THE MESSAGE OF SALVATION

Part Four

Questions to be Covered

What is the message of the gospel? Who originally thought of the gospel message?  How does the gospel become effective in a persons heart?  Once a person receives the gospel, what’s next?

It’s very important that we understand that the Triune God is the one who thought of the gospel and made all the provisions for the gospel. He did not initiate it as a result of some innate goodness within mankind, but rather he provided it as a means to bring glory to Himself.

The Gospel’s Origin

Eph. 1:3-6,11 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Messiah, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.

In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus the Messiah to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.

Not only does the gospel originate from the Triune God from eternity past, He is the ultimate reason why anyone gets saved. We are able to respond to the gospel message with repentance and faith as a result of His doing.

John 1:12-13 – But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Titus 3:5 – He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.

James 1:18 – In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures.

1 Pet. 1:3 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah from the dead.

As we have seen, salvation is a work of God, but we have to respond to the gospel message by repenting and placing saving faith is Jesus as Messiah.

The complete gospel message includes three components:

• 1. The gospel message itself
• 2. Establishing people in the gospel
• 3. Helping people to persevere in the gospel message

1. The Gospel Message

The gospel is the good news of God whereby He invites sinners to enter into a personal relationship with Him through personal faith in the Messiah Jesus as Lord and Savior. It’s believing that the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah was sufficient payment for all of our sins and that complete forgiveness is granted when we believe in Messiah Jesus.

1 Cor. 15:3-4 – For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that the Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures

Is. 53:5-6 – But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

Matt. 20:18-19 – “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”

Elements of the Gospel

In the preaching of the gospel, three important elements must be included:

• A. Explanation of the Facts Concerning Salvation.
• B. Invitation to respond to Jesus the Messiah personally in Repentance and Faith.
• C. A Promise of Forgiveness and Eternal Life

A. Facts Concerning Salvation

Anyone who comes to the Messiah Jesus for salvation must have at least a basic understanding of who Jesus is and how He meets our needs for salvation.

An explanation of the facts concerning salvation must include at least the following:

• All people have sinned -Rom. 3:23
• The penalty of our sin is death – Rom. 6:23
• Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins -Rom. 5:8

Rom. 3:23 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Rom. 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Messiah Jesus our Lord.

Rom. 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Messiah died for us.

Understanding those facts and even believing that they are true is not enough for a person to be saved. There must be an invitation for a personal response from the individual who will repent of their sins and personally trust the Messiah.

B. Invitation to Respond

When the Bible speaks of people coming to salvation it does so in terms of a personal response to an invitation from the

Messiah Himself.

Matt. 11:28-30 – “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”

John 1:11-12 – He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.

These verses speak of a genuine personal invitation that seeks a personal response for each one who hears it. As the facts of the gospel are presented, a response is offered by the hearer. Either they receive the gospel message or they reject it. Any genuine gospel presentation must include an invitation to make a conscious decision to forsake one’s sins and come the Jesus the Messiah in faith. asking Him to forgive you of your sins.

Acts 3:19 – Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

Acts 5:31 – He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Acts 17:30 – Therefore having over-looked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent.

If the need to repent of one’s sins or the need to personally trust Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of sins is left out, an incomplete gospel has been proclaimed. And this is not sufficient to save anyone.

C. Forgiveness and Eternal Life

Although there are many wonderful blessings that come to the one who is truly saved, the primary thing that is promised in the gospel message is forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

Acts 3:19 – Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

All who come to Jesus the Messiah in this manner can have the assurance that they will be accepted by Him and will not be turned away.

John 6:37 – All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.

2. Establishing People In the Gospel Message

When someone get saved, they need to be grounded in their faith It’s not enough for someone to simply make a profession of faith in the gospel message. They need to be established in the teachings of the Word of God.  Spiritual growth, or sanctification needs to follow one’s profession.

1 Thess. 3:1-4 – Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone; and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Messiah, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, so that no man may be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.

1 Thess. 3:5-8 – For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor should be in vain. But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.

Eph. 4:11-15 – And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Messiah… As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Messiah

1 Pet. 2:2 – like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,

Col. 2:6-7 – As you therefore have received Messiah Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

3. Helping People To Persevere In the Gospel Message

When someone get saved, the need to continue in their faith It’s not enough for someone to simply make a profession of faith in the gospel message. They need to continue in their faith for the rest of their human life. If they abandon their faith it manifests that their faith was never genuine from the start.  There are two sides of perseverance. One is our side and the other is God’s side. We are presently looking at perseverance from our side. We will look at perseverance from God’s side in a future lesson.

What Is Our Side Of Perseverance?

It is simply our continuing to believe the gospel message through out our entire lifetime. Trials, afflictions, persecution, or any other type of difficulty will not cause us to abandon our faith in the Messiah Jesus.

1 Cor. 15:1-2 – Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

Col. 1:21-23 – And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach–if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not move away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven…

With so much at stake (the salvation of a soul), it is imperative that we are clear and thorough in our presentation of the gospel.  It is true, we are not the one who does the saving (God does that) but we are responsible to dispense the true gospel.

To sum up, there are some extremely serious consequences for not believing and obeying the gospel of God. All of you have heard what the gospel is, the question is, do you believe it?

2 Thess. 1:4-8 – therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.