Gospel Answers Everyone Should Know

In Mark 16:15-16 Jesus gives his disciples what is known as the Great Commission...

15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:15-16 (NKJV)

Why is it important to preach the gospel?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. (Romans 1:16)

It is important to preach the gospel because "it is the power of God to salvation." It is not one of a number of ways God saves, "the power of God," the gospel, is the ONLY way God saves.

Saves from what?

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. (Romans 1:18-19)

7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (II Thessalonians 1:7-9)

The gospel saves from the wrath of God and the vengeance of Christ.

We are created to be God-like, in His image. We have all of God's powers on a very limited scale. We have the power to create, we have the power to destroy and so on. Whatever power God has we have to a very small degree because we are created in His likeness. (Genesis 1:26)

And we are created with the power of choice.

We can choose to be with God or without Him.

14 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14-15)

We choose to be without God by doing unGod-like actions.

But your iniquities (sins - Marv Walker) have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. (Isaiah 59:2)

In Luke the 16th chapter beginning with verse 19 we read the story of the Rich Man & Lazarus and what happened to them during their lives and after their deaths.

The Rich Man is tormented and Lazarus is comforted. The Rich Man is so tormented he wants Lazarus to dip his finger in water and come touch his tongue. Abraham tells him that is not possible, "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented." (Luke 16:25) In torment those who have chosen to be without God by their actions will be tormented by remembering all the good things of life as well as their hopeless state.

As long as you are living, whether you choose to be obedient to God or not you will still enjoy some of the blessings of God. You will have the sun, the joys of friends and family, happy times, all of those blessings common to the living on earth.

It doesn't matter how unGodly you are, you will enjoy God's blessings in this life. If you die disobedient to God, separated from Him then even these blessings will be torment to you. He realizes how wretched his situation is, he knows that he is there for eternity and he asks for Lazarus to go stop his five brothers from joining him.

He is told they have the Word of God to keep them from ending up in the same terrible place.

We have the gospel to save us from such hopeless torment.

7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (II Thessalonians 1:7-9)

Notice the phrase in verse 8 above, "on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Let's see what the gospel is...

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, (I Corinthians 15:1-4)

Notice what the gospel is, (1.) Christ's death, (2.) he was buried, (3.) and that he rose the third day, according to the scriptures. The "according to the scriptures" was so important Paul says it twice.

Again, remember in II Thessalonians 1:8 it says "taking vengeance on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord."

One MUST obey the gospel.

Now then, how does one literally obey the death, burial and resurrection of Christ?

You can literally go to the cross. You can literally be buried. However, you will not rise again on the third day.

3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3-5)

Do you see the death, burial and resurrection in the passage?

In John 3, verses 5 & 7, Jesus tells Nicodemus twice...

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (John 3:5)

Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ (John 3:7)

Do you see the "born again" in Romans 6:3-5? It's there as "walk in newness of life." Where is the Spirit? 1 Corinthians 12:13, For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body

Now we have come full circle from Jesus' Great Commission, he who believes and is baptized will be saved.

15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:15-16)

There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (I Peter 3:21)

From the flood through to the present day God has used actual, literal water for spiritual cleansing.

If you have not been baptized for the remission, or removal, of sins according to the commands of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:38 and others, you are still in your sins and lost.

The Bible is very clear about how to be fully obedient to be saved.

Here is God's salvation prescription taken from the scriptures...

Step one, Romans 10:17, is hearing.

We hear the word of God from verses found in the Bible, verses such as John 3:16, Mark 16:16 and others.

Step two, John 8:24, is believing what we hear...

"I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."

Step three and step four, Acts 2:38, is turning from your sins AND being baptized for the remission of sins.

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (washing away) of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

That was Peter's answer to the question posed to the Apostles in Acts 2:37 by those who were convicted of crucifying Christ...

"Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

Step five, Romans 8:1, is walking after the Spirit (seeking God's will)...

" There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

My friend, our little study has shown it is not enough to simply believe in Christ for everlasting life. One must believe in Christ, repent of one's sins, confess him, be buried with him in baptism for the remission of sins and walk after the Spirit.