Skip to main content

What is the Gospel?

When I was 21, I understood for the first time who Jesus is. I had a nominal Catholic faith, but was introduced almost by chance to the meaning of salvation. I was never an overly religious person in my life, I had family members who were, but for the majority of my life I had a faith but it wasn't based on knowledge (Romans 10:2). What does it mean to be saved and believe the gospel? I believe I have a good explanation and I'll share it with you.

I was born again in 1995, in my childhood bedroom. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour. You don’t have to join a club to be saved, you have to hear the Gospel being preached. You must turn, (repent), of your sins confess Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart, that God raised him from the dead. You have to apply his death on the cross, as payment for your own sins, and you have to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour and commit to following Jesus, for all your life. Confession, (repentance), acknowledgement of your sins, receiving him as Lord and Saviour, and Committing your Life to Him. That’s what it means to be saved. 

It seems like such a simple reality, so why aren't more people trusting Jesus for salvation. Part of the reason is that we have to have the right heart, or good soil as the bible says. When we only have a surface response to the Gospel, it fails to change our hearts and our natures. Of course, only God can do that, but we must be open to the change that the Lord is trying to accomplish through our hearing the gospel. People hear the gospel every day, but just hearing it doesn't mean that we are saved. We have to be born again, and that is something that only God can do. When we are ready for that change, I believe that God will bring it about in us through this gospel. 

We are not qualified to enter Heaven unless we have received this new birth. When we are born again we become awake or born spiritually. We become reconciled to God through the death of Jesus on the cross, which by the way is the only way this new birth can happen. We receive full forgiveness for all our sins the moment we trust Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. All our sins are wiped away in the moment we trust Christ, this includes our past sins (from the moment of our birth) our present sins, and even all our future sins (all the sins we will commit after we are saved.) This is what it means to be born again, we are given eternal forgiveness in a moment, and we are told to live like we are forgiven sinners. Until the resurrection we will still be sinners, but after that we will be glorified in our spirits and bodies. This is Mike.   


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Some Bible Verses on Money.

  Bible verses about money. I bet you didn’t think the bible said that? Proverbs 23:5 When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.  1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. Proverbs 13:11 Wealth quickly gained is quickly wasted — easy come, easy go! But if you gradually gain wealth, you will watch it grow. Psalm 62:10 Don’t make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing. And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the centre of your life. Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Ecclesiastes 11:1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that

My Story.

  In 1999 I suffered a mental health crisis and admitted myself into the hospital where I live, in which I was given a mental health diagnosis. I didn’t want to receive medication at the time, but unwillingly accepted it. I was in the hospital for about two months, when I asked my doctor if I could go home, and he said yes, even though he thought it would have been better if I stayed longer.   I was glad to be home though, but at 25, it took some adjusting to feel truly at home. One of the problems I was having at home was it was hard for me to eat the food in the house. I was having a psychosis where I felt the food wasn’t mine, and I literally had to go out to eat, or buy bread from the supermarket and take it home to eat it. Eventually this wore off, but I don’t remember how long.  I was now on ODSP and had a check come to me every month in order to have financial support. I would occasionally have a crisis, and ask my mom to drive me to the hospital, but eventually the crisis would

Why has the church lost its capacity and power?

  The church has modernized itself and in the process has lost something very valuable. It has lost its capacity to be personable. The way we reach lost souls is by seeing them, by getting to know them, and by recognizing them, but people are getting lost in the church. The church has become a busy place and is also becoming a less holy place. To make disciples we have to get to know people, and technology in the church is depersonalizing souls, and depersonalizing God for them. Faith becomes a marketable commodity, whereas in the past, churches and their leaders nourished and valued personal faith. While faith is still valued, it’s becoming something that is marketable, which reminds me of the story of Jesus in the temple turning over tables (Matthew 21:12-17). The problem isn’t that the church doesn’t work or doesn’t want to share the gospel, it could be how we are doing it. The church is currently being run like a business, and each Christian metaphorically speaking has a profit val