THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
A statement of the Gospel and Atonement
Any Gospel not based on the revealed truths of the Bible is apostasy and belongs to the teachings of demons!
(2 John 1:10 NCV) If someone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not welcome or accept that person into your house.
Man was made to relate to God on a personal basis and when man is not in this relationship He is not living the life God requires him to live or placing Himself in the way of the blessings God wishes to give him!
In the beginning God created everything because of this owns everything.
(Genesis 1:1 NKJV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
God created people male and female in His Image. When we look at people we are seeing a reflection of God’s Nature and it is to this nature that He desires us to mature into.
(Genesis 1:26-27 NKJV) Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; …So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Originally all creation was in harmony with God, It was probably on the day of rest that Adam and Eve sinned as the first six days were ‘good’ but the Seventh was not described as such.
(Genesis 1:31-2:1 NKJV) Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.
Mankind walked in a face-to-face relationship with God in the park (Par-dice in Hebrew) He had created for them
(Genesis 2:15-17 NKJV) Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
Man disobeyed God and rejected God’s rule and that this resulted in man being separated from God
(Genesis 3:5-8 NKJV) "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
(Genesis 3:9-11 NKJV) Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?"
Physical death resulted from this as spiritual death had already occurred (Man had separated himself from God which is spiritual death). Note that it is in the man the sin was accounted as being the cause of death and not the woman who ate first. If Adam had been carrying out his responsibilities correctly Eve would never have been near that tree and as head of the family He was responsible for protecting her from sin.
(Romans 5:12 NKJV) Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned;
Jesus was the one promised then to defeat Satan and reconcile man to God
(Genesis 3:14 NKJV) So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. (Genesis 3:15 NCV) I will make you and the woman enemies to each other. Your descendants and her descendants will be enemies. One of her descendants will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel."
Mankind’s relationship with God was broken as a result as man was cast out of the place where he used to walk in a face-to-face relationship with God.
(Genesis 3:24 NKJV) So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
All have voluntarily sinned (done that which is evil and wrong) and fallen short of God’s Glory (His nature and His requirements) and are unable to save themselves from the punishment of rebellion (sin) against God.
(Romans 3:23 KJV) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
The result of Sin is spiritual death (separation from God) and physical death but through Jesus God gives us the gift of eternal life (Spiritual life in His presence)
(Romans 6:23 NCV) When people sin, they earn what sin pays -- death. But God gives us a free gift -- life forever in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Unworthy as we are of God even considering us as possible citizens of His Kingdom, Jesus died for us out of His love so we could enter into a relationship with Him now and in Eternity
(Romans 5:7-8 NCV) Very few people will die to save the life of someone else. Although perhaps for a good person someone might possibly die. But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
We die once and then are judged for our sins - there is no second chance!
(Hebrews 9:27 NCV) Just as everyone must die once and be judged,
Jesus is the only way to God
(John 14:6 NCV) Jesus answered, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.
Jesus has broken down the wall that separates us from God and has reconciled (removed the barriers between) us to God
(1 Timothy 2:5 NKJV) For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
Jesus can deliver what He said He could
(John 5:24 NKJV) "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
You must confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and believe Him to be so and show it by your lifestyle. (Righteousness simply means being in a correct relationship with God).
(Romans 10:9-10 NKJV) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
If you have done these things and have decided to obey Jesus in all you do, you now have eternal life in Jesus and have been restored to a relationship with Him!
(1 John 5:11 NCV) This is what God told us: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
This Salvation is for everyone as Jesus came to save people and not condemn people. All are redeemed but only those accepting what Jesus offers in accordance with His requirements, are saved.
(John 3:16-17 NKJV) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Jesus rose from the dead and went to Heaven Where He is now!
(Matthew 28:6 NCV) He is not here. He has risen from the dead as he said he would. Come and see the place where his body was.
You must believe what the scriptures say about these things
(1 Corinthians 15:3-4) NKJV) For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
You must show you are a follower of Jesus by doing His work and living and He desires you to live.
(John 14:15 NKJV) "If you love Me, keep My commandments.
As a result of your obedience to Jesus you must believe Jesus has prepared a place for you in Heaven and will reward your faithful obedience and trust in Him and His promises!
(John 14:2-3 NKJV) "In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
Heb 11:6 KJV But without faith it is impossible to please him : for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
And believe we will be with Jesus the moment we die!
(2 Corinthians 5:8 KJV) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
You will be given a reward according to your obedience to Him.
(Hebrews 11:6 NCV) Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him.
(2 Corinthians 5:10 KJV) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
(Galatians 6:7-9 KJV) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
When you are with Jesus you will no longer have the problems you had on the earth
(Revelation 21:4 NKJV) "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
And we will once again walk in face-to-face fellowship in heaven as Adam and Eve did in the park called Eden.
Jesus by His death on the cross, was able to pay the penalty required by God for our disobedience and retore us to a relationship with God and that when God sees us, we are accepted because of what Jesus has done for us.
(Romans 5:18 NEV) Because of Adam’s sin and the way it affected us we all ended up doing wrong and falling short of God’s requirements and were going to be punished but Jesus met God’s requirements and gave us the chance to be restored to a relationship with God and eternal life if we accept what He offers us.
(1 Corinthians 1:30 NCV) Because of God you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God. In Christ we are put right with God, and have been made holy, and have been set free from sin.
This is a result of nothing we have started or could do, but purely a result of God’s actions - our role is obedient faith.
(Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
The scriptures states that God requires another animal to die in our place for us to be redeemed from the eternal consequences of wrongs against Him trough not doing what He requires of us! Every sin has two parts: the disobeying of a requirement of God and the lack of love shown to another that causes them eventual hurt or pain.
(Leviticus 17:11 NCV) This is because the life of the body is in the blood, and I have given you rules for pouring that blood on the altar to remove your sins so you will belong to the LORD. It is the blood that removes the sins, because it is life.
Mat 25:39 Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it to me
Jesus was God and only needed to die once because the scope and coverage of His death was infinite and eternal in consequences (it covered all the universe and all time) but it is only for those who accept His sacrifice on their behalf!
(Hebrews 9:28 NCV) so Christ was offered as a sacrifice one time to take away the sins of many people. And he will come a second time, not to offer himself for sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Jesus has removed the need for us to sacrifice animals to redeem ourself from the eternal consequences of sin
(Hebrews 10:14 NCV) With one sacrifice he made consecrated (and made acceptable) forever those who are being made holy.
We now can be restored to the relationship with Jesus, whenever we do sin (not meet God’s requirements through disobeying God) by sincere repentance of our sins - admitting to God we did wrong and trying very hard not to do this wrong again.
(1 John 1:9 NCV) But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done.
He will never reject anyone who comes to Him for salvation.
John 6:37 Everything and everyone that the Father has given me will come to me, and I won’t turn any of them away.
You must believe in your heart thatJesus The Lord of all, that He rose from the dead and are willing to tell otherd all about Jesus and what He has done for for you and them.
Rom 10:9-10 So you will be saved, if you honestly say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others.
You must also obey what Jesus desires you to do if He is really your Lord.
Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
What does He desire you to do?
Jesus’ mission statement for ministry was as follows:
Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
His example was as follows:
Matthew 4:23:
And Jesus went about all Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues,
and preaching the gospel of the kingdom,
delivering people from the effects of Satan on them
and healing all manner of sickness
and all manner of disease among the people.
This is what our objective should be:
Jesus will help you in this as he said that anyone who wanted to know what to do to serve Him would be told by The Holy Spirit, either directly or taught by another The Holy Spirit sends to them to teach them of the things of God.
Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
The last words of Jesus to His people can be summarized as follows:
"All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in My name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
One of the signs of our being a follower of Jesus is our love for Him expressed in the way we live in obedience to His Will for us. Obedience results in The Holy Spirit being sent to live in us and help us:
Joh 14:15-16 Jesus said to his disciples: If you love me, you will do as I command. Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help you and always be with you.
We will be rewarded for our obedience and one of the requirements of faith is that we must believe God will reward us for our loving service of Him:
Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Remember that evangelism is really telling what Jesus has done for people in the kingdom of Satan and how He has affected your life as a result of your accepting what He has done.
If you love as Jesus Loves you will go and tell people what He has done for them so they can enjoy what you have received as a result of accepting what He has done for you.
You must endure to the end:
Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endures to the end shall be saved.
The keys to victory is to put the things of Jesus before your own values and purposes and be faithful to His Calling of you till you die.:
Rev 12:11
(MSG) They defeated him through the blood of the Lamb and the bold word of their witness. They weren’t in love with themselves; they were willing to die for Christ.Rev 12:11
CEV) Our people defeated Satan because of the blood of the Lamb and the message of God. They were willing to give up their lives.You must hold the Will (what God wants you to do) of God as being more important than your own life and its purposes"
Mat 10:39 Those who try to gain their own life will lose it; but those who lose their life for my sake will gain it.
God promises to supply all you need in this life for those who seek to be in a correct relationship with him as well as the furtherance of His Kingdom :
Mat 6:31-34 Don’t worry and ask yourselves, "Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear? Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these. But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well. Don’t worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today."
He also promises to never test you above what you can cope with:
1Co 10:13 You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptations.
To become a follower of jesus will cost you all that you have but in return you will gain riches unimaginable in the world to come.