THE GOSPEL : A SIMPLE EXPLANATION

Ironically, the first news is bad news. This understanding is part of understanding the need that exists and is thereby addressed by the Gospel. There is a solution, but for what? We must first understand the problem we are in:

1. You Are A Sinner

The first fact that you need to realize in life is that you are a natural-born sinner, a natural transgressor against God:

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23.

"As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:10.

"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." Psalm 51:5.

Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, FOR THAT ALL HAVE SINNED: (Romans 5:12)If we say that we have not sinned, WE MAKE HIM A LIAR, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:10)

Most people have the false idea that we all LEARN to be sinners as we grow older and are influenced by evil, but this isn't true. God's word declares that we are all sinners by nature. We are all transgressors against God.

We are, from the moment of Adam’s fall, a rebellious and sinful race, a fallen race, separate from God, who alone is holy.

2. You Are Going To Die

Death isn't a very popular subject, but it is certainly a very REAL subject. Sooner or later, your heart will beat for the last time, your loved ones will mourn over your passing, and your body will be laid to rest in a grave. It's a fact of life. People die, and the Bible tells us WHY:

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Romans 5:12.

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23.

Why do people die? People die because people are SINNERS. Do you remember the story of Adam and

Eve in the garden of Eden? It wasn't until AFTER they had sinned that they were subject unto death.

God told them in Genesis 2:17 that they would "die" when they ate of the forbidden fruit. Before man had sinned, he was ABOVE death, not subject unto it. Today, however, we are all sinners, because we have all inherited our sin nature from Adam. We must all die, just as Adam died (Genesis 5:5).

3. You Will Be Judged

God is the All-powerful Creator, the Supreme Commander of the Universe. He is in complete control of all people, places, and things, so no one should think it unreasonable that God intends to judge all men. We must all give account to our Maker.

"For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Ecclesiastes 12:14.

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Hebrews 9:27.

It may be a terrifying thought, but it is still the truth: YOU will stand before God and you will be judged by Him. Every sin that you have ever committed will be revealed--EVERY SECRET SIN! You may have managed to hide many things from your fellow man, but you have hid NOTHING from God. He knows all things, and He will hold you accountable. You WILL be judged.

4. You Can't Save Yourself

When God judges this world, millions upon millions of people are going to be absolutely SHOCKED to find out that NO ONE--ABSOLUTELY NO ONE--was able to earn their way into Heaven. People have the false idea that they'll be permitted to enter Heaven as long as they "do more good works than bad." The word of God tells us just the opposite:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9.

"But to him that works not, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Romans 4:5.

We can never meet up to God’s standards by our own efforts:

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Isaiah 64:6.

The "good works" that you do are only good in YOUR eyes. In God's sight, you are a hopeless sinner, and your works are totally unacceptable. If you are counting on your own righteousness to save you, then you are setting yourself up for a very big disappointment. "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth." Romans 10:3-4.

The Bible clearly states that we are all cursed with sin, and that we are all totally incapable of earning our salvation by our own righteousness. Friend, unless your SINS are removed, God will NOT accept you. You are hopeless.

5. Your Only Hope Is The Lord Jesus Christ

When you are ready to accept the fact that you are a lost and dying sinner and that your "good works" are unacceptable to God, then you can begin to see your need for Jesus Christ. He came into this world to lay down His sinless life for YOU--to pay for your sins, because you couldn't. Jesus is your only hope for salvation. Only by receiving Him as your Savior can you enter the gates of Heaven. There is no other way.

"Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father but by me." John 14:6.

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12.

Notice these important words from Romans 5:8-10:

"But God shows his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!"

He loves you and wants you to know it. He was mocked and tortured for you. He suffered on the cross for you. He died for you. He underwent all these because of His love.
Jesus PAID your way to Heaven for you:

To cover the sin of Adam and Eve, THE BLOOD of an innocent lamb was shed. (Gen. 3:21)

" . . . John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said: Behold THE LAMB of God, which TAKES AWAY THE SIN of the world." (John 1:29)

Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross to pay the penalty for YOUR sin!

"Who his own self bare OUR SINS in his own body on the tree,. . ." (1 Peter 2:24)" . . . Unto him that loved us, and washed us from OUR SINS in his own BLOOD," (Revelation 1:5b)

By receiving Him as your Savior, you can be WASHED from all your sins in His precious Blood (Rev. 1:5; Col. 1:14; Acts 20:28; I Pet. 1:18-19).

By receiving Him as your Savior, you will be receiving God's ONLY means of Salvation for you.

BORN AGAIN???

In John 3:3, Jesus said that: “unless a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

He also said in the same conversation the following words:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son and that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)

The whole essence of the term “born again” or “born of above” is what it literally means: being reborn! A born-again person is a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17) He or she is indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 7:6, 8:9-17). We, who were born into the fallen family of Adam and therefore to sin, are now reborn into the family of Christ. It also means having a relationship with Christ, and of being declared as sons (and daughters) of God (John 1:12).

Are you willing to forsake YOUR righteousness and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, your ONLY HOPE for Salvation?

Romans 10:13 says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Romans 10:9 says, "That if you shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved."

Salvation, while being the most precious thing a person could receive, is ironically a free gift. It is not something that you can earn, that you can work on and receive in return. It cannot be earned by good works, by church going, by baptism, by religion, by penance…in fact, it is a GIFT, and as a gift, it is by definition FREE. It is given in LOVE, extended by GRACE, and received through FAITH (John 3:15-18, Acts 16:31, Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 2:1, 3:18, 24, 5:5, Romans 1:17, 3:20-28, 4:4-5, 5:1-2, 6:23, 10:8-13, Titus 3:5)

Of course, a GIFT must be RECEIVED in order for it to be YOURS.

The gift of God’s salvation is received by faith. As Acts 16:31 puts it “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved…” Believe here is not simply mental assent much deeper: it is an act of faith, an act of total trust, of acceptance.

(Friend, remember, though, that while the GIFT is FREE, it is NOT CHEAP. It was bought by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. It is only free because HE BOUGHT IT FOR YOU.)

Let us look at Romans 5:6-8. It says:

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Now try to see how this verses apply to you personally. Rephrase it as follows:

“You see, at just the right time, when ____(place your name)___ (was) still powerless, Christ died for ____(place your name)___. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for ____(place your name)___ in this: While ____(place your name)___ was still sinners, Christ died for ____(place your name)___.

Rephrase John 3:16, but and make it personal:

“For God so loved ____(place your name)___ that he gave his only begotten Son and that (if) ______(place your name)____ believes in him ___(he/she)___shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)

Is this how you see it? Do you see that God loves you? Consider the implications of these.

Do you recognize your inability to save yourself? Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for you? In fact, if YOU WERE THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD, CHRIST WOULD STILL DIE FOR YOU. THAT’S HOW MUCH HE LOVES YOU.

Do you accept this? Will you receive Christ as your Savior?

If you do, you may want to tell Jesus. Express it to Him in prayer. You may consider the following suggested prayer:“Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner unable to save myself. I have nothing good in me, only my sin. I thank you because You love me nonetheless, and because of this, You died on the cross to take away my sin. Thank you for washing away my sin with your blood. Thank you for your promise of forgiveness. I place my full trust, my and confidence in You and by faith I now receive you as my Savior. Amen.”