To listen to Nancy’s response recorded live on Moody Radio click here.
Without all of the add-ons that religion has tagged onto the gospel throughout time, what is its definition? The word “gospel” means good news.
It is great news for all of us when we believe that God provided a way for all of us to be forgiven of our sins.
Paul clearly defined it in 1 Corinthians 15:1-6 “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved if you hold fast to the word I preached to you unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”
What do we have to do to earn salvation? Nothing! Romans 1:16-17 states, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For in it is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.” Not by doing good things to bring on salvation, but by trusting completely in Jesus and what He did for us on the cross.
Ephesians 2: 8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Is it blind faith? Absolutely not.
Dr. D. James Kennedy in his book, Why I Believe, writes: “The evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ has been examined more carefully than the evidence for any other fact in history. It has been weighed and considered by the greatest of scholars,Among them Simon Greenleaf, the Royal professor of law at Harvard from 1833 to 1848 who helped bring Harvard Law School to preeminence, and who has been called the greatest authority on legal evidences in the history of the world. When Greenleaf turned his mind upon the resurrection of Christ and focused upon it the light of all the laws of evidence, he concluded that the resurrection of Christ was a reality, that it was a historical event, and that anyone who examined the evidence for it honestly would be convinced this was the case.”
If it is true, and it is, what difference does it make to you next week on Thursday at 4:00pm that Jesus died and rose again?
Think about it for a moment.
No matter what the circumstance, you know for sure that you are a Christian a child of the King. You are secure in his love even though you know you don’t deserve it. You know that God is with you and can hear your prayers to Him. He will accept your confession of sin and forgive you and not condemn you. No matter what the situation, it is your responsibility to make sure that God will ultimately get the glory. If this is going to be something that will take your life, you will know with confidence that you will be taken directly to Heaven.
- 1 Corinthians 6:13 “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”
- Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
- John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
- Psalm 23:1-4 “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”