| Gospel of Jesus Christ >>> |
The
Gospel of Jesus Christ |
I. The Gospel to be Believed:
"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I
preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand.
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto
you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first
of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose
again the third day according to the scriptures" (I Corinthians
15:1-4).
We must first believe the gospel: "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15-16).
The word "gospel" means "good news." The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ died for us and:
1) He died for our sins
2) He was buried
3) He rose again!
We must believe this in order to be saved. But we must also obey it!
The Apostle Paul wrote that the Lord Jesus Christ shall come with flaming fire, "taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (II Thessalonians 5:8-9).
II. How Do We Obey the Gospel?
1. Jesus died = We must die out to our sins, by repenting of
them.
2. Jesus was buried = "Therefore we are buried with
Him by baptism: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life"
(Romans 6:4).
3. Jesus rose from the dead = We receive the Holy Ghost, enabling us to walk in newness of life: "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection" (verse 5).
This is why Peter, on the day of Pentecost (the birthday of the Christian church), preached to the multitude what they must do in order to show that they believed the gospel of Jesus Christ:
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
"For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:38-39). ds
| To continue your study of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: |
| Go to Repentance |
| Go to Water Baptism |
| Go to Baptism of the Holy Spirit (will be posted soon) |
