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The authentic Gospel of Jesus Christ, the "Good News" as the Apostles originally taught it, is magnificently simple and speaks of how the Cross of Christ benefited all people, not just some.
This is the entire Gospel as the Apostles taught it:
1. Forgiven: All sins of all people for all time were forgiven and forgotten on the Cross of Jesus Christ; only the eternal and unforgiveable sin of unbelief was not forgiven on the Cross. Therefore, the issue of forgiveness was fully resolved 2,000 years ago.
2. Saved Through Faith: All are forgiven but not all are saved because salvation is more than forgiveness. Only when that last sin of unbelief is turned to faith in Jesus Christ does God remove your old sinful nature and replace it with a brand new, clean heart.
3. Born Again: Now a "clean vessel," the Spirit of Jesus Christ has a place in you to live. By the fact that He comes to live in you, His presence makes you fully and forever righteous in your born again spirit. In other words, you are righteous because the Righteous One lives in you, and you possess eternal life because Eternal Life now dwells in your heart. Righteousness is a gift and the gift is the person of Jesus Christ living in you by His Spirit.
4. Live By Faith: You still "live" in the same mortal body as you did before you became a Christian, and it is still dead because of sin. Your physical body awaits a future redemption. But, for this very reason you live by faith because you cannot live a righteous life by your own human strength. As you follow in faith the inner life of Jesus Christ, He will live out His righteous life in you and do His good works through you; you are the hands, feet and mouth by which Jesus does His works in the world today.
Expanded Version with Bible Verses
Bible Verses Explaining the Gospel of Jesus Christ
The Gospel is always focused on Jesus; it is beautifully simple and proclaims the good news that everyone's sins were forgiven and forgotten on the Cross 2,000 years ago. It welcomes all people to be reconciled to God through faith in Christ as Savior. The New Testament teaches grace. Grace is possible only because Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic Law. The Law required that people do or not do certain things to be acceptable to God. Jesus fulfilled the Law by His sinless life, thereby ending it. He replaced the Law with Himself; now both righteousness and righteous living come through Jesus Christ, not through human works.
The three primary characteristics of believers, collectively called the Body of Christ, are [1] loving others, [2] sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and [3] living by indwelling power of the Holy Spirit (Jesus living in you). If you do not experience these things from a person who claims to be a Christian, then man-made religion, not true Biblical faith, is getting in the way.
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Would you like to understand the Bible, really understand it? God has provided a specific way to understand His written revelation. Instead of pursuing understanding through human reasoning and diligent study, the Bible tells you to receive understanding through the teaching of the Holy Spirit. This is because spiritual truth is spiritually understood. The best explanation of this principle is found in 1 Corinthians 2:1-16. To read the text and find out more, Click Here.
To read 5 insights that will dramatically improve your understanding of the Bible, Click Here
Important Note: True Gospel Ministries does not ask you to believe what you read on this website. But we do ask that you read the material carefully and then take it to the Lord and pray something like this, "Lord, is this your truth? If it is, open my eyes; if it is not, protect me from deception."
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
This may be the best explanation of the Christian life you will ever hear. It is a 42 minute audio by Norman Rideout, a 2nd generation missionary in northern Thailand where believers experience life as they did in the Book of Acts: miracles are common, Satan actively opposes them and it is evident when someone is filled with the Holy Spirit or with a demon. Listen to this amazing story. Click Here
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What is Faith? Faith is following. Faith is actively following Jesus Christ who actually lives in you. Jesus Christ, as His Holy Spirit, is now literally joined as one with you in your new born again spirit. His life, therefore, is your life. You experience this new life as you live by faith, that is, as you follow the life that Jesus is living inside of you.
Jesus lives through you in general ways when He loves other people through you and is patient with others through you. But, He also lives through you in an individual way through the spiritual gift that the Holy Spirit gave you. These gifts are described in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. A spiritual gift is the way that Jesus does His good works through you; as a member of the Body of Christ, you have become His hands, feet and mouth in the world today.
You can understand your life of faith by looking at the life of faith that Jesus lived. Over and over Jesus said that He did not initiate the works that He did, but it was the Father in Him who did the works. Jesus did not perform the miracles; the Spirit of God in Him performed the miracles. In the same way, you do not do, in your own human strength, the good works; rather, it is Jesus in you who does these works.
John 5:30a I can do nothing on My own initiative.
John 14:10b … The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.
Acts 2:22a Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst ...
So, if Christ initiates a work, it is a "good" work. If in your own human strength you try to initiate something, it is not what the Bible calls a "good" work. Something that you initiate may seem good but real "good works" come always, and without exception, from Jesus Christ within you.
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