That is the description of the Gospel that the first four parts of this blog series looked at. And you might be thinking, why is there a need for a fifth? My purpose for writing these blogs was to address the widespread misunderstanding of what the gospel is. However, I believe there is also widespread misunderstanding about the way a person accepts the gospel. What I hope to accomplish in this fifth and final entry about the gospel is to clearly state how a person Biblically responds and accepts the gospel. But first we will look at some of the misconceptions.
Misconception #1
Ask Jesus in your heart...
I have heard this taught and preached to both kids and adults from Sunday School teachers to pastors. I have read this in books and gospel tracts, I have heard parents and grandparents say this to their children. But do you know where I've never seen or read this? In the Bible. It's not there. No where in Scripture are we instructed to "ask Jesus into our heart". This is not a Scriptural means of receiving the gospel. Does Christ dwell in our hearts? Isn't "Christ in us" our "hope of glory"? Yes, but asking Jesus into our hearts in not the way in which he comes to dwell there.
Misconception #2
Pray a (usually a repeat-after-me) prayer
Praying is how we communicate with God, how we articulate what it is we believe about him and what Jesus has done for us, but there are no "magic" words that we can say that will save us. Just because a person prays a prayer doesn't mean they are saved. It is not words that save us.
Misconception #3
Walked the aisle/raised a hand
Many people, in a moment of emotional intensity, have raised their hands in response to an invitation, and even left their seat and walked down the aisle of the church and met the pastor down front. While physical and public responses are good, they must be coupled with correct understanding. It is not the church that saves, nor the pastor. When a person looks back to their point of salvation, it must be founded upon an understanding of and response to the gospel, not a ceremonial or ritual expression of response.
So how does a person accept the gospel? I find three parts in Scripture:
1. RESPOND in faith
Through JESUS, GOD offers us the GRACE of forgiveness and new life. When someone offers you something the polite thing to do is respond. Over and over in Scripture we see the Apostles asking, pleading, begging for hearers to respond to the gospel. It is clear that the way in which we are to respond is by faith. Ephesians 2:8 says "we are saved by GRACE through FAITH."
Faith is believing, trusting, depending, relying upon, or accepting as true. When we come to the understanding of what God has done for us through Jesus, our first step is to RESPOND to it by believing it as true. Trusting in it. Having faith in it.
Romans 10:9-11 instructs that we are to confess (RESPOND) with our mouth and believe (faith) in our hearts about Jesus. Again, I want to make a clear distinction--through prayer we are communicating to God what we believe about Him and what He has done for us. So we do pray or confess to God our faith, but the prayer doesn't save us. Words don't save, Jesus does, and we use words to communicate our faith in Him.
2. RECEIVE forgiveness and new life
Once we RESPOND by faith, God forgives us and makes us new. Titus 3:5 says that we are washed and renewed! We RECEIVE forgiveness for past (and present and future) sins. Jesus has taken the punishment for our sins--He served our sentence. Therefore we receive a pardon. In addition, Jesus gives us His righteousness. We also RECEIVE new life. This life is a new identity. We are "no longer enslaved to sin" (Romans 6:6), through Jesus Christ we are free. We now share Christ's identity. This is eternal life, this is the new creation, this is the abundant life, this is the life in Christ that Scripture speaks so often about.
To RECEIVE this forgiveness and new life is to also accept it as true. Many people struggle with the idea that God could forgive them. They fail to understand the depth of God's love and mercy. God is "rich in mercy" (Ephesians 2:4). There is no depth out of which the Gospel of Jesus can not bring you and make you completely whole.
There is no depth out of which the Gospel of Jesus cannot bring you and make you completely whole.
3. REFLECT our new identity in Christ
James 2:14-26 provides a crucial connection between our life and our faith. The way we live can reveal to us if our faith is genuine. Our life can show us if we have truly RESPONDED by faith and RECEIVED forgiveness and new life, or if we have just gone through the motions (prayed a prayer, raised a hand, etc.). Again an important distinction is needed. It is not our works or actions that save us. Salvation is not turning over a new leaf. It is not behavioral change. However, once we are saved by GRACE through FAITH, and we have RECEIVED forgiveness and new life, our goal from then on is to live out that new life--that new identity.
Upon salvation we are adopted into the Royal family of God. We have gone from being enemies of the King to being children of the King. We ought to begin to live like it. When our identity changes our behavior will REFLECT that change (Col. 1:21-22, Romans 6, Eph 2:11-22).
4. REPENT
The way in which we go about REFLECTing our new identity is Christ is through REPENTance. REPENTance is a changing of the mind that leads to a changing of behavior. It is not my buckling down and trying harder. We REFLECT our new identity by first believing that it is true, second focusing our minds upon its truth, and living according to our newly changed minds. REPENTance is not an afterthought, the Bible regularly combines salvation and repentance.
So, in closing
The Gospel is
GOD chose to rescue
MAN out of his sinful rebellion though
JESUS and offers us the
GRACE of forgiveness and new life
We accept this offer of GRACE by
RESPONDING in faith
RECEIVING forgiveness and new life,
REFLECTING our new identity in Christ through
REPENTANCE.