The Gospel Truth

What is a true Christian? Someone who observes religious practices or someone who has Christ living inside of them? And if Christ lives inside of you, your spirit will know because you invited him in. When you choose to surrender yourself to the Holy Spirit your life changes forever. But that is just the beginning of your Christian experience. Getting to know Jesus on a personal level is the true Christian journey. It is vital for those who believe and put their hope in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ to seek to know him on an intimate level and to make him the focal point of their daily lives. John 3:16 is one of the most quoted verses of scripture that is often used to explain salvation. John wrote, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” These words offer hope to many and illustrate the immeasurable mercy and love of God for humanity, but they are just the beginning of faith. The apostle Paul instructs that when we place our faith in Jesus Christ we become sons of God (Galatians 3:26) and, “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out ‘Abba Father.’” Galatians 4:6. The Holy Spirit dwells within true believers and guides us to walk in harmony with God (John 16:13) and strengthens us to overcome our weaknesses (Mathew 26:41). Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:16-17 to follow and submit to the Holy Spirit, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” The popular gospel today is the one that preaches that God sees us as perfect beings, made in his image and that there is absolutely nothing he requires of us in order to save us from condemnation. That Christ died for everyone, therefore, everyone will be welcomed into heaven with open arms. While there is a certain element of truth to these statements, they are convoluted enough to imply that no one is destined for hell. When John 3:16 is used out of context it fits the narrative and sounds as if the doors of heaven have been kicked wide open for a come as you are festival welcoming sinners from all walks of life, sin and all. Ephesians 2:8-9 is used to justify the assertion that since there is nothing one can do to earn salvation, there is also nothing one can do to retain salvation, therefore, repentance of sin is unnecessary. This is flawed theology and a poor understanding of the heart and mind of God. By cherry picking scripture to emphasize only the warm and fuzzy messages of love and forgiveness, while ignoring the sections that discuss punishment and wrath, God is not portrayed as he has revealed himself to be and the portrait we are provided with is incomplete. The resulting disconnect between the attributes of God as they are revealed in scripture and the message from pulpits causes the gospel to lose credibility with observers who question the validity of Christianity. One must not teach John 3:16 without the context provided by John 3:18, which qualifies it by adding, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” Jesus died for all, but belief is necessary to gain from his sacrifice. In order to believe, we must trust that his testimony is true and that requires faith. To have faith in Christ means to believe that he is the Son of God, that he was crucified as atonement for sin and that he rose from the dead after three days and then placing all of our hope of salvation in Jesus. This means forsaking everything else and putting all of our eggs in the one basket that is Christ. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:23-26. Additionally, in the fifth chapter of Romans, Paul teaches that through faith in Jesus, we have gained access to the grace in which we now stand (Romans 5:2) and that God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us (Romans 5:5). We are saved by grace – through faith. It is our faith that compels us to repent and follow Jesus. Faith is an action, therefore, it involves repentance. When we have committed ourselves completely to Christ we are given the gift of grace. Grace is defined as unmerited favor. In the New Testament, the word translated as grace is the Greek word “charis” which means graciousness. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew term used is “chen,” which is equivalent to favor, grace or charm. Grace is the help given to a person from God because God desires them to have it. It is understood as generous, free and totally underserved.