Ok, you said that those who obey the gospel get eternal life in heaven and you said that those who disobey the gospel get death in hell. You said that the gospel of Jesus is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ? So if all that is true, how am I suppose to obey the gospel? How am I suppose to obey the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus?
First of all you had to have heard the gospel of Jesus, for hearing the Word of God is how we have faith (Romans 10:17). We discussed that in order not to die in your sins that you must believe in who He claim to be; which Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. Then you understand that Jesus, according to the Scriptures and Old Testament prophecies that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose again on the third day, which demonstrated Christ's Deity and victory over sin, death, and hell. As mentioned, this fact was confirmed by eyewitness testimony. Now you realize that the essential need to obey the gospel to have eternal life in heaven and avoid eternal death in hell.
The way that you obey the gospel (the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus) is by faith you undergo your own death, burial, and resurrection in Christ. The way you undergo such a change and transformation is through the process of baptism. Baptism is the point where God's grace and man's faith come together in agreement proclaiming the Lordship of Christ in one's life. Romans 6:3-4 says, "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Does that language sound like the gospel? When one hears the gospel and has faith, then they would obey that gospel by being baptized into Christ. It's there we die, are buried, and are raised with Christ. Now it should be mentioned that baptism is not a work of man to merit salvation, but it is a work of God that saves us. Being baptized into Christ's death, burial, and resurrection brings us into connection with the blood of Christ. Baptism in and of itself has no power. But baptism has power because of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, which has the power to save us. Baptism is like faith. Baptism saves us (1 Peter 3:21) and faith justifies us (Romans 5:1). Faith in and of itself doesn't merit salvation as a work of man, but it is a human response to what God has done, thus giving it power to save. Baptism is the same way. It's necessary for salvation, not as a work of man to merit salvation, but as a human response to what God has done, thus allowing baptism to save. We understand that faith and baptism are necessary for salvation (Mark 16:15-16) and they save us not because of anything we have done, but because what Christ has done.
Being baptized into Christ carries many spiritual benefits. We know from Galatians 3:26-27, that through faith and baptism we receive sonship. We become members of God's family. We receive the benefits that are given only to members of God's family. We know that from Romans 6:3-4 and Galatians 3:26-27, that it is through baptism that we become "in" Christ. We know from Romans 8:1, that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We also know that from Acts 2:38 that when we are baptized we receive the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 1:13-14 we see that the Holy Spirit serves as the seal of our salvation and it is He who serves as the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance and displays that we are God's possession. It's at the time of baptism that you receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
But is having faith and being baptized the only things you must do to be saved; to respond to God in regards to accepting His free gift of grace? Another human response to God's grace one must do is to repent of one's sins. Repenting means to change your mind; changing the way you have been sinfully living and changing to live in accordance with God's Word for how He wants you to live. In Luke 13:3, Jesus said, "I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." That's a pretty clear statement about the essentialness of repentance. Acts 17:30 the apostle Paul makes known that God commands all people everywhere to repent. 2 Corinthians 7:10 makes known that repentance is part of the salvation process. One who repents truly understands God's grace because that person no longer wants to indulge in that which separated oneself from God and necessitated the death of Jesus. Now repentance is necessary to be saved, without remorse for our sins, we would see no need for God's grace. God commands repentance. Does repentance in and of itself merit us salvation by our own works? No it doesn't. But it does have power in the salvation process because God made repentance powerful and necessary. So when we repent we are not trying to earn salvation by becoming a more righteous people, but instead change the way we live because of the benevolent gift of grace and forgiveness God offers us. Once again repentance is a human response to God's grace.
Is there anything else I should do? Matthew 10:32-33 and Romans 10:10 show the importance and necessity of confessing Jesus. We confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord. This is not to be seen merely as lip service or a formula of words. It is a declaration of our faith. It is a time when we declare our never-ending commitment and faithfulness to Christ. It's the time that we more or less "pledge allegiance to Christ as our Lord." Him being our Lord means He has command and ownership of us and we do all that He commands and desires. We in humility and submission acknowledge His authority and do what He says. Our confession doesn't save us by our own power, but it saves us because of the Lordship of Christ.
In Acts 2:22-41, we see that the apostle Peter preaches a powerful sermon on the Day of Pentecost (which was a feast less than two months after the time of the Passover - when Jesus was crucified). In this sermon Peter preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ (the same gospel Paul preached and defined). Peter preaches about the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus. In this sermon Peter also provides the two proofs of the gospel as Paul described. One, Peter preached "according to the Scriptures." In proving the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the apostle Peter quotes Psalm 16:8-10 and Psalm 110:1 and makes allusions to 2 Samuel 7. Second, Peter mad known to the people that He and the other apostles were witnesses to the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. The preaching of the gospel and the led to the main thesis of Peter's sermon, which made known who Jesus is (in verse 36): that Jesus is both Lord and Christ. He is Lord, the one who has all authority and must be obeyed (it is this understanding about Christ by which we confess about Him and respond to Him in kind with our obedience, faithfulness, and allegiance). He is Christ, the Messiah, the one anointed to save mankind by being God's prophet, priest, and king. He is the only one with the power to save mankind and He is the one we must be saved through to have eternal life. Peter in verse 36, also made known that they crucified the Messiah. They were guilty sinners. Yet, they weren't hopeless because of what Christ had done.
So here we see that the people heard the gospel; the preaching of the Word of God. Then we see that he people had faith. For in verse 37, they asked Peter and the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do." They asked this question because they obviously believed the words Peter preached and their question reflected they desire to know what they could do since they killed the Messiah. At this we see how Peter answered their question in verses 38-39, "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call." So we see here that when the people asked Peter what to do, Peter told them to repent and be baptized. It's important to see that Peter did not tell them to do a "sinner's prayer" in which you pray Jesus into your heart. In fact, the "sinner's prayer" in which you pray Jesus into your heart is not in the Bible and there is no example of conversion of the New Testament of people being saved in Christ by praying such a prayer. Why did Peter tell them to repent and be baptized? Because that is how one obeys the gospel after hearing and believing it. It's when you die, are buried, and are raised with Christ. This is when you get contact with the blood of Christ which saves you by washing your sins away. So Peter is telling them to obey the gospel and how to respond to sin. He's telling them to repent (turn away from sin and stop sinning) and be baptized (be washed of your sins). Then we see that in verse 40 that Peter pleaded with to save themselves from the corrupt generation; and they would do this by having faith in Jesus and obeying the gospel in order to accept God's grace. Then in verse 41, it says that those who accepted the message were baptized. It made known that about 3,000 people were added to their number. About 3,000 people accepted and obeyed the message. So its important to see that Peter and Paul both preached the same gospel and both taught how to obey the gospel. The benefits of the gospel and the command to obey it still apply to us today as seen in verse 39, about the promise being for all whom the Lord our God will call. The apostle Paul makes known in 2 Thessalonians 2:14, that God calls people through the gospel; which makes sense since we know that the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone (Romans 1:16).
So after hearing the gospel and how to obey the gospel, I want to ask you a question. It is the same question that the prophet Ananias asked the apostle Paul before Paul was a Christian. This question is found in Acts 22:16. I want you to read it, think about it, pray to God about it, then answer it.
You can find Acts 22:16 below.
Acts 22:16, "And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on His name."
If you answered, "YES! I want to be baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of my sins," then please contact us and we will help you obey the gospel so that you may experience and have the sins forgiven in Christ and a saving relationship with God. Our contact information is off on the right side of the blog.
Reaching out to the members of the Moses Lake community and its surrounding area with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
WELCOME
Life is difficult. Life is full of problems. Life is confusing. Life is stressful. Do these statements about life seem to fit your life? Often times it feels as if life is pointless and makes no sense. Maybe as you have thought about your life and you've asked yourself, "What is the point of living? or "Is my life worth anything?" or "Why does life seem so hopeless?" or Does anyone really care about me?"
If you are one of those people that looks like the person stated above then you are no different then so many other people, for many people feel and think just like you. You just might be the kind of person that is looking for joy in your life, true love in your life, a feeling of acceptance and belonging, answers to your questions of truth, and forgiveness of the wrongs of your past.
If you are that kind of person, then you are a person who is looking to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. For Jesus Christ is the One who fills the true needs we have in our lives. He may not make you wealthy and He may not make you more physically attractive, but Jesus gives you what you truly need. For money and beauty will one day fade away and lose its personal value to you, but love, grace, forgiveness, joy, peace, salvation, community, and a purpose in life are things that He freely wants to give to you. These are benefits in Christ that never fade away as long as you are in Christ and remain in Christ. These are truly the needs of your heart and Jesus is eager to give them to you.
So this blog is designed to help you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, to help you know how to accept His grace so that you can be saved, and for you to come in contact with followers of Christ who will help you in your search for truth and in your walk with Jesus Christ. So explore this blog and let us know if there is anything we can to help you in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
