“As it is written: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’” (Romans 9:33NKJV)
God’s way of salvation is Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. The only righteousness sufficient to make a guilty sinner right with God is the righteousness of Jesus credited to the believer by faith. This crediting Jesus’ righteousness to sinners who believe in Him is called imputation. The Bible does not teach that Jesus makes believers righteous in themselves. Rather, He Himself is their righteousness. Only He, with His pierced hands and speared side and thorn-crowned head, stands between a believer and hell. His righteousness is credited to those who believe.
Imputation is a major biblical concept, one seen throughout Scripture. There is the imputation of the guilt of Adam’s sin to all human beings. “In Adam all die.” Romans 5:12 says that “all sinned” in Adam’s disobedience. That can only be true via imputation, since only Adam actually sinned. But when he sinned he involved all of his natural seed (descendants) in sin and spiritual death. “Death reigned” during the interval between Adam and Moses, at which time the law was given. Although none of those people who died in that interval sinned like Adam did, they all died because God regarded them all as being guilty of Adam’s sin (See Romans 5:12-14)
There is then the imputation of human sin to Jesus. He was not guilty of anything but went to the cross and suffered as one guilty of the most dreadful crimes. This imputation of human sin to Christ was repeatedly pictured through the sacrifices of the OT system. The sins of the people were symbolically transferred to the sacrificial offering; the animal was then subjected to death, the penalty due to those whose sins it bore. Of course, no animal sacrifice ever actually “took away” the sins of human beings. Those sacrifices were temporary and symbolic; performed only until God, in due time, sent His Lamb to actually and truly “take away the sin of the world” (See John 1:29).
There is also the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to those who truly believe. Through faith alone in Christ alone, the righteousness of the perfect Son of God is credited to all who believe, put to their account who trust the perfect Christ as their Savior and Lord. We sinned in Adam, our representative. Christ represented His people at the cross, bearing their sins and dying for them. Now all who believe are credited with His perfection. They are regarded perfectly righteous in God’s sight—all by Heaven’s design.
Jesus, the Rock of ages, who came to redeem sinners, is also a “Rock of offense.” His gospel offends many a proud sinner. Many stumble at His gospel and would sooner go to hell than to rest their souls in Him by faith. Naturally people want a “can do religion.” The gospel is not natural; further it is the one “can’t do religion.” No works allowed; you just can’t do it. According to the Bible, true salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. This does not offend you, does it?
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Gospel: Do you understand it?
Do you know why Jesus was born and why He died on the cross—and why the message about His death and resurrection is the only truth that can save our souls from death and endless destruction?
Do you desire to be reconciled to God and have your sins forgiven? Do you want peace with God? What if the emptiness of your soul could be filled with God’s love? Through the work of His Holy Spirit, strong desires to know the Lord may arise in our hearts. No matter how terribly we have sinned, faith in Jesus changes everything. By His grace, He makes every true believer to become a new person.
To be forgiven and reconciled to God we must believe the gospel1. But what is the gospel? So that you might understand and place your trust in Jesus Christ, the essential truths of the gospel are presented here.
The Existence of God & the Entrance of Sin
The Bible never sets out to prove the existence of God. It begins by asserting that God has always existed and that He is the Creator of all things2. Only He is eternal. Everything else is created: time, space, and matter in all its forms. In six days God displayed His almighty power and deity: the Genesis account of creation is true, accurate, and entirely compatible with true science. Our Creator, the eternal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, made us in His image, with a moral and spiritual essence3.
Sin exists but was not created by God. It entered through the rebellion of creatures to which God gave moral natures. Sin exists according to His eternal purpose and even serves His will, yet He is in no sense its Author or Approver. So says His Word4.
The Bible tells us of once-pure angels sinning and forfeiting their place in God’s presence; they are eternally fallen. He made no provision for their redemption; they face eternal wrath. Yet in order to magnify His grace God eternally purposed to save some of sinful mankind5.
All mankind is fallen through the disobedience of our first father, Adam. God regarded him as the head of the human race. His sin plunged us all into a state of spiritual death, darkness, and depravity6. We all bear the consequences of “original sin,” namely, spiritual death; “in Adam all die.” The guilt and penalty of original sin are imputed to us all7. We are also guilty of personal sin, as well. Both original sin and personal sin condemn us. The moral law of God and our consciences agree together, bearing witness against us. We are not right with God. Sin has alienated us from God, ruining our souls—and we instinctively know this is true.
Sin is powerful and destructive. It makes some people angry, hateful, and violent. It makes us immoral. Emptiness and loneliness are miserable fruits of sin. Worst of all, sin condemns us to everlasting death and to the loss of our very souls forever8.
Judgment Day, Heaven and Hell
Judgment is coming; we intuitively know it. We all have an inborn sense that there is no way that we are going to get away with our sin9. Even if we have no clearly defined understanding of sin based on the Bible, our consciences assure us that there is a holy God who knows everything. We know we are accountable to Him. Even if we have never read the Bible or heard the gospel, we recognize that we are sinners and that, one day, God will judge us10.
Some people console themselves by imagining that the good they have done in life will outweigh the bad and that God will accept them and receive them into heaven. But the Bible makes it very clear. Sin, even a single sin, is sufficient to condemn us forever11. “All have sinned” and “the wages of sin is death”12. In the eyes of God we all deserve “everlasting punishment.” Heaven is a reality and hell is no joke13.
How is it possible to survive the Great Judgment Day? How can imperfect people live forever in heaven with a perfectly holy God? There is only one way. Our sins must be forgiven and we must be accounted perfectly righteous before God14.
God’s Answer to Our Sin
Only the gospel of Jesus Christ provides an adequate answer to the problem of human sin15. We need God’s forgiveness, a fresh start, and a new heart. By His grace and through the sin-bearing of His Son on the cross, God can righteously forgive sinners like us and see us as though we were as pure and holy as His perfect Son. Because He laid their sins on Jesus, God can now credit all who believe with the flawless righteousness of Jesus16. This is called justification when God declares believers entirely righteous through their faith in Jesus and in what He accomplished by His sinless life and substitutionary death. His death on the cross was about taking away sins so that they could no longer alienate us from God; He nailed all the sins of all who believe to His cross17.
“Christ died for our sins…” “He was buried…” “He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures”18. The death of Jesus is truly meaningless if He did not rise from the dead. If He died and remained dead, then death conquered Him as it conquers everyone else and our sins remain unconquered. Christ not only died; He also rose from the dead19! The bodily resurrection of Jesus was God’s seal of approval on the life and death of His Son; the resurrection proves that Jesus succeeded when He “bore our sins in His own body on the tree”20. It powerfully proclaims that God was entirely satisfied with the Self-sacrifice of His Son21.
Because He suffered, died, and rose again, all who sincerely trust in Jesus will be completely forgiven and reconciled to God. Jesus’ resurrection holds the promise of our resurrection, even that we who believe in Him will never die! The Christ who died for us conquered our sin and the death we deserve; dark death could not maintain its grip on Him who is life. Do you yet trust in Him; truly? Then death cannot hold its grip on you, either!
A New Heart
How can we be changed? It is certain that we cannot change our own hearts. Only God can do what must be done; only He can make us anew.
How does faith come? How can we who are spiritually dead believe and be saved? Obviously, God must work in us by His power and grace22. His Spirit must cause us to live. Just like at the beginning when God commanded the light to shine out of darkness, even so it is now. He must command the light of the gospel to shine in our hearts. When it does, we experience salvation and are spiritually born again—regenerated.
Jesus declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”23. This is not only true for certain people in certain places. For all people everywhere believing in Jesus is the only way to God. There is no other Savior, no other cure for sin, no other way for anyone to be reconciled to God24.
Becoming a True Follower of Jesus
How does one become a disciple of Jesus, a true follower, a genuine believer? Trusting in God’s power to save us and make us new in Christ, we must place our whole trust in Jesus as Lord25.
To be saved we must believe; but believe what? First, the truth about God; He is the Creator, the Almighty God, the loving, gracious Author of salvation for all who believe26. Second, truth about ourselves; we are deeply stained by original sin and personal sin. We are condemned and need to be rescued27. Third, the truth about Jesus: He is eternal God who became a true Man in order to redeem us by His death and resurrection; He is the one and only Mediator, the only way anyone can ever be reconciled to God28. Fourth, the promise of the gospel is that all who put their trust in Jesus will be saved, forever changed, and reconciled to God through faith in Jesus. The gospel promises eternal life from our first believing look upon the Savior29. Fifth, saving faith is always accompanied by repentance, a change of mind resulting in a new way of living. Like faith, repentance is also a gift. When God saves us, we turn to Him and away from our old life of loving sin30. We then begin to grow in grace, loving the Lord and learning His ways.
Ready for a New Life
If you now know that you must have new life in Christ, then look to Him believing the gospel. His promise is clear: “the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out”31. Admit your sin to God; all of it; hide nothing from yourself or from Him. Then put your trust in Jesus as Lord. Flee to Him and you will experience for yourself—Jesus Christ truly is the Friend of sinners! He will not leave you enslaved to sin; He will save you and help you and give you a new life by His grace—not because you deserve it, but because of His great love!
What Now?
Have you believed? Are you now entirely trusting in the Lord Jesus? If so, you will want to live to please Him. How does one get started? Here are a few suggestions based on the Bible’s teaching.
· Bow in prayer to God, speak to Him from your heart, and ask Him to forgive your sins, to save your soul. Then ask Him to give you an assurance of your salvation, so that you may completely rest in trusting Jesus and the power of His cross.
· Confess your faith by telling others what God has done for you.
· Attend a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church where you can worship God and fellowship with others who believe. This will strengthen your faith. God commands it for His glory and for your good.
· Begin to read the Bible and learn God’s Word for yourself. He will help you understand. A new way of living will arise from a new way of thinking.
· Learn about baptism for believers, the Lord’s Supper, and local church membership. These are rich blessings that reinforce true faith.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.” 2 Corinthians 13:14
—Timothy S. Adkins
Endnote Biblical References: (1) 2 Corinthians 5:20-21; (2) Genesis 1:1-2; (3) Genesis 1:27; (4) James 1:13-15; (5) Hebrews 2:14-18; (6) Romans 5:12, 18a; (7) 1 Corinthians 15:22; (8) Mark 8:36-37; (9) Romans 1:18; (10) Hebrews 9:27; (11) James 2:10; (12) Romans 3:23, 6:23; (13) Matthew 25:46; (14) Romans 4:18-25; (15) Hebrews 10:11-14; (16) Romans 3:23-26; (17) Colossians 2:13-14; (18) 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; (19) 1 Corinthians 15:13-14, 20; (20) 1 Peter 2:24; (21) Acts 2:22-24, John 10:18; (22) John 3:5; (23) John 14:6; (24) Acts 4:12; (25) John 3:36; 8:24; (26) Hebrews 11:6; (27) Colossians 1:21a; (28) 1 Timothy 2:5, 2 Corinthians 5:18; (29) Acts 16:31; John 3:14-15 (30) Acts 20:20-21: 26:20; (31) John 6:37
“Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
Do you desire to be reconciled to God and have your sins forgiven? Do you want peace with God? What if the emptiness of your soul could be filled with God’s love? Through the work of His Holy Spirit, strong desires to know the Lord may arise in our hearts. No matter how terribly we have sinned, faith in Jesus changes everything. By His grace, He makes every true believer to become a new person.
To be forgiven and reconciled to God we must believe the gospel1. But what is the gospel? So that you might understand and place your trust in Jesus Christ, the essential truths of the gospel are presented here.
The Existence of God & the Entrance of Sin
The Bible never sets out to prove the existence of God. It begins by asserting that God has always existed and that He is the Creator of all things2. Only He is eternal. Everything else is created: time, space, and matter in all its forms. In six days God displayed His almighty power and deity: the Genesis account of creation is true, accurate, and entirely compatible with true science. Our Creator, the eternal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, made us in His image, with a moral and spiritual essence3.
Sin exists but was not created by God. It entered through the rebellion of creatures to which God gave moral natures. Sin exists according to His eternal purpose and even serves His will, yet He is in no sense its Author or Approver. So says His Word4.
The Bible tells us of once-pure angels sinning and forfeiting their place in God’s presence; they are eternally fallen. He made no provision for their redemption; they face eternal wrath. Yet in order to magnify His grace God eternally purposed to save some of sinful mankind5.
All mankind is fallen through the disobedience of our first father, Adam. God regarded him as the head of the human race. His sin plunged us all into a state of spiritual death, darkness, and depravity6. We all bear the consequences of “original sin,” namely, spiritual death; “in Adam all die.” The guilt and penalty of original sin are imputed to us all7. We are also guilty of personal sin, as well. Both original sin and personal sin condemn us. The moral law of God and our consciences agree together, bearing witness against us. We are not right with God. Sin has alienated us from God, ruining our souls—and we instinctively know this is true.
Sin is powerful and destructive. It makes some people angry, hateful, and violent. It makes us immoral. Emptiness and loneliness are miserable fruits of sin. Worst of all, sin condemns us to everlasting death and to the loss of our very souls forever8.
Judgment Day, Heaven and Hell
Judgment is coming; we intuitively know it. We all have an inborn sense that there is no way that we are going to get away with our sin9. Even if we have no clearly defined understanding of sin based on the Bible, our consciences assure us that there is a holy God who knows everything. We know we are accountable to Him. Even if we have never read the Bible or heard the gospel, we recognize that we are sinners and that, one day, God will judge us10.
Some people console themselves by imagining that the good they have done in life will outweigh the bad and that God will accept them and receive them into heaven. But the Bible makes it very clear. Sin, even a single sin, is sufficient to condemn us forever11. “All have sinned” and “the wages of sin is death”12. In the eyes of God we all deserve “everlasting punishment.” Heaven is a reality and hell is no joke13.
How is it possible to survive the Great Judgment Day? How can imperfect people live forever in heaven with a perfectly holy God? There is only one way. Our sins must be forgiven and we must be accounted perfectly righteous before God14.
God’s Answer to Our Sin
Only the gospel of Jesus Christ provides an adequate answer to the problem of human sin15. We need God’s forgiveness, a fresh start, and a new heart. By His grace and through the sin-bearing of His Son on the cross, God can righteously forgive sinners like us and see us as though we were as pure and holy as His perfect Son. Because He laid their sins on Jesus, God can now credit all who believe with the flawless righteousness of Jesus16. This is called justification when God declares believers entirely righteous through their faith in Jesus and in what He accomplished by His sinless life and substitutionary death. His death on the cross was about taking away sins so that they could no longer alienate us from God; He nailed all the sins of all who believe to His cross17.
“Christ died for our sins…” “He was buried…” “He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures”18. The death of Jesus is truly meaningless if He did not rise from the dead. If He died and remained dead, then death conquered Him as it conquers everyone else and our sins remain unconquered. Christ not only died; He also rose from the dead19! The bodily resurrection of Jesus was God’s seal of approval on the life and death of His Son; the resurrection proves that Jesus succeeded when He “bore our sins in His own body on the tree”20. It powerfully proclaims that God was entirely satisfied with the Self-sacrifice of His Son21.
Because He suffered, died, and rose again, all who sincerely trust in Jesus will be completely forgiven and reconciled to God. Jesus’ resurrection holds the promise of our resurrection, even that we who believe in Him will never die! The Christ who died for us conquered our sin and the death we deserve; dark death could not maintain its grip on Him who is life. Do you yet trust in Him; truly? Then death cannot hold its grip on you, either!
A New Heart
How can we be changed? It is certain that we cannot change our own hearts. Only God can do what must be done; only He can make us anew.
How does faith come? How can we who are spiritually dead believe and be saved? Obviously, God must work in us by His power and grace22. His Spirit must cause us to live. Just like at the beginning when God commanded the light to shine out of darkness, even so it is now. He must command the light of the gospel to shine in our hearts. When it does, we experience salvation and are spiritually born again—regenerated.
Jesus declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”23. This is not only true for certain people in certain places. For all people everywhere believing in Jesus is the only way to God. There is no other Savior, no other cure for sin, no other way for anyone to be reconciled to God24.
Becoming a True Follower of Jesus
How does one become a disciple of Jesus, a true follower, a genuine believer? Trusting in God’s power to save us and make us new in Christ, we must place our whole trust in Jesus as Lord25.
To be saved we must believe; but believe what? First, the truth about God; He is the Creator, the Almighty God, the loving, gracious Author of salvation for all who believe26. Second, truth about ourselves; we are deeply stained by original sin and personal sin. We are condemned and need to be rescued27. Third, the truth about Jesus: He is eternal God who became a true Man in order to redeem us by His death and resurrection; He is the one and only Mediator, the only way anyone can ever be reconciled to God28. Fourth, the promise of the gospel is that all who put their trust in Jesus will be saved, forever changed, and reconciled to God through faith in Jesus. The gospel promises eternal life from our first believing look upon the Savior29. Fifth, saving faith is always accompanied by repentance, a change of mind resulting in a new way of living. Like faith, repentance is also a gift. When God saves us, we turn to Him and away from our old life of loving sin30. We then begin to grow in grace, loving the Lord and learning His ways.
Ready for a New Life
If you now know that you must have new life in Christ, then look to Him believing the gospel. His promise is clear: “the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out”31. Admit your sin to God; all of it; hide nothing from yourself or from Him. Then put your trust in Jesus as Lord. Flee to Him and you will experience for yourself—Jesus Christ truly is the Friend of sinners! He will not leave you enslaved to sin; He will save you and help you and give you a new life by His grace—not because you deserve it, but because of His great love!
What Now?
Have you believed? Are you now entirely trusting in the Lord Jesus? If so, you will want to live to please Him. How does one get started? Here are a few suggestions based on the Bible’s teaching.
· Bow in prayer to God, speak to Him from your heart, and ask Him to forgive your sins, to save your soul. Then ask Him to give you an assurance of your salvation, so that you may completely rest in trusting Jesus and the power of His cross.
· Confess your faith by telling others what God has done for you.
· Attend a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church where you can worship God and fellowship with others who believe. This will strengthen your faith. God commands it for His glory and for your good.
· Begin to read the Bible and learn God’s Word for yourself. He will help you understand. A new way of living will arise from a new way of thinking.
· Learn about baptism for believers, the Lord’s Supper, and local church membership. These are rich blessings that reinforce true faith.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.” 2 Corinthians 13:14
—Timothy S. Adkins
Endnote Biblical References: (1) 2 Corinthians 5:20-21; (2) Genesis 1:1-2; (3) Genesis 1:27; (4) James 1:13-15; (5) Hebrews 2:14-18; (6) Romans 5:12, 18a; (7) 1 Corinthians 15:22; (8) Mark 8:36-37; (9) Romans 1:18; (10) Hebrews 9:27; (11) James 2:10; (12) Romans 3:23, 6:23; (13) Matthew 25:46; (14) Romans 4:18-25; (15) Hebrews 10:11-14; (16) Romans 3:23-26; (17) Colossians 2:13-14; (18) 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; (19) 1 Corinthians 15:13-14, 20; (20) 1 Peter 2:24; (21) Acts 2:22-24, John 10:18; (22) John 3:5; (23) John 14:6; (24) Acts 4:12; (25) John 3:36; 8:24; (26) Hebrews 11:6; (27) Colossians 1:21a; (28) 1 Timothy 2:5, 2 Corinthians 5:18; (29) Acts 16:31; John 3:14-15 (30) Acts 20:20-21: 26:20; (31) John 6:37
“Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
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