Home  |  Writings  |  Q & A  |  The Shack (discussion)  |  Music  |  Email 


Surfing on life banner
 Q&A;
SALVATION : The gospel message
Different gospels? << Prev Topic | Next >>
Posted: 9/13/03 by the shovel 

 

<<< I'm not sure about my eternal destiny and I'm confused on the gospel. I hear so many different gospels today and I want to know how I get saved. How do I get from being in adam to being in Christ? How do I become alive again? I'm confused on what faith is too. Does faith in Christ just mean believing that He died on the cross for my sins and rose again the 3rd day? >>>

There is good reason you would be confused on the gospel, for as you say, there are many different so-called "gospels". But the truth of the matter is that there is only one "good news". It used to be incredibly confusing to me as well until I began to see the simplicity of the distinction between the preaching of man vs. the preaching of Christ. What if those who preach themselves merely use "Christ" in an attempt to mask their real preaching? It would cause much confusion, wouldn't it?

Now consider that the good news of Christ is the simple declaration of what CHRIST has done, but do you not notice how even though your questions to me refer to salvation, Christ or the gospel they are all based around the struggle to determine what YOU must do? This is why it all seems so confusing!!

I realize there are lots of Bible verses that can be "used" to validate the many different "gospels" that are preached. The simple truth is that the true freedom brought through Christ in his death and resurrection has been filtered through the reasoning of men so that it appears reasonable to hash back and forth between the supposed "Biblical requirements necessary for salavtion". But this is the very same thing the scribes and Pharisees did in Jesus' day as they tried to argue with him on a "Scriptural" basis.

There is true life in Christ ... and then there is everything else. You cannot get yourself from Adam into Christ for that is the very reality of Christ because HE passed from death into life.

Faith is not defined by a "here's what you must believe in" list of requirements, but faith itself is also miraculous. The good news of Christ tells of his death on the cross and resurrection because this is what HE did to rescue us. Somehow, religion has turned that around so that we are trying to define our faith by whether or not we believe the "correct" things contained in the good news message.

But the good news message is a proclamation of the removal of everything that separated us from the life of God and the brand new life of man that is found in Christ. The message itself brings faith, a believing in the ONE in whom is life: Christ. If you believe in him, it is not because you came to agree with his expected scriptural requirements, but because the message of the good news drew your heart to Christ.

So, does the good news testify life to you or does it merely serve as part of a religious prop? Do you believe HIM ... or do you just believe THINGS about him? The true gospel will confirm the reality of the true life Christ within you, even though you may be struggling with the confusion brought on by the gospels that are not GOOD NEWS! Be glad that these other "gospels" only confuse your heart, for Christ has released you from the condemnation demanded by those "false messages of God".

Jim

Back to Top
 

 


Printable version Printable version



the shovel home page

Home page of the shovel

subsections