06/07/2025
UNDERSTANDING THE GOSPEL: THE POWER OF GOD
The Gospel is the only solution of humanity. It is the basic foundation of the Bible. It is also the most misunderstood in our world.
One of its misrepresentation includes "Giving your life to Christ"
A dead man has got no life to give. And that's who a sinner is. The sinner is spiritually dead. He is a dead man walking. Any man not in Christ is dead in trespasses and sins. Lost without life, without Christ.
Eph.2.1 - And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph.2.2 - Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph.2.5 - Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
A sinner cannot give life. He can only receive. What Jesus did by His death, burial and ressurection, is to give Life. Salvation is receiving life and it is the free gift of God.
Furthermore, Salvation is not an exchange. It is not a swap, or counterbalance. No. It is of The Lord (Jonah 2:9). It is what He initiated, carried out and completed. It is His free gift. No one can take credit for it.
Eph.2.8 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph.2.9 - Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Salvation is not a reward for some good you did. You do not make Heaven by your efforts. There are no multiple steps to Salvation or to making Heaven (Acts 16:25-31). Jesus fulfilled all steps and abolished them. The only qualification for going to Heaven is to BELIEVE. There is no thing to be done to be saved. No work. No activity.
It is commonly said, "until you do something, God remains unmoved", but that is in fact, a lie. We are not to do anything to get God's favour. God's Grace. There are no activities to be carried out to obtain His Blessing. God loves and accepts us wholeheartedly, despite our faults.
Rom.5.8 - But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
The Gospel is His show of Love towards us. It is His Grace. Talking about His Grace. Apart from His Grace, no man can be justified. No man can stand upright before God, outside Christ. The cure for man's needs for rightness is found in the Gospel.
Acts.20.24 - But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Gal.2.16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. (KJV)
One of the problems of the Church is that we've been called out of darkness into His marvellous light but still want to practice some of the activities of the darkness in this Grace Era.
Grace is God putting to us the judgement, mercy, favour of Jesus granting us access into the power of God; Salvation. Grace is unmerited. Undeserved. Unearned favour of God.
From Genesis 1 to Exodus 19, God's deal with man had never been regulated by man's efforts. God did not create man to labour from the beginning but the fall of man brought labour. God never dealt with Adam according to his sin. He had mercy on Him and still related normally with him.
Ps.103.8 - The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
Ps.103.9 - He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
Ps.103.10 - He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
Ps.103.11 - For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
Ps.103.12 - As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
God never repaid us according to our sins. And He can never. Even when Cain sinned and the consequences read out for him, He still protected him from harm despite him not changing his heart. (Genesis 4:9, 13, 15.)
Again, take a look at Jesus—the perfect image of God.
Luke.9.46 - Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.
Luke.9.47 - And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him,
Luke.9.48 - And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.
Luke.9.49 - And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.
Luke.9.50 - And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.
Luke.9.51 - And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
Luke.9.52 - And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
Luke.9.53 - And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
Luke.9.54 - And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
Luke.9.55 - But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
Luke.9.56 - For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
God has no desire to kill anyone. The difference between the believer and the unbeliever/sinner is the Grace of God. From the beginning, God has always been gracious to us. If we are to ever continue to live, it has to be by the grace of God. Nothing more, nothing less. Grace is undeserved. Unmerited. It is God showing mercy to whom He wills to show mercy. It is what He's made available onto us. It is his gift to mankind. Man cannot be right by his own standards. The greatest disadvantage a believer would have is trying to live by his own effort. Even Abraham wasn't a morally perfect man, but he got blessed simply because he believed (Genesis 15:6). No man can please God by his/her own efforts and activities.
Gal.2.20 - I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
We live by the faith of the Father. That's what Grace is all about. We live, not by our own efforts, but because some other Person paid the price on our behalf. Hallelujah!!