What is the Gospel?

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:17-27

Six Principles of Salvation

1. The Character of God

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone. Mark 10:17-18

• Jesus was not denying that he was not good. Jesus was establishing that no one is good except God alone. He was trying to get the man to think.

• When sharing the Gospel, the first principle we must drive home when sharing the Gospel is that God is Holy and perfect, and in light of HIS perfection and holiness, we see our brokenness and how imperfect we really are.

• If we do not have God as our standard of holiness, then what is the standard? Is it that the truth, the Gospel, is all relative, relative to our interpretation? Is it that we think we are good people in relation to bad people? If that is the case, how would we know good people from bad people. We only know that we are not good enough in light of God’s standard, His perfection, and His holiness…His goodness! Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone.

2. The Law of God

You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” Mark 10:19

• The ten commandments are separated into two groups:

  • One group has to do with man’s relationship to God

  • The other group has to do with man’s relationship with man or other people

• The commandments dealing with man to man is obtainable to an extent, but the one’s dealing with man to God are extremely difficult without a true relationship with the Lord.

• We all have broken God’s Law. We have disobeyed his commandments and that makes us sinners, separated from the Lord.

• …for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. Romans 3:23

• Because we are sinners, we fall short of the Glory of God and the result is a broken relationship with Him.

• We all have earned the right to die…we deserve death. As it says in Romans 6:23a…For the wages of sin is death…

• Every person that ever lived, every person that is living now, and every person that lives in the future fall short of the Glory of God. We fall short of His perfection and His Holiness!

3. Repentance Toward God

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Mark 10:21a

• Mark is the only Gospel writer who records that Jesus looked at him and loved him. It gives us a sharp image of a God who loves unconditionally; who loves us compassionately.

• Jesus did not intend this verse to mean that poverty is more blessed than riches. He was declaring that nothing must come between a person and devotion to God.

• Repentance an intentional turning, a changing of direction, it’s a change of the heart and the surrendering of one’s life.

• Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38

• For the wages of sin is death…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23b

• Many understand the term repentance to mean “a turning from sin.” Regretting sin and turning from it are related to repentance but are not the precise meaning of the word. In the Bible, the word repent means “to change one’s mind.” The Bible also tells us that true repentance will result in a change of actions (Luke 3:8–14; Acts 3:19).

• In summarizing his ministry, Paul declares, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20). The short biblical definition of repentance is “a change of mind that results in a change of action.”

4. Faith in the Son of God

Then come, follow me. Mark 10:21b

• Jesus’ command to the man to follow me came at the time when he was headed for Jerusalem and certain death at the hands of the religious leaders. This echoes Jesus’ command to every disciple to take up the cross and follow him (Luke 9:23).

• A biblical definition of faith reaches beyond mere belief—the simple acknowledgment that God exists—into the realm of trust. Genuine faith involves abandoning all human reliance on self-efforts and placing total dependence upon God’s character, His actions, and His promises, as revealed in His Word.

• Faith is not just saying you believe, not just praying a prayer, but totally trusting in Christ for Salvation.

• James 2:19 says…even the demons believe and shudder! Faith goes beyond just believing to totally trusting Christ and Christ alone for salvation.

• For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10

• If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved…. for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-10, 13

• A biblical concept of faith includes believing that God exists and that He is totally trustworthy, so much so that we base our lives on Him and His Word, doing what it says, no matter what our physical eyes tell us. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we obtain “the victory that has overcome the world” (1 John 5:4–5).

5. Reliance on the Spirit of God

At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:22-27

• The Holy Spirit regenerates and renews the believer (Titus 3:5).

• At the moment of salvation, the Spirit baptizes the believer into the Body of Christ (Romans 6:3).

• Believers receive the new birth by the power of the Spirit (John 3:5–8).

• The Holy Spirit also does work among unbelievers. Jesus promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8, ESV).

• The Spirit testifies of Christ (John 15:26), pointing people to the Lord.

• “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44

• No one can be saved unless the Holy Spirit is drawing a person to himself. Salvation is a is Supernatural work of the Lord, it’s a work of the Holy Spirit.

• John 3 : You Must Be Born Again

6. The Resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God

• This principle is not found in this story because Jesus has not yet died, been buried, and resurrected from the grave.

• The resurrection of Jesus Christ is of the utmost importance because it validates who Jesus claimed to be, namely, the Son of God and Messiah.

• According to Jesus, His resurrection was the “sign from heaven” that authenticated His ministry (Matthew 16:1–4).

• The resurrection of Jesus Christ, attested to by hundreds of eyewitnesses, provides irrefutable proof that He is the Savior of the world.

• The resurrection of Jesus Christ is important as a testimony to the resurrection of human beings, which is a basic tenet of the Christian faith. Unlike other religions, Christianity has a Founder who transcends death and promises that His followers will do the same. Every other religion was founded by men or prophets whose end was the grave. As Christians, we know that God became man, died for our sins, and was resurrected the third day. The grave could not hold Him. He lives, and He sits today at the right hand of the Father in heaven (Hebrews 10:12).

• The resurrection is the triumphant and glorious victory for every believer. Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3– 4).

• He is coming again! The dead in Christ will be raised up, and those who are alive at His coming will be changed and receive new, glorified bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18).

• Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ important? It proves who Jesus is. It demonstrates that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. It shows that God has the power to raise us from the dead. It guarantees that the bodies of those who believe in Christ will not remain dead but will be resurrected unto eternal life.

When sharing the whole Gospel of Salvation, where do we begin?

We must first have a HEART FOR THE LOST.

• Evangelism will never happen without a brokenness for lost people. And, the Lord is the only one that can break our hearts for the lost. Pray for brokenness!

• We need to be intentional to engage the lost.

• We need to evangelize the lost!

• We need to pray for the lost. We need to pray for divine appointments and look for opportunities and share the Gospel!

• We must have an urgency, but the process of trust to the pre-Christian is slow and begins with intentionality to build that trust within the relationship. This process can take days, months, and sometime years.