Salvation Summaries

In the book of Romans, we learn that people are saved by the “power” of the gospel (1:16). But this raises the question…what is the gospel?

When I was in late grade school through high school, I attended a United Methodist Church in a small town in Kansas.  I heard many interesting sermons from the church minister, but I never learned the meaning of the gospel. I’m sure I heard bits and pieces of it over time, but nothing that linked the gospel with salvation.

The book of Romans provides insight into what the gospel (or “good news” in the Greek language) is.  Now, we all like to hear that “so and so” has some good news for us, but before we can get excited about this good news, we need to know what it’s all about. So, what is this good news?

Before I tell you what it is, let me tell you what it is not.

The gospel is not about how you can advance in your career, or make more money. It is not about how you accumulate wealth, or achieve fame. It is not about how heaven is a reward for being nice and kind.  And it is not about how we are to simply coexist with other religions.

Now, at this point, some of you may be asking, “Well, what good is the gospel”?  The gospel is more than all of these things (and then some!).

According to the book of Romans, the gospel is:

• About the existence of God. The good news of Jesus Christ is not so good if you don’t believe in God, but the gospel shows us that God’s existence is part of the gospel message. Romans 1:19-21 indicates that God put an awareness of Himself in every person that has lived or is alive on this earth (by reason and moral law), and shows us His existence by His wonderful creation. These verses go on to say that those who do not believe in God suppress the truth that they instinctively know about Him. When a person rejects God in this way, God may allow that person to slide down the slippery slope of sinfulness into wickedness. This slope leads to foolish thinking, sexual impurity, shameful lusts, and a depraved mind. We see this immorality on full display in our society, and it is clear – to believers in the Lord – who has decided to reject Him (in other words, Christians can see who the non-Christians are, but they are unaware of this). See my notes after the conclusion below for two more truths we learn in Romans 1 that society rejects today.

• Evidence of God’s love for those who believe in His Son.  The central figure in the gospel is Jesus, who was shown to be the Son of God (deity) when He rose from the dead (1:3). Jesus was not simply a good man, a good teacher, or a miracle worker; He was God in the flesh. God sent Jesus, the Son of God, to sacrifice His life to pay the penalty we deserve for the many sins we commit against God, and this penalty is spiritual death. Only a loving God would do this.

• Why Christianity is different from all other religions. A number of religions have something in common about doing good things and the rewards for this, but none other than Christianity has a person who claimed to be God, performed miracles, prophesied, died, and then came back to life.  This set Christianity apart from Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and all other religions. It is also why the “coexist” bumper stickers you may see on vehicles convey an incorrect message, since Christianity is not on equal footing with other religions.

• How we receive faith. A person receives faith not from doing good things, or reading a self-help book. Rather, faith comes from hearing the gospel (10:17).

• How we become saved. Salvation is given to anyone and everyone who believes, or has faith in, Jesus Christ (1:16-17) and repents of their sinfulness (2:4). A person learns about this from hearing or reading the gospel.

• How we become righteous. An important but overlooked part of the gospel is how a person becomes right with God, or righteous. Romans provides a clear example of this with a brief story about Abraham from the Old Testament. Abraham was “credited” with righteousness when he believed, or put his faith in, God.  Once Jesus came to this earth to die for our sins and be raised from the dead, we become right with God, or righteous, when we believe in, or put our faith in, Jesus the Lord (1:17).

• How we escape God’s Wrath. Those who hear the gospel to receive faith and put their faith in Jesus Christ are saved and thus avoid God’s wrath (5:9).

• The only way to peace with God.  Peace with God only takes place when a person becomes saved (5:1); faith is required for a person to be saved, and faith comes from hearing the gospel.  Those who are not saved remain under God’s wrath and therefore are not at peace with God.

Conclusion

The gospel is not a short self-help book on how to achieve worldly success, nor is it simply an interesting story found in one of many religious books. It is the central truth in the one religion that is set apart from all other religions, and that religion is Christianity.

The gospel reveals to us that God has put an awareness of Himself in every person on this earth via reason, moral law and God’s creation. The gospel shows God’s love for us by sending Jesus to die in our place; this event makes Christianity different from all other religions.  The gospel informs us how we receive faith, become right in God’s sight, and how we receive salvation. In addition, it allows us to escape God’s wrath and be at peace with Him.  In short, if you want to be saved and receive all of the benefits of being a Christian, you need to hear, understand and accept the gospel, and then repent of your sins and put your faith in Jesus as Lord of your life.

But even though the gospel means “good news,” it contains bad news too, for in it we see that God’s wrath is on those who suppress their awareness and inner knowledge of Him, and refuse to thank and honor Him.  Those who do this are betting that the gospel is not the way to have peace and eternal life – that these can come about in some other way – but the Bible shows this is foolish thinking. Worse, we learn that God may allow those who reject Him to slide down the slippery slope of sinfulness that leads to wickedness.

The bad news is not limited to those who outright reject God though; God’s wrath is on all who are unrighteous. And who are the unrighteous?  It is all who do not believe, or have faith in, Jesus.

Dear reader of this blog. If you are a believer, then thank the Lord for His grace in calling you to be one of His children. But if you are not a believer, the warning of the gospel applies to you. Read about Him in a Bible (and if you don’t have one, give me your address and I’ll mail one to you), pray to Him, seek Him with your whole heart, and rest on His promise that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Acts 2:21).

Notes

Romans 1 includes two important truths that society rejects today.

Truth 1 (Romans 1:19-20) is that God created the world (and everything in it). Thus, it did not evolve out of nothing or from random chance. There is a purpose or reason for everything God does, and one obvious purpose for creating the world was to provide suitable living conditions for mankind and the rest of God’s creation.  When I “look” at the air we breathe, the water we drink, the vegetables and fruit that we eat, all of the interesting animals and insects God made, and the amazing scenery He gave to us to enjoy (mountains, oceans, forests, lakes, valleys, blue skies, snow, etc.), I think God did a pretty good job.

Truth 2 (Romans 1:26-27) is about homosexuality.  Homosexuality is a highly sensitive topic today, and those who speak negatively about it run the risk of being strongly criticized or condemned as a hateful person.  However, I believe telling the truth about this issue, especially as it relates to salvation, is important regardless of what others may think.

So, what does the book of Romans say about homosexuality, which was prevalent (along with prostitution and idol worship) at the time Paul wrote this letter to Christians in Rome?  Paul describes it as a degrading passion, an unnatural function, and an indecent act. He goes on to say that people who practice this “error” will receive their due penalty. The penalty is not described, though AIDS today would seem to be one evidence of it.

Paul’s comments also imply that homosexuality is not something a person is born with; instead, it takes place when a person chooses to live their life without God’s restraining power over sin, and is something God may allow if that person continues to reject God.

In addition, Paul’s comments in 6:12-14 also relate to homosexuality, and how a person should refrain from this once they become a Christian, for a Christian cannot allow lust to reign in his or her body or for it to be a master over them (“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead…For sin shall not be master over you…”).

I realize that my comments (not Paul’s) may sound harsh or offensive to some, and it’s not my intent to make you uncomfortable or angry. I’m simply telling you what the apostle Paul says in this particular book on this topic, and you can decide whether you want to agree with him or not. For more information on what the Bible says about this, please see my post on 1 Corinthians, Part 3 of 3.