the Spirit of discernment, we grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Pet 3:18). This we do until the end, either of our lives or the end of the world. There is no fear in either event for the Christian because he knows the promises of God, regarding our going to be with the Lord (Phil 1:23), and the resurrection to life on the last day at Christ’s second coming (Jn 5:28–29; 1 Thess 4:13–5:11; Rev 19:11–21).

Blessed Assurance

There is no end to the Good News because our eternal home is forever with eternal life (Eccl 12:5; 1 Jn 5:11–13), which is found only in Jesus Christ, who is our life (Col 3:4). He has given us His life (1 Jn 5:11), by giving us Himself, which is truly the good news of our salvation. We are in union with Christ (1 Jn 4:13), who is in union with the Father (Jn 10:30), and nothing can separate us from that community of love (Rom 8:35–39). He said so; and we believe Him.

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

April 26, 2024