Since I originally posted my article about the “Simple Gospel,” I’ve received a number of objections to it. “The Bible says to ‘sin no more’” was one of the more common objections: “The Bible says ‘Sin no more,’ after we get saved we must cease from our sin or lose our salvation.” In light of the context, however, this objection simply doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. The Bible uses the phrase “Sin no more” only two times. In both instances it could easily be argued that the opposite of the objection is being taught.
Let’s be clear.
Christians should strive to sin no more. But the Bible makes it clear that our sins are forgiven and we’re saved by grace. If you believe in the Son you HAVE eternal life (John 3:36). Jesus died once to pay for all our sin (Hebrews 10:12). Where sin abounds grace abounds even more (Romans 5:20). And if anyone sins we have an advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1). Below is my refutation of this objection.
The Bible Says “Sin No More”
The following is a response that I wrote to an objection I received regarding my post about “The Simple Gospel.” The objection was that there are scriptures which tell us how we are to live after we’re saved and that we “must repent of our sins and go sin no more.” There are those which teach that once we get saved, we are to refrain and repent from all sin, or risk losing our salvation. Each time we sin, they say, we must repent or else we could be sent to hell even though we’ve believed.
Another objection raised appeared to have been taken from another source using 1 Corinthians 15:31 and 2 Corinthians 4:16 to teach that we must repent daily from our sins to maintain our salvation. The goal in my response below, was to show that the scriptures mentioned don’t teach the idea that we must repent of our sin or else lose salvation, and in some cases, they actually demonstrate that God extends his mercy and grace regardless of a person’s sinful actions afterwards.
*I originally wrote this response in a hasty fashion on a Facebook comment. The italicized text below shows a quote of the original comment, and the [brackets] show where I have altered the text from my original comments on Facebook to add clarity, correct what I originally said, or change the wording to be more conducive to a blog post format.
My response:
“I wrote this post to show exactly what the gospel is. I remember being afraid of dying and going to hell when I was young, knowing that I believed in Jesus but I wasn’t perfect. No one can totally repent of all their sins, and anyone who says that they have no sin “deceives themselves and the truth is not in them. (1 John 1:8)”
Obviously, an issue of this importance should rest on what the Bible says. There are definitely a ton of scriptures telling people how they should conduct themselves after they get saved, but NONE of them point to a person losing their salvation if they don’t follow those instructions. In fact, many times they are followed by assurances that the person is still saved, but that they [should] act like it. Mistakes do happen, but willful rebellious sin still happens too. If the person has faith in Christ, then none of their behavior changes their status from saved to unsaved.
It’s worth noting that [anyone being told] to “sin no more” occurs [only] twice in the whole [Bible]: John 5:14 and John 8:11.”
“Sin no more” comes AFTER mercy is already given
“In John 8:11, a woman is accused of adultery and the people want to stone her. […] Jesus, the one without sin who has every right to cast the first stone, stays [after the others leave] and tells the woman, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, sin no more.” His response clearly shows that he recognizes her sin, yet he still shows her mercy. He gives her this command to sin no more, but in no way does he indicate that [this] mercy [he’s shown her] is at all predicated on her behavior in the past, present or future.
In John 5:14, Jesus comes to a pool where the lame and sick gather once a year to touch the water in hopes of being healed. He finds a man and asks him “Wilt thou be made whole?” The man replies by saying that he has no one to help him into the pool. Jesus heals him, and when he finds him later on says: “sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” It doesn’t [say explicitly] what the man’s sin was, but we should note that this man was attempting to heal himself using a superstitious tradition apart from God, which could easily be considered sinful in a number of ways. [Specifically, in the text, Jesus asks him if he would be “made whole,” which is often used as a euphemism for obtaining salvation.] This provides US with a great metaphor for a person who is seeking salvation (being “made whole”) by their own [efforts]. When Jesus tells the man to “sin no more,” [there isn’t anything specific to point to other than the man’s attempt to be made whole apart from God. If this is the sin Jesus is referring to, then to “sin no more” would mean that the man should not return to his seeking to be made whole apart from God.] He’s [already] been made whole, he doesn’t need to seek anymore wholeness; [if he’s been made whole, then how could he be made any MORE whole?]
When we attempt to keep our salvation by repenting of our sins, we are really admitting that Jesus’ work was not enough for us, and we are returning to the wrong way of being made whole by our own works.”
We need to take a pause:
“Sin no more” could mean “just trust Jesus”
This provides a great example for us. This man was using something other than the power of God to be “made whole,” a term which is often used to represent a picture of salvation. When Jesus comes to him, it’s clear that the man humbly recognizes his inability to do the work required on his own. Jesus makes him whole by his own power, the man doesn’t have to do anything of his own effort! There is no indication of his sinfulness before he is healed, so when Jesus says to him sin no more, lest a worse thing happen to you, the only thing we can point to specifically is his efforts to be “made whole” apart from God.
If we are trying to gain our salvation by repenting from our sins, how are we any different from this man, trying to be made whole apart from God? And if, after receiving the healing work from Christ, we return to our old efforts of trying to be “made whole” with our own works of repentance instead of trusting solely in Jesus’ work to save us, then how are we any different from this man who Jesus warned?
Jesus warned him and US that a worse thing could come unto us. A person who thinks they can lose their salvation if they sin again needs to read Hebrews 10:26 and realize that Jesus paid it all once. If that one sacrifice doesn’t forgive and atone for ALL of our sin, past, present, and future, then there remains no other sacrifice for sin. If you can gain salvation, then lose it again, that’s a HUGE problem.
Back to my response:
“What’s interesting about these two [passages] is that they actually teach the opposite of what many try to use them for. We’re told we must repent of our sins to be saved, but here, Jesus extends [life-saving] mercy to this woman despite there being zero evidence of her repentance. We are told that we must keep doing the work of repenting [from] our sins [to keep our salvation], but here, Jesus tells the man not to return to trying to make himself whole on his own.
As for the two verses shared from 1 Corinthians 15:31 and 2 Corinthians 4:16, those verses were taken completely out of context.
1 Corinthians 15 is not in any way about dying to sin or dying because of sin. It’s about how some in the church at the time denied the resurrection of Christ. Paul points out to his audience (which are saved believers) that if Christ didn’t rise from the dead then everything they do is in vain. In [verse 30], Paul asks his readers why they endure all [the persecution they do] if Christ didn’t rise from the dead. In verse 31, Paul says that he “dies daily” [in the sense that he faces deadly persecution all the time]. Just as Jesus taught, Paul takes up his cross and follows Him despite the danger [of persecution and it’s worth it BECAUSE Jesus did in fact rise from the dead].
2 Corinthians 4:16 is yet another piece of evidence that the body and spirit of the believer are treated just as I explained in this post. The outward man (the body[/flesh]) dies because of sin, but the inward man (the spirit) is renewed because of righteousness which is by faith (Romans 3:22, Romans 8:10). Our body dies because of sin, whether due to its typical ailments or due to the return of Christ ([at that time,] our body will be transformed or changed, 1 Corinthians 15:52). The body we have right now WILL NOT go to heaven, it CAN’T even if we DID completely stop sinning (1 Corinthians 15:50)”
Just to clarify:
This topic of the difference between the believer’s body and their spirit, which I describe in the main article as the “duality of the human being,” is not one which is central to the Gospel. The Gospel can be told and believed in full without it. I only chose to expound on it because it could help one to understand the result of salvation with a little more clarity. This is especially helpful to those who might get caught up on the idea that no sin will enter heaven as, for example, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says. Understanding the separation between the two can help explain how it’s possible that one who is born again is capable of committing sin while still being saved. When we are born again, our spirit is immediately renewed and it could be said that, in a spiritual sense, we are the children of God. But our flesh is still infected with sin, the law of sin is still “warring within [our] members (Romans 7:23).” That’s why our flesh still sins and dies even though we believe and are saved and “have everlasting life (John 3:36).” If we believe that Jesus rose from the dead, then we believe also that he will also one day raise our mortal bodies from the dead (1 Corinthians 6:14); It’s then that our bodies are saved from sin entirely.
In conclusion:
“Let me be clear, [we] believe that after a person gets saved they should try their best to abstain from all sin. But the Bible teaches that Christ offered his body once and that we are sanctified by his one sacrifice FOREVER (Hebrews 10:10-12) [and that if “anyone of us sins, we have an advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1).”] The Bible DOES NOT [teach] that a person will lose their salvation if they sin after getting saved and it DOES NOT [teach] that they will or must sin any less to keep their salvation.”
The following is a collection of verses from across the Bible clearly showing that once a person is saved, they are always saved. The salvation of the believer is eternally secure and will never be taken away under any circumstances, as demonstrated by the following verses.
There are a great many verses which seem to indicate or that could teach, with added explanation, the eternal security of the believer. Below each included verse is an explanation of my reasoning for including it in the list.
*This is by no means an all-inclusive or exhaustive collection of verses demonstrating the point in question. These are merely the verses that stood out to me while quickly skimming through the New Testament and verses that will be added as I continue in my studies. If you know of a verse that fits the pattern of the following, please feel free to share in the comments below and your verse could be added to the list for others to gain from.
Bold and Italicized emphasis added to show the definitiveness of each statement.
Matthew 11:28-29 “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
Explanation:
“Rest” throughout the Bible is used to represent two things: First) Rest is, obviously, the opposite of work, so rest is used to represent not working; Second) Rest is used to represent heaven, the promised land, or salvation.
This verse requires a bit of breakdown:
Jesus says “Come to me, all that labor and are heavy laden…” He’s saying this to all those which are working to be saved, these are the people who believe their salvation is earned through works. They are “heavy laden” meaning the work they do is difficult; they’re carrying a lot and are tired of doing so. Working to save yourself, and make yourself righteous in God’s sight, would be very hard, but Jesus does this all for us: we’re made righteous by having faith in his work on the cross according to Romans 3. Thus, Jesus will give them rest when they come to him, since their works won’t be required for righteousness, and in the sense that they will be saved, and will enter heaven.
“Take my yoke upon you,” A yoke is a device which links two or more animals together to do work. When we’re yoked up to Jesus, he graciously bears the weight and allows us to rest from our burden. This article at “GotQuestions.org” does a really great job at explaining this.
Jesus makes the promise here that He WILL give them this rest, both to them and to their souls, showing his clear intention to do so and also expressing the sureness of this.
Mark 16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
Explanation:
The word “shall” is what’s known as an auxiliary verb, meaning it is used in conjunction with and describes another verb, and is being used in the “Affirmative Form” (Cambridge Dictionary “Shall”) since it comes after the subject and before the verb “be”. This is important, considering that “shall” is “used to express what is inevitable”(Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Jesus is saying that the salvation of those who believe is INEVITABLE. Inevitability, by definition, cannot be avoided.
Luke 3:17 “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.”
Explanation:
This is a metaphor used by John the Baptist, who said this after being asked if he was the Christ. His response was to describe the Christ as one who will purge his floor, and that he “will gather the wheat into his garner.”
There are two main things which stand out about this metaphor: First) When one gathers wheat into a garner, or a granary, the wheat is being saved or stored away for safe keeping so it can be used at a later date, it is preserved; Second) He says that the Christ “will gather” the wheat, which is a statement of inevitability, it’s not that Christ might, or possibly is going to, but he will gather the wheat for preservation.
These two things are interesting, because Jesus uses the SAME metaphor in his parable of the tares in Matthew 13: 24-30. In this parable, the wheat are the saved, who are put into the barn, and the tares are the unsaved which are bundled up and burned. What John the Baptist is saying here is that this gathering of the wheat into the barn is not conditional. It will happen. And if you are one of the wheat, the saved, then this is, without a doubt, your future.
I talk about the parables in much more detail in my “Parables” series.
John 3:14-16 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the sone of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not parish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not parish but have eternal life.”
Explanation:
Here it’s said that whoever believes in Him (Jesus) “should” not parish but have eternal life. A common issue with contemporary English is that the word “should” is often taken to mean that a thing is merely being suggested or that it speaks of what is likely to be. This is not the only meaning for the word and it’s not generally the way it is used in the bible. The word “should” is actually the past tense form of the word “shall,” which indicates that this is more of an inevitability than just a possibility.
John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Explanation:
Jesus says that he who believes on Him IS NOT condemned. This is a statement of certainty. If you believe, even if you’ve sinned, you are not condemned.
John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
Explanation:
Just in case the previous verses from the chapter were not clear enough, here is the most strongly worded evidence yet that once you’re saved you can’t loose your salvation.
This verse says that he who believes has everlasting life. This is all in the present tense, meaning it’s happening right NOW, not that it will be true in the future, but instead that it’s true this very moment.
This life that the believer has is EVERLASTING, it’s ETERNAL, meaning it has no end! Now, if someone were to lose their salvation and somehow no longer have everlasting life, then it would be a LIE to call it “everlasting,” since it didn’t last forever.
++John 4:14 “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
John 5:24-25 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when they that hear shall live.”
Explanation:
This is similar to the explanation for John 3:36 above.
First, we have the statement that those who believe “have everlasting life,” which is present tense and entails that the believer has a life in them that will last FOREVER.
Second, Jesus says that they “shall not come into condemnation.” This takes into account both the present and the future, indicating that they will NEVER be condemned.
Third, the believer “is passed from death unto life.” This is another, remarkable, present tense statement about the believer having this everlasting life right now, and not just at some point in the future.
Finally, He says “the hour is coming,” this is the future; “and now is,” this is the present; “when they that hear (Jesus’ word from earlier in the verse) shall live.” This final statement ties together the present and the future with a definitive statement about the sureness of the life of those that believe.
Have you heard his word? Do you believe on him that sent Jesus? (Romans 4:5) If so, then you have everlasting life, you shall not ever be condemned; rejoice for you are passed from death unto life!
++John 6:35 “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
++John 6:37 “All that the father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
John 6:44 “No man can come unto me, except the father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 6:47 “Verily, verily I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
John 6:51 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
John 6:54 “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 10:9 “I am the door: by me if any man enter in he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture.”
++John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand.”
John 11:25-26 “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”
++John 20:31 “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
++Romans 1:17 “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith.”
++Romans 4:6-8 “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”
Romans 5:9 “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
Romans 6:5 “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection.”
++Romans 6:22 “But now being made free from sin and become servants of God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”
Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Romans 8:8-11 “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
Romans 8:38 “For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, no things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
1 Corinthians 1:8 “Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
++1 Corinthians 3:14 “If any mans work shall be burned he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
1 Corinthians 6:14 “And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his power.”
2 Corinthians 1:9-10 “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom trust that he will yet deliver us.”
2 Corinthians 4:13-14 “We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believe, and therefore speak; knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus and shall present us with you.”
++2 Corinthians 4:16 “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man parish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”
++2 Corinthians 5:1 “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, and house made not with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
Ephesians 1:18-2:1 “The eyes of our understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe. According to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principalities, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. And you hath he quickened who were dead in your trespasses and sins.”
Ephesians 2:4-6 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places with Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
Ephesians 4:30 “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
++Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing that he which began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
++Philippians 3:20-21 “For our conversation is in heaven: from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”
Colossians 1:12-14 “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”
Colossians 1:21-22 “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.”
Colossians 2:12-13 “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;”
Colossians 3:4 “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”
1 Thessalonians 1:10 “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.”
2 Thessalonians 2:13 “But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through the sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth.”
2 Thessalonians 2:16 “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, our father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,”
2 Timothy 2:11 “It is a faithful saying: for if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him.”
Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”
Titus 3:7 “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
++Hebrews 1:3 “Who being the brightness of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of majesty on high.”
Hebrews 4:3 “For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.”
Hebrews 9:12 “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”
++Hebrews 9:15 “And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”
++Hebrews 9:28 “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
++Hebrews 10:10 “By the which we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Hebrews 10:12 “But his man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down at the right hand of God;”
Hebrews 10:17-18 “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.”
Hebrews 10:38-39 “Now the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them that draw back unto perdition; but of them the believe to the saving of the soul.”
1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you , who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
++1 Peter 1:9 “Receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your souls.”
++1 Peter 2:6 “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.”
++1 Peter 2:25 “For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the shepherd and bishop of your souls.”
++1 John 2:1-2 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.”
++1 John 2:12 “I write unto you, little children because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.”
1 John 2:24 “And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.”
++1 John 3:2-3 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doeth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”
1 John 5:10-13 “He that believeth on the son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God.”
++Revelation 2:7 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches: to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
++Revelation 2:11 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.”
++Revelation 2:17 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows saving he that receives it.”
++Revelation 3:5 “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”
++Revelation 3:12 “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall no more go out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.”
++Revelation 3:21 “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my father in his throne.”
++Revelation 21:7 “He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be my son.”
It’s said there are only two guarantees in life: death and taxes. While some have managed to skirt the latter, no one in history has completely cheated death. We all may try, and even achieve some temporary success with the current medical advances and scientific research. Or we may try to distract ourselves from the truth at hand with our work, families, hobbies, or worse things like drugs or alcohol. In the end, all is vanity. All our efforts to avoid death are in vain, they don’t accomplish the task and eventually we pass on anyway.
All Is Vanity
Many have promised a route to eternal life, and every world religion presents its own way to achieve this salvation. However, every one of these solutions end the same way: death. Even the founders of these major belief systems found their way to the grave that we will all one day face.
This is the rule: we are all born, we live, and then we die. However, there is one exception: Jesus was born, he lived, and then he died, then he rose to life again promising to do the same miracle for all who have faith in him.
This is the Gospel.
The Simple Gospel
A Gift From God
The Good News
The word “Gospel” is Greek, and means “good news.” Many people claim to share the Gospel, but actually end up turning it into bad news by adding extra stuff and overcomplicating it, you’ll read more on that later.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is simple and the Bible says it is “the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16)
Jesus says in John 3:36, “He that believes on the son has eternal life, and he that doesn’t believe shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
What must we believe about Jesus?
I’m glad you asked! We must believe that his work on the cross, his undeserved suffering and death, paid for the death that we deserve for our sinfulness. We must believe that our debt is fully paid by his act alone and that there is nothing we could do to replace, or add to, his sacrifice.
This sacrifice is truly the most wonderful gift that could be given, and God offers it to every person in the world!
“For God so loved the world what he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not parish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
But why must we believe? Why doesn’t he just save us? To answer these questions, I will another post, but for the sake of our conversation here, suffice it to say that it’s simply the way God wanted to do things.
“For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell, and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself” (Colossians 1: 19-20)
No Flesh Justified By The Law
For a little more depth into the gospel, let’s read Romans 3: 19-28.
Romans 3: 19-28
“Now we know that what things soever the law says, it says to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, for there is no diffence:
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God,
To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believes in Jesus.
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No: but by the law of faith.
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
Here, Paul says that the deeds of the law, which Jesus sums up as loving God and loving your neighbor in Matthew 22:39-40, can not justify anyone because the law was given with the purpose of showing us that we are already sinful. Instead, in verse 21, Paul points out that God’s righteousness is made available outside of the law and is offered “unto all” and applied “upon all who believe” in verse 22.
Accept The Free Gift
By believing in the work of Jesus on the cross, and trusting that his death paid for our wrong doings, we are accepting a free gift from God to forgive our sins, and we are justified in his sight. To be justified means not only to be right, but, more specifically, to be seen as right by an observer. This is an act of grace on Gods part, which bestows the righteousness of Jesus upon us and pays off the debt we owed because of our sins.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
Divine Debt Forgiveness
Here is the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ: We can all have our debt, the death we deserved for our sinfulness, completely forgiven simply by accepting the free gift of Christs payment upon the cross. This is purely an act of grace; there are no works we could ever do to earn this gift; there are no works we have to do to keep it; there is nothing we could do to lose it.
Join me here for a list of verses that prove the eternal security of the believer.
The true Gospel of Jesus Christ really is this simple, but there are some which would object to this simple good news.
A Common Objection
“But, No Sin Can Enter Heaven!”
There is a teaching that has found its way into the common presentation of the Gospel. Instead of presenting salvation as a free gift from God that was given simply out of his mercy and grace, they assert that this gift of eternal life is given only on the condition that you repent of your sins and choose to follow Jesus instead.
You MUST Repent Of Sin
This objection to the simple Gospel can take on several forms: Some teach that in order to become saved you must first repent of your sinful ways and clean up your life; others teach that if you sin after your initial salvation, then you lose your eternal life and must go through the entire process of repenting and believing again to regain it.
Every form of this objection shares two fundamental flaws.
Two Fundamental Flaws
The first flaw is that they ignore the dual nature of human beings as both flesh and spirit, and that the paths of these two aspects of our being are very different. While this doctrine contends that the actions of the one impact the path and destiny of them both, the Bible clearly lays out a distinction and separation between the two.
The Duality Of Human Beings
In Romans, chapters 7 and 8, Paul demonstrates that the flesh and the spirit do separate things and receive different treatment with respect to their present state.
Romans 7: 22-25
“For I delight in the law of God after the inward man.
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity of the law of sin which is in my members.
Oh, wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”
Romans 8: 8-11
“So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his,
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you.”
Notice the verb tenses in each one of those verses. You’ll see that everything is in present tense, with only two exceptions.
Present Tense Statements
Chapter 7:
(v22) Paul delights in the law of God on the inside – “after the inward man.”
(v23) Paul sees another law on the outside – “in [his] members (his body)”- which is against his will to do the law of God.
(v23) Paul exhibits the law of sin on the outside – “in [his] members.”
(v25) Paul serves both the law of God on the inside – “with [his] mind,” and the law of sin on the outside – “with [his] flesh.”
Chapter 8:
(v8) Those in the flesh cannot please God.
(v9) The reader is not in the flesh, but instead they’re in the Spirit if it’s true that the Spirit of God dwells in them.
(v10) If Christ is in them, then their body is dead because of sin.
(v10) If Christ is in them, then their spirit is alive because of righteousness.
All of the above are in the present tense. Both of the exceptions listed below are in the future tense.
(Chapter 7:24) Paul looks to the future for a savior from his body’s death.
(Chapter 8:11) The Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, shall also do the same for our dead bodies if it dwells in us.
A Clear Distinction
These scriptures make the distinction between the body and the spirit apparent and clearly show that the Bible teaches, at the very least, that there is a duality to the nature of the human being.
Let’s look at chapter 8, verses 10 and 11, again:
Romans 8:10 “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin…”
It is clear that even if you have Christ in you, your body is still dead because of sin, and will continue to sin because of that.
Romans 8:11 “If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he – shall also quicken your mortal bodies by the Spirit that dwells in you.”
In the future, Jesus will raise up our dead bodies and, as is written in 1 Corinthians 15:52-53:
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
If we are saved, we already have life in our spirit, and one day we will also have life in our dead bodies.
The Second Flaw
The second fundamental flaw that these objections to the simple Gospel share is that they turn the free gift of salvation into something that must be earned.
Salvation = A Gift
Every other major world religion teaches some form of what is called a “works based” salvation. They teach that your good deeds must ultimately outweigh the bad, or that you have to do or achieve something in order to gain eternal life. Christianity is different, the Bible teaches that there are no works you can do to save yourself.
When it comes to the impact of works vs faith on a persons salvation, the Bible is abundantly clear that our own works can not save us and that it’s purely a gift that God grants to those that have faith in the work of Jesus on the cross.
“For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift from God, not of works lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8)
The Undermining Of Gods Grace
To say that one must have faith and works together in any combination completely undermines the fact that eternal life is given to us by an act of grace from God.
“And if by grace, then it is no longer by works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it be by works, then is it no longer by grace, otherwise work is no longer work.” (Romans 11:6)
Grace Or Works, Not Both
If we had to work for eternal life in any way then it could not be said that salvation is by grace. Romans 4:4-8 puts it this way:
Romans 4: 4-8
“Now to him that works is the reward given not of grace but of debt.
But to him that works not, but believes on him which justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works,
Saying, Blessed are they who’s iniquities are forgiven, and who’s sins are covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”
We that believe and trust in the work of Christ on the cross to forgive our sins are truly blessed to have received this gift from God. Not only do we receive salvation and eternal life by grace alone through faith alone, but verse 8 above says that God will no longer impute our sins to us. That means that the sins we commit, after we believe and trust in his work and are saved, are not counted against us (Romans 4:8) and we are considered righteous and justified in his sight.
Conclusion
An Unexpected Gift
I want you to imagine receiving an unexpected gift from someone. Picture it: you’re going along, minding your own business, when suddenly someone stops you and holds out a small package wrapped in colorful paper with a bow on top. With the gift extended out to you, they say, “Here! This is for you, please take it.”
It’s not your birthday, it’s not Christmas, or any other circumstance where gift giving would be expected. You haven’t done any favors for this person, and they don’t owe you anything. If you accept this free gift it shows nothing of your own strength or ability, only the generosity of the one who gave it to you.
Once you receive the gift, the contents of it are yours, and since it is a genuine gift, given to you out of pure generosity, your ownership of it is not contingent upon any future deeds.
The Simple Gospel: A Gift From God
The Bible says that God offers the whole world a gift. He sees our sinfulness, and that the results of it is, ultimately, death. To save us from death, Jesus died on the cross and took the debt upon himself. This divine debt forgiveness is given freely to everyone that believes.
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
What must you do to be saved?
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.” (Acts 16:31)
