Jul
31
Written by:
Bob Flynn
7/31/2008 3:45 PM
What is the Gospel? How can I be saved?
This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. "And we apostles are witnesses of all He did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross, but God raised Him to life on the third day. Then God allowed Him to appear, not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be His witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the One appointed by God to be the Judge of all—the living and the dead. He is the One all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in Him will have their sins forgiven through His name."
(Acts 10:36-43)
It is often easy to loose sight of what is important when our minds are awash in the details. But the Apostle Peter gives us this concise description of the Gospel (Good News) and what it means. As we explore what is "saving faith," it is always good to look to Scripture for our sure understanding. For every genuine gift there is a counterfeit. We ought always be alert the best we can while asking the Lord Jesus Christ to guard our hearts and minds (Phil 4:6-7) lest we too become a casualty. Remember that we are all a part of the same body and belong to one another. When one falls we are all affected just as a wound to the physical body effects the whole. That is why we are admonished to pray for all the saints everywhere (Eph 6:18).