“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ -- by grace you have been saved -- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Ephesians 2:4-9
Gospel means “good news.” It is not a message of works. It is a message of being born again to a brand new life. For those who are born again, the old man has gone and the new man has come! You must die to yourself and receive the life of Jesus Christ. You can receive the life of Jesus only by grace through faith as a gift from God the Father.
Salvation can never be earned by our performance. There is no one who is righteous. Jesus is the only man to have lived without sin on this earth. Because He gave His life on the cross, we can now receive forgiveness from sin and the ability to overcome sin. The Gospel transforms us from a sinner to a spirit-filled, righteous child of God.
Jesus would often call those around him to repent as part of His Gospel decree. Repentance is not only feeling sorrow and regret for our sins, but it means a complete change in direction regarding thoughts and actions! Before you can change your actions to come into alignment with the Word of God, you must first change your understanding! The Gospel reveals that God loves you. Even in your most sinful state, God has chosen you to be His child. He has forgiven you and equipped you to live your life in victory over sin, the world, and the devil! Once we have this foundation, it becomes possible to turn from our sinful ways and actually live in consistent obedience. It is not possible to live in the light of the Gospel and continue to live in sin. The message of the Gospel must produce Christ in us.
The mandate of every follower of Jesus Christ is to preach the Gospel. This is because it is the only message on earth with the power to reconnect us with God and deliver us from sin. When the Gospel is declared in its fullness, the power of God unto salvation is released upon the hearers, the blind receive sight, the dead are raised, and nations are transformed by the preaching of this glorious message!
My Prayer for You
My question for you this week is this; have you made the decision to make Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life? If your answer is no, the bible tells us that you simply need to believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that He is Lord and you will be saved! Father, I thank you for your goodness. I thank you for sending your one and only Son to die on the cross and pay the full penalty y for mankind. I thank you that we now have access to salvation through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your love that knows no bounds.
Amen
