gospel according to Scripture Archives - Page 2 of 3

There are a myriad of gospel truths in the Bible. Yet only one gospel truth is presented as the truth that people must believe in order to receive eternal life.

This is the truth that God gives eternal life to anyone who believes in Jesus for it (John 3:16; 5;24; 6:47; etc.)

But realistically, if someone knowing absolutely nothing about God, or Jesus, or sin, or eternal life, then what are the chances that someone will believe in Jesus if you tell them “Hey, you can have eternal life if you believe in Jesus for it”?

I would say the chances are close to zero.

This is one reason why there are so many other truths in the gospel. Many of the gospel truths are there, not so that people are required to believe them in order to receive eternal life, but because they help a person get to the point where they do believe in Jesus for eternal life.

I call these the Preparation Truths of the Gospel

7 Gospel Preparation Truths

There are potentially thousands of preparation truths in the gospel, but I have found that seven of these truths tend to be the most effective and necessary in helping a person come to the place where they believe in Jesus for eternal life.

Here are these seven preparation truths:

There is a God (and He looks like Jesus)
The Bible is God’s Word (so we can look to it for guidance)
God Made Humans (so we are responsible to him in some way)
God requires holiness (this is His standard)
All have sinned (and fallen short of the standard)
Sin results in separation from God (we separate from Him; not vice versa)
Jesus delivered us from sin, death, and separation (due to grace and forgiveness)

IF a person believes all seven of these truths, it is nearly certain that they will also believe in Jesus for eternal life.

Now is it possible to take a person from knowing none of this to believing in Jesus in one 5-minute conversation? I highly doubt it.

This is why evangelism often takes place over the course of months and years, through relationship building and numerous conversations. Often, these seven truths are caught, not taught, as our friends observe us living out these truths in our own lives. And usually, despite how neat and tidy that seven-pointed list is above, the conversations are never that focused or that tidy.

But that’s okay, for that is what relationship-building is all about.

But what about the rest of the gospel?

Once a person believes, this does not mean that the gospel conversations are over. There are still lots of gospel truths left. What are we to do with these? It is this question that we will look at in next week’s post.

For now, what do you think about these seven “Preparation truths”? Are there others you have found helpful when you have conversations about Jesus with other people?

Also, if you want a better explanation of those seven truths, I delve into each one a little more deeply in my course, the Gospel According to Scripture.

Want to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

What are the essential Gospel truths you must share with others?

By Jeremy Myers

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Did you know that the Gospel contains pretty much every truth taught in the Bible? It’s true. Since the Gospel is about Jesus, and since Jesus is the focus of the Bible and all Scripture points to Him, then this means that the entire Bible is “Gospel truth.”

But here’s the problem with that fact:

If the entire Bible is Gospel truth, then what are you supposed to share with others when you present the gospel to them?

Can you really tell them to just “read the Bible”? Can you tell them that they have not believed in the Gospel until they believe the entire Bible?

If so, we might as well just give up evangelizing right now. You will rarely, if ever, get a non-believer to read the entire Bible, and even then, no one ever actually believes the entire Bible (not even you).

Stop Telling People to “Believe the Gospel”

This is why I never invite people to “believe the gospel to become a Christian.” Such a statement is just too vague and too vast.

Saying, “Believe the Gospel” is akin to saying, “Believe the Bible to become a Christian.”

Besides, when someone starts reading the Bible, they quickly come across statements that are hard to believe, such as the idea that Methulselah lived to be 969 years old (Gen 5:27), that Joshua got the sun to stand still for a day (Joshua 10:13), or that Elisha got an ax head to float (2 Kings 6:6).

If they think they have to believe the entire Bible to become a Christian and they read those hard to believe ideas and think, “Well, I just cannot believe that!” they will then think, “I guess I cannot be a Christian.”

But they can become a Christian, even if they don’t (yet) believe these things! The problem is not with their lack of faith, but with our failure to clearly present the gospel.

We need to present the gospel like Jesus

People don’t need to believe the entire Bible, or the entire Gospel, in order to become a Christian. They just need to believe in Jesus.

Though the entire Bible is gospel truth, there are some gospel truths which consistently appear whenever someone is inviting others to become a Christian.

Jesus is the best guide and example of this. In the Gospel of John (which is the only book of the Bible written with the express purpose that those who read it will believe and have life–John 20:31), Jesus shows us over and over and over how to simply, clearly, and succinctly invite people to gain eternal life.

While the entire Bible contains Gospel truths, there are some central gospel truths which I call the gospel invitation. This gospel invitation is what Jesus consistently used (as did Peter, Paul, and the other apostles) to invite non-believers to receive eternal life from Jesus.

Here is what they said:

Believe in Jesus for eternal life.

That’s it.

Jesus used versions of this statement over and over and over in the Gospel of John (cf. John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47). In my course, The Gospel According to Scripture, I include a resource which shows where this gospel invitation is used 185 times in the New Testament. It is used consistently by Peter, Paul, and the other apostles.

Best of all, this gospel invitation is used consistently by Jesus. If this gospel invitation was good enough for Jesus, it is good enough for me.

So the next time you are talking with someone about the gospel or how to receive eternal life, don’t use unclear and muddled statements. Instead, follow the example of Jesus and Scripture, and simply invite people to believe in Jesus for eternal life. This is the best, clearest, and most biblical way of inviting people to receive eternal life.

so stop telling people to believe the gospel. This is like telling people to believe the Bible. This is not wrong, it is just not helpful. Such an invitation is too vast and too vague. Instead, let us follow the example of Jesus and use His gospel invitation.

Invite people to believe in Jesus for eternal life.

Want to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

Have you heard this misleading Gospel message?

By Jeremy Myers

105 Comments

The basic gospel message heard in many churches and found in many books in the United States can be summarized this way:

God is good. You’re not. Try harder.

Those who teach this sort of gospel message often use different words and different ideas, but the overall idea is usually along those lines.

A Misleading Gospel Message

Let me share a few phrases which you might have heard from pulpits, read in books, or even taught to others.

Jesus gave His life for you; you need to give your life to Him.

Salvation is by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.

It’s not enough just to believe. After all, even the demons believe.

While salvation is by faith alone, true faith is not just a mental assent to a bunch of facts. True faith will result in a life of obedience to God.

To truly be a Christian, it’s not enough to just believe in your heart, you need to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.

To really be saved, you need to repent of your sin and submit your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Unless you commit your life to Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ will not commit His life to you.

And on, and on, and on it goes.

These are the sorts of ideas and gospel messages that you often hear in many popular versions of Christianity.

Are Good Works Required for Eternal Life?

If you look over each of those statements, you see that all of them have something in common. Each one mentions or implies that there is more to receiving eternal life than just faith. Each one teaches that faith alone in Jesus Christ alone is not enough, but some form of good works or additional commitment to God is needed above and beyond simple faith alone in Jesus.

Isn’t it strange that while most Christians talk about how eternal life is by faith alone, when it actually comes down to what they believe and how they present the gospel, they somehow incorporate good works into the mix?

Most gospel messages today include works and commitment as part of the requirement for becoming a Christian, staying a Christian, or proving that you really are a Christian.

In my course on the Gospel, I present the exact opposite idea. I present the idea that good works are not required to earn, keep, or prove a person’s eternal life.

Let me state it more clearly: I believe that not even a commitment to obedience and faithful living is required.

Eternal life is by God’s grace from first to last, and God does not require a person to earn eternal life, keep eternal life, or prove that they have eternal life by obedience, commitment, or dedication.

If you look at all those statements in that list above (and the myriad of others that I did not list), they all require some sort of obedience, commitment, or faithful living in order to earn, keep, or prove your eternal life. I believe the Bible teaches the opposite. I believe the Bible teaches that while there is a place for good works in the life of the believer, good works have no place in earning, keeping, or proving our eternal life.

What do you think of this idea? What do you think of the misleading gospel messages above that are often found in books and sermons about the Gospel? What role, if any, do you think good works play in gaining, keeping, or proving your eternal life? Share your ideas in the comment section below!

Want to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

What is the Definition of the Gospel?

By Jeremy Myers

29 Comments

Have you ever thought about the definition of the gospel?

I find it surprising that while all of us Christians like to talk about the gospel, few of us actually agree on how to define the gospel.

This is one reason I made my course, The Gospel According to Scripture, available here on this site.

I wanted to help people know what the Scriptural definition of the Gospel was so that they could properly know that they have eternal life, and also how the gospel calls them to live in this life.

I basically define the gospel this way:

The good news in Scripture is that God has done everything that needs doing as far as your eternal life is concerned.

This, of course, doesn’t mean that once you have eternal life, you can just go live however you want. The gospel contains all sorts of truths and teachings about how to live our lives now once we have the free gift of eternal life.

I unpack my definition of the gospel in my course, but I am curious about your definition of the gospel.

Please let me know in the comment section below, or, better yet, take the first couple lessons of the course for free (by becoming a member), and in those lessons you are invited to provide your definition of the gospel there.

Here are some other posts I have written about the biblical definition of the Gospel:

Want to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

My Sin

By Jeremy Myers

13 Comments

I remember as a child asking God to forgive me and accept me into His family, but afterward, every time I sinned, I would worry that maybe God had kicked me out of His family or that He didn’t love me anymore.

I made it an almost daily habit to ask God back into my heart. I never really knew for sure where I stood with God, and so prayed daily to thank Him for loving me if He still did, but if He did not, then would He please forgive me and start loving me again.

I didn’t really have too many major sins to be worried about. It was just the normal kid stuff, such as talking back to my parents, getting mad at one of my sisters, or stealing a piece of penny candy from the glass bowl on the pastor’s desk at church.

Asking the Devil into My Heart

One time, though, I heard that a true Christian could never be possessed by the devil, so I decided to test whether or not I was a true Christian by praying to the devil and inviting him into my heart.

I remember feeling relieved afterward that I could still name the name of Jesus and pray to God, but for many years after that, I wondered if I had in fact been possessed by the devil and he was just deceiving me into thinking I had not.

So I prayed and begged for God’s forgiveness and that He would keep me in His family.

Getting Addicted to Porn

In Junior High and High School, I fell into a sin which I could never seem to beat. This was a sin which most males struggle with most of their lives, but which few Christians talk about. It was pornography. This cycle of sin led me into a cycle of shame, guilt, and fear, which then led to tearful confessions, repentance, and promises to never do it again, only to fall right back into it a few days or weeks later.

Similar sorts of sins, problems, and fears followed me into college, adulthood, marriage, and even into my first years as a pastor.

Finding Freedom in God’s Love and Grace

It was during college that I first began to see some of the central truths of the gospel, and it was because of these truths that I first began to find the freedom, liberty, and joy in my relationship with God that I had often heard about but had rarely experienced.

These gospel truths liberated me from the fear of God’s rejection and the shame of my sin.

Later, during my years as a pastor, I came to understand the limitless freedom of God’s grace, and how to invite people into a relationship with God centered on grace instead of on our own performance.

In more recent years, these truths have continued to blossom, flourish, and grow into a certainty about the centrality of God’s unconditional love for everything in the life of the Christian. The fact that God’s love is unconditional means that there is nothing we need to do (or stop doing) to earn it, keep it, or prove it.

In my course, The Gospel According to Scripture, I share some of the truths with you that I have learned over the past couple decades which have helped and encouraged me.

I share with you what I have learned about God’s infinite love, grace, and forgiveness. I want you to begin to experience these truths in your own life, so that you not only come to a fuller understanding of the gospel, but so that you can actually begin to experience the promises and freedoms of the gospel in a real and tangible way.

If you take the course, you will see that God is pure love, that God’s love for you is unconditional and unadulterated. Once you see this, your fear and shame will fade away, because there is no fear in love (1 John 4:18). You will come to recognize that since God loves you completely and unconditionally, there is nothing you need to do to earn or keep God’s love for you.

Want to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

7 Gospel Truths that Help Prepare People to Believe in Jesus

7 Gospel Preparation Truths

But what about the rest of the gospel?

What are the essential Gospel truths you must share with others?

Stop Telling People to “Believe the Gospel”

We need to present the gospel like Jesus

Have you heard this misleading Gospel message?

A Misleading Gospel Message

Are Good Works Required for Eternal Life?

What is the Definition of the Gospel?

Here are some other posts I have written about the biblical definition of the Gospel:

My Sin

Asking the Devil into My Heart

Getting Addicted to Porn

Finding Freedom in God’s Love and Grace

Theological Study Archives

Bible Study Archives

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