I write this as a concise primer, a reminder, a help to anyone who wants to share the gospel with the world, or who themselves have not accepted God’s supreme gift to mankind. It is a bit barebones for space purposes. If any questions arise, you can talk to, email or message me and I will be sure to answer you ASAP.
First, God created man to be different from all other life. We are told we alone are created in the image of God, (cf. Genesis 1:27). This does not mean that we physically look like God (if so, we would not be unique). It means that we alone are created with a soul. We alone have been given free will, and we can choose to obey or disobey God. Both have consequences.
Even from the beginning Adam and Eve chose, (when tempted by Satan), to disobey God. Such disobedience is called “sin” in scripture. The word sin simply means to miss the mark. The mark here would be the commands and wishes of God. All men since have done the same. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
Men have a distorted view of sin. Many think it to be a small thing, an unimportant thing, a thing that is easily dealt with. Not to God! Since God is perfectly righteous, sin is repugnant to Him. All sin brings the penalty of spiritual death and separation from Him. Simply put, God long ago created a place of eternal punishment for Satan and his minions, and that place is also reserved for those who have sinned, transgressing God’s law (cf. Revelation 21:8). The tendency is to think this as radical or unfair, but it is not. And it is greatly presumptuous for us, imperfect as we are, to question the preeminent, fully righteous, and most powerful Being in the entire universe. “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.” (Job 40:2).
Fortunately, though man has continually rejected and disobeyed God, He still loves us! “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Ephesians 2:4-5). In fact, as God knows the end from the beginning, His preparation to deal with sin (through Christ) has been planned and executed from the very beginning! (cf. Ephesians 1:3-10).
Much of the Bible recounts the steps taken by God to redeem man. From creation to Abraham, Abraham to Moses, the existence of the Jews as a special people preparing for the coming of the Messiah, to the virgin birth of Immanuel “God with us” (cf. Matthew 1:23). All of this set the stage for Immanuel — Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, to redeem us through His own shed blood on the cross of Calvary.
This final stage, the sending of Jesus, is referred to as the latter or last days. It signifies the resolution of the problem of sin, as God intended the sacrifice of His own Son to solve the problem of sin. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). These “last days” contain not only the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross at Calvary to pay the penalty of sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), but the establishment of that new covenant between God and man, the parameters of which are set by the teaching of Jesus Himself (Hebrews 1:1-4).
So, Jesus, the sinless One, died for our sins rather than His own. The sacrifice of His blood serves as God’s greatest gift to man. Because the wages of sin is death, the only way to gain heaven for eternity is a gift (cf. Romans 3:23). This gift is referred to in scripture as Grace. (cf. Ephesians 2:8). The word grace, in this context, means good will, loving-kindness, favor. Because we can’t save ourselves, God showed good will to us by giving us the gift of salvation through the sacrifice of His Son. What Jesus accomplished through His death on the cross, His resurrection from the dead, and His ascension back to God’s right hand in heaven, gives us redemption, eternal life, and our Lord to follow while we remain here on earth. So, what then should be our response? Whatever Jesus requires!
God expects us to believe the gospel regarding Jesus. It is true, Jesus did die, and was resurrected by God’s power. These truths must be accepted for us to gain God’s acceptance (cf. Romans 1:16; Mark 16:16).
God requires that we repent of the sins we have committed against Him (cf. Luke 13:3,5; Acts 2:37-38). This indicates not only sorrow, but change — a turning away from sin to righteousness.
God only will accept those who confess Jesus to be the Son of God. This takes courage, to willingly confess our belief in Jesus to a humanity that often rejects Him (cf. John 12:42-34; Acts 8:36-37; Matthew 10:32-33; Romans 10:9-10).
God also requires us to be baptized in water for the remission of our sins. Every example of conversion in Acts records baptism as a part of the process of being saved. It is at this time that the believer gains access to the saving blood of Jesus. There are also many scriptures which declare that baptism is a part of our response to God, bringing salvation (cf. 1 Peter 3:21; Mark 16:15-16; Romans 6:3-4; Acts 3:37-38; Acts 22:16).
Finally, to gain that final, eternal life that God grants to us with this wonderful gift of Grace., we must endure in faith throughout our sojourn here on earth. (cf. Revelation 2:10).
So, that is the gist. Believe and obey God to become His child. Continue to believe and obey to join God in heaven for eternity. God’s wonderful gift of Grace has been extended to all men. Will you accept it?
