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I would like for this thread to be a place where people can explain what they believe about salvation and why. What is the gospel? This would be like witnessing to someone, not debating them. What are the essentials that someone needs to know to make a decision to follow Jesus if they don't know anything about the gospel? You are welcome to include your own testimony to explain what you believe.
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This is everyone's chance to express what they believe without being attacked....Let's keep our posts about what we believe, not what we think someone else believes. You can even explain what you believe salvation is not, if that is something you would feel a need to explain to someone you are teaching about Christ.
Please don't just present a list of scriptures. Write it as if you were explaining the gospel to an unbeliever. Tell it in your own words, not a "statement of faith" from your denomination. If you think of something else you'd like to add and can't edit, write a new post, but please don't do it in response to another poster, leading to debates.
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I hope this works because I truly want to understand what and why people believe certain things about salvation.
Last edited by june 7th; 05-09-2010 at 12:00 PM..
Reason: Please DM June with questions regarding "edits." Thanks!
Luke 2:10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
The gospel was announced in advance (way before Christ came) to Abraham.
Gal 3:8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you."
The gospel is this: all families and nations and peoples will be blessed through Abraham's seed.
Gen 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
The gospel is the promise that God made to Abraham: to have his descendants be as numerous as the dust of the earth, and to have his descendants bless all people and families of the earth.
Gal 3:16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ
So the promise to Abraham will be realized by Christ. Abraham's offspring here is not his literal offspring, but refers to anyone in Christ.
Gal 3:29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
So here is the picture. The gospel was announced in advance to Abraham. Abraham's seed would inherit the promised land and bless all families and peoples of the earth. Specifically, Abraham's "seed" is Christ, and anyone in Christ is part of this seed. So Christ and all believers in Christ will bless the rest of the families on this earth.
How will Christ and all true believers bless the rest of the people on earth? One thing for sure, it will be good news that will bring great joy for all people.
Later we learn what Christ will do:
1 John 2:2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
That is the good news that will bring great joy to all people. Christ will bless all peoples of the world, takes away all sin, and is the savior of the world.
To ME salvation is realizing that you don't accomplish anything from beating yourself over and over when you make a mistake, use bad judgment, are deceived, etc. Saved from the sting of death, the pattern of sin, IOW. Some people confess their sins, repent of them, change their ways... but the common factor is that they let them go.
Loving God, yourself, and those you meet will foster an atmosphere that mirrors the Christian Heaven. IMO
For myself the Gospel is the good news of Gods unconditional love, His grace and mercy that Christ came to earth to physically show us and teach us..Our salvation comes from the grace of God through our believing hearts..
the term Gospel comes as ``Good + Spell`` or Good news as many people will see this as....There are Four Gospel Books in the Bible are are approved by earlier leaders in Christianity... Which are the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,,,,,,, Matthew and Johns were eye witness it the life of Jesus Ministries in the earth, and Mark and Luke where Evangelist who knew the Good news and repeated the truth through the lead of the Holy Spirit......The Gospel tells the life of Jesus Christ and the Preaching of Jesus Christ..... Jesus Christ Preached on Holy Spirit. Who Holy Spirit is, his Character and his rules, and ways. Jesus also had prophecies on End Times and the Judgement Day to come in the Gospels......In the story of these Gospels Jesus died on the cross by the carnal spirit of the religous Leaders of his nation where he Ministered, and The Lord God rose him from the dead and gave him the honor and authority to rule over the heaven and the earth.....Believers call on him today and he shows himself to them in the Spirit and can save them from being lost to the Lord Jesus......
God created Earth, all the animals and finally, he created the humans. God gave them the liberty to eat of any tree except for the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil. They have eaten of the tree and in their rebellion have subject all of the world to death.
God sent his son Jesus. Jesus lived a perfect life and he has made the perfect sacrifice and now in Christ we have everlasting life.
The gospel, the good news is that Jesus Christ is the saviour of ALL mankind... that ALL will one day finally come to the knowledge of truth and ALL will swear allegiance to Christ is the ONLY plan that would GLORIFY our CREATOR to the UTMOST.
That even the soul that is in the MOST darkness will one day, finally have his eyes opened, and GOD'S LOVE WILL CONQUER that soul's darkness! That every single human being ever born on this earth will have a GLORIOUS testimony as to the POWER of God's love. The picture is so breathtaking. That is the perfect word. "Breaktaking" It does literally, take your breath away if you ponder deeply about what his means! THE GLORY to GOD. The testimonies of the POWER of HIS LOVE. Non-love (sin) has been overcome. Not one atom of non-love will win. His love will overcome ALL trace of NON-LOVE in Creation. And non-love will NEVER rise up again. It is being utterly destroyed and seen as the weak pathetic destructive thing that it is. And LOVE will be seen for the all-powerful thing that it is. (God IS love. hallelujah!)
I would expect nothing LESS from the glorious Creator of the Universe.. our Father.
I have nothing but joy in my heart knowing that one day, all darkness will be conquered by His love. Every single last human heart will finally one day be permeated by His love, and there will be no more tears, no more sorrow. All beautiful souls that God has created. All of the testimonies to the POWER of HIS LOVE. LOVE conquers ALL. It's a beautiful, beautiful thing. His plan is 100% perfect. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will finally swear allegiance. All will come to the knowledge of truth. All will glorify God in their own beautiful way. Like a bright shining star, a testimony to the power of God's love and what GOD'S LOVE has accomplished. It's, like I said, breathtaking.
The books of life are perhaps each a testimony to how His love conquered the non-love within each of us.
Love explodes in your heart and it only grows larger as time goes on, knowing how perfect His plan is. And knowing that all will rejoice together.
To me, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news that "there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent." It is God's plan for the redemption and eternal happiness of His children, brought to fruition through the atoning sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son, whose work and glory was to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
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