A Vision of the Gospel

The second in A Biblical Vision series is the vision of the Gospel.

The gospel is – ‘the gift of salvation by the grace of God through faith in Christ and the transformation of the Holy Spirit’.  It is good news for all mankind because we all have a sin problem.  We all need salvation from our sin.

Ge.3:4-6, "Then the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.  So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate."

- Sin and death entered the world by disobedience to God's Word, and by seeking to be like God.

Ge.3:15, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."

- God declares the enmity between the Seed of the woman, who is Christ, and the devil.  This is the foreshadowing of the gospel of Christ who will defeat the devil and provide a way of salvation.

Ge.15:6, "And he (Abram) believed the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness."

- God counted Abraham's faith for righteousness, because he believed in God's promises.  We are justified by faith prior to any works.

Ps.51:3-5, 7, "For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight—that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me ... Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

- We all are conceived in sin, and against God all our sins are accounted.  It is only from God that we can be forgiven, it is only from God that we can become clean.  In Christ we can become new.

Ha.2:4, "Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him; but the righteous shall live by his faith."

- Our sin nature leads us to pride.  But those who seek God's righteousness shall live by faith.

Ac.2:21, "And it shall come to pass that whoever calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved."

- Peter declares that whoever calls shall be saved.  It is salvation from sin that we need.

Mt. 7:13-14, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go by it.  But narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

- The narrow gate is the gateway of faith and salvation, to believe God and to put our trust in Christ alone.

Lk.15:17-19, “ But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants."

- The younger son repented from his sin, and confessed his sin to his father.  The younger son was converted.

Jn3:3, "Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

- Jesus teaches us that we must be born again, this is a Spiritual birth in which we submit and trust in Him.

Jn.14:6, "Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me."

- Here we see that Jesus declared that He is the only way that anyone can go to heaven.  This is good news because otherwise there would be no way for salvation.

Ac.4:12, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

- Peter declares that Jesus is the only Savior, the only name that anyone can turn to find salvation.

Ro.1:17, "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith."

- Paul references Habakkuk 2:4 to demonstrate that righteousness is by the gift of faith and through a life of faith.  From the moment we believe throughout all our life of faith, we live by faith in a state of grace.

Ro.3:22, "even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe."

- Paul elaborates that salvation is a gift from God, by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ.

Ro.4:3, "For what does the Scripture say?  Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness."

- Paul references Genesis 15 for his proclamation of salvation by faith alone, and this is a gift of grace.

2Co.5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

- We are new in our souls, we have new Spiritual life when we are born again.

Ga.3:5, "Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?  Just as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."

- The Holy Spirit brings us to new birth and faith.al  Salvation is not through works, but by faith.

Ep.2:4-5, "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 were saved)."

- Paul elaborates here that we are dead in sin, and salvation is being made alive in Christ by grace.

Ep.2:8-10, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

- Paul shows that faith is a gift, it is something that is from outside of us, and it changes us for good works.

Ja.2:21-22, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the alter?  Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?"

- James describes the true faith that is verified by works, even as faith precedes works.

The gospel of Christ comes through faith that is a gift from God, this is our justification.  We must walk in the faith that we have received from God, and this is our sanctification.  Those who are born again will live in faith and grow to become Christ like.