Why did the apostle Paul write, in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek”? He wrote it because God
“in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe (1 Corinthians 1:21).
There is no power within us to become righteous before God. So in order to
save us from destruction which we actually deserve our Creator devised a plan
to give us the opportunity to be saved. We must hear that message!
HEAR THE MESSAGE
The Word of God says that we have been separated and alienated from God
because we have sinned. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God”....“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans
3:23; 5:12). We have willfully turned our backs on Him and are intent on
running our own lives without Him. This is what the Bible means by sin–we
choose our own way instead of God’s way and we do not give Him His rightful
place in our lives.
The evidence of this is all around us, in the moral chaos and heartache of our
world. Every day the news cries out that we live in a wrecked, sin-driven
world.
Beside this, the Gospel declares that God still loves us. He yearns to
forgive us and bring us back to Himself. “The Lord is not slack concerning
his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2
Peter 3:9). He wants to forgive us, fill our lives with meaning and purpose
right now. Then He wants us to spend all eternity with Him in Heaven, free
forever from the pain and sorrow, suffering and death of this world.
GOD HAS LAID OUT THE PLAN
What is more, God has done everything possible to reconcile us to Himself. He
did this in a way which boggles our minds. In God’s plan, by His death on the
cross, Jesus Christ paid the penalty due to be paid by us for our sins, taking
upon Himself the judgment of God.
In prophecy Isaiah foretold how that, in His death, He would take upon Him our
sins to satisfy the penalty that we deserved. “He is despised and rejected of
men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our
faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath
borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he
was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him;
and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we
have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the
iniquity of us all.... for the transgression of my people was he stricken....
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou
shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall
prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He
shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their
iniquities.... and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the
transgressors” (Isaiah 53:3–12).
Now, by His resurrection from the dead, Christ has broken the bonds of death
and opened the way to eternal life for us. He is “declared to be the Son of
God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from
the dead” (Romans 3:4). And again, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little
lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and
honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it
became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing
many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through
sufferings.... Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and
blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he
might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And
deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage” (Hebrews 2:9–15)
WE MUST BELIEVE OR BE LOST
Probably the best known passages in the New Testament makes the connection
between the death of Jesus and our salvation. “For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to
condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John
3:16,17). We must believe the message!
It is clear that the resurrection also confirms for all time that Jesus was in
fact who He said He was: the only begotten Son of God, sent from Heaven to
save us from our sins. The message to us is, “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” (1 Corinthians 15:1–4).
Now God freely offers us the gift of forgiveness and eternal life. We are
now assured, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for
you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to
be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3–5).
WE MUST RESPOND TO GOD’S OFFER
Finally, the Bible message is about our response. Like any other gift, God’s
gift of salvation does not become ours until we accept it and make it our
own. God has done everything possible to provide salvation. But we must
reach out in faith and accept it. God has done what we could not do for
ourselves, now we must do our part to receive salvation.
The Bible tells us, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and
how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they
hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:13,14). The message of salvation must
be preached. Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall
make you free” (John 8:32).
BELIEVE
Initially we must hear and believe the Gospel. In that message, those who
believe are told what more to do. “But without faith it is impossible to
please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is
a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus said that
the message should go out to all, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16).
REPENT
We must turn from serving sin, self and Satan to serve the Lord. Our decision
to do this is called “repentance” in the Bible. Jesus said that we must
repent or perish (Luke 13:3, 5). In the first two sermons after the
resurrection of Jesus from the dead we hear the inspired Apostle Peter preach
(Acts 2:38). 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” (Acts 2:38), and again, “Repent ye
therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times
of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).
CONFESS
Jesus wants us all to own Him and live for Him. We are to confess, “I believe
that Jesus Christ is the son of God” (Acts 8:37). That is just what the
Savior wants of us. He said, “Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me
before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God”
(Luke 12:8,9).
BE BAPTIZED
We must believe and be baptized for the remission of our sins (Mark 16:16;
Acts 2:38). In the eighth chapter of Acts there is a case of a man who was
returning home after traveling to Jerusalem to worship. Since the death of
Christ on the cross, the worship conducted at that city according to the Law
of Moses, was no longer valid. This man traveling from the city was a,
“eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians.” While he
rode he read from Isaiah 53 (which is sited above). A preacher, Philip, was
directed by the Holy Spirit, to go near and join the man. He was asked to
come up and ride, “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same
scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”
“And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch
said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip
said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered
and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the
chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip
and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the
water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no
more: and he went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:35–39).
The story above tells us of a man who heard the Gospel, believed it, confessed
his belief in Christ as being the Son of God, was baptized (immersed in
water), and went on his way rejoicing. Why rejoice? Saul was told, “And now
why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on
the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). When we go through these steps it becomes
the great occasion, in which we too can rejoice; it’s the “washing away (of
our) sins,” “the remission of (our) sins.” This step of baptism is to “save
us” (1 Peter 3:21). It is here we are “baptized into Christ and put on
Christ” (Galatians 3:27), and “arise to walk in newness of life” (Romans 6).
DO WE SUDDENLY BECOME RIGHTEOUS?
Earlier we saw that we have all sinned and are therefore under condemnation,
but that God wants us to be saved. This becomes possible because of the death
of Christ who suffered the penalty in the place of all who will believe.
Through His death God can attribute the sinlessness and sacrifice of Jesus to
us and remain just in Himself. Paul recounts our deserving to be punished and
then writes, “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation [a covering]
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of
sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at
this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him
which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what
law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith” (Romans 3:24–27).
Being saved from our sin, how does God now view us? By Christ’s submitting to
crucifixion, we who trust and obey are considered righteous. Adam’s
disobedience introduced mankind to sin “so by the obedience of one (Christ)
shall many be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).
WE ARE ADDED TO THE CHURCH OF CHRIST
When we are saved we are added to the church of Christ. “And the Lord added
to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47 NKJ). Each day all
who are being saved are added to His church, therefore the church of Christ is
composed of all those who are saved. After Peter’s confession of his
belief–“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” Jesus said, “Upon this
rock I will build my church.”
Those of us who become saved from our sins by the blood of Christ are now
God’s spiritual family; He is called “our Father” and we are called “His
children.” We are known as, “The general assembly and church of the
firstborn, which are written in heaven... the spirits of just men made
perfect” (Hebrews 12:23). We are known in the world as “the church of
Christ.”
Knowing God promises, “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more”
(Hebrews 8:12; 10:17), allows us to be free to serve Him. “Therefore if any
man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Bible says, “But God be
thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart
that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin,
ye became the servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:17,18).
When you take these steps, you become a child of God, adopted into His family
forever. He also comes to live within you and will begin to change you from
within. No one who truly gives his or her life to Christ will ever be the
same. You are a new creation and can walk in the Light and as you do so the
blood of Christ cleanses you from all sin (1 John 1:7).
We have seen this happen countless times and it can happen in your life as
well. Open your heart to Jesus today, become a Christian, and He promises,
“Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life”
(Revelation 2:10).
