Gospel of the Grace of God

There are many ideas out there about who Jesus is, and there are many ideas about how a person is saved from judgment.  The Scriptures make these issues clear.  It is man who has made these issues confusing.  Let’s first find out what the Scriptures say about the identity of Jesus, and then find out what the Scriptures say about how a person is saved from God’s judgment.

THE IDENTITY OF JESUS:

Isaiah 7:14, Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Matthew 1:20-23, But after he (Joseph) had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet, "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."

So this child who was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary was God with us.

Isaiah 9:6, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

This child that was born to us is called Mighty God.

John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Word that became flesh and lived among us is God.

Romans 9:5, ...and from them (the Jews) is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!  Amen.

Jesus is God over all.

Titus 2:13, ...while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ...

Jesus Christ is God and Savior.

Hebrews 1:8, But about the Son He (God) says, "Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom."

The Son of God is God.

2 Peter 1:1, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours...

Jesus is God and Savior.

John 1:3, Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.

Colossians 1:16, For by Him (Jesus) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.

Jesus is the Creator.

Now that we see that the Scriptures clearly establish the identity of Jesus as God and Creator, what do the Scriptures say about how a person is saved from God’s judgment.

THE GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD

Ephesians 2:8-9, For it is by grace (unearned favor) you have been saved, through faith (believing)—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

A person is not saved by works, but by God’s unearned favor when they believe.  So what is it a person is supposed to believe in order to be saved?

In 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 the Apostle Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, is reminding the believers in the city of Corinth of the Gospel he had preached to them, the Gospel they received, trusted, and by which they were saved.  You’ll notice in this passage Paul doesn’t say anything about works.  Also, the importance of the people listed in verses 5-8 is some if not all of these were witnesses to Jesus’ earthly ministry, His crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection.  A lot of these are the writers of our New Testament and reliable witnesses to these events.

The Gospel that the Apostle Paul preached was that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.  When a person believes and trusts in these three points alone, not trusting in their own works, God declares them righteous and saves them from judgment.

1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the Gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.  By this Gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.  Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  Then he appeared to James, then to all the Apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures:

Matthew 27:32-56. Verse 50, And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit.

Mark 15:21-41.  Verse 37, With a loud cry, Jesus breathed His last.

Luke 23:26-49.  Verse 46, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” When He had said this, He breathed His last.

John 19:16-37. Verse 30, When He had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”  With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

1 Corinthians 5:7b, For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.

Christ was buried:

Matthew 27:57-61.  Verses 59-60a, Joseph (of Arimathea) took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock.

Mark 15:42-47.  Verse 46, So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock.

Luke 23:50-56.  Verse 53, Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.

John 19:38-42.  Verses 41-42, At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.  Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Christ was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures:

Matthew 28:1-10.  Verses 5-6, The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.  Come and see the place where He lay.

Mark 16:1-8.  Verse 6, “Don’t be alarmed,” he said.  “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.  He has risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid Him.

Luke 24:1-12.  Verses 6-7, He is not here; He has risen!  Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’”

John 20:1-31.  Verse 29, Then Jesus told him (Thomas), “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

We see that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again on the third day.  What exactly did Jesus accomplish for you through these events?

Romans 3:21-26, But now a righteousness from God, apart from Law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood.  He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Romans 4:25, He (Jesus) was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

-When Jesus was crucified He took responsibility for your sins to be the sacrifice that would correct your relationship with God.

-God publicly demonstrated His justice as His wrath and fury against you because of your sin was poured out on His only Son as your substitute.

-By the shedding of His blood, His death, Jesus paid the penalty for your all of your sins that God's justice demanded, cancelling your sin debt and satisfying God’s justice concerning you.

-Jesus' resurrection from the dead is the declaration that He is the Son of God, the Messiah, and that He did satisfy the justice of God concerning you and that your sin debt has been paid in full.

If you believe and trust that Jesus died for your sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, that He did everything necessary for you to be saved from judgment and that you can't add anything to it (not baptism, not repentance, not tithe...no self-effort) then God will declare you righteous and give you eternal life right now.  Simply by believing and trusting in what Jesus accomplished for you in His death, burial and resurrection.

If you have believed and put your trust in these truths, then the following truths are true of you:

Romans 5:1-2, Therefore, since we have been justified (declared righteous) through faith (believing), we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace (unearned favor) in which we now stand.  And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

God has declared you righteous, made peace with you, you now permanently stand in God’s unearned favor, and you have the promise of eternal life.

Ephesians 1:5, …He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will…

God has adopted you as one of His children.

Ephesians 1:13-14, And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation.  Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory.

God has sealed you by His Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing your inheritance with the Lord.  This guarantee is good from the moment you first believed until the redemption, when we receive our new bodies.

2 Corinthians 5:19a, …that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.

God is not counting your sins against you.

 
Colossians 2:13, When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.  He forgave us all our sins…

God has forgiven all of your sins.  All means all and excludes none.

Ephesians 1:4, For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.

God finds no fault with you.

Colossians 2:9-10a, For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

You are complete in Christ.

Romans 8:1, Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…

God doesn’t condemn you.

Romans 8:33, Who will bring any charge  against those whom God has chosen?  It is God who justifies (declares righteous).

God doesn’t charge you.

Romans 8:37-39, No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can separate you from the love God has for you in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You have been reconciled to God.  You have a sure hope and a future.  God has given you eternal life.

Welcome to the family of God!