“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV
Have you ever tried buying a white shirt from a seller and he/she said something like “I don’t have pure white now but I have one that is near white”? The 2 keywords from this quote are “pure” and “near”. This means that there is a possibility that out of desperation or urgency, you may settle for “near or almost” white instead of “pure” white.
This term, almost, is one of Satan’s most dangerous weapons to twist the truth to a point that you may begin to believe it if you are not careful. One of the marks of Christian maturity is the ability to discern between what is true and what is almost true.
The gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16) and no attempt should be made to add or remove from it. There are no in-betweens as to what the gospel truly is. So, let us discuss what the gospel is not.
Firstly, the gospel is not about what we must do and how we must live to be right with God. The gospel is about what Jesus has done for us, which we could not do for ourselves, in that he bore upon Himself the wrath of God that we should have suffered. As our anchor verse says, we could not have done anything to earn it; it is a free gift of His grace.
Secondly, the gospel is not a message of condemnation. The gospel is good news, one that inspires gratitude and awe of God in the heart of everyone who hears it.
Although there is a warning in the message that anyone who does not believe is condemned (John 3:18); the good news is that Jesus has made a way for us to escape that condemnation and to experience eternal life in Him with God forevermore.
Furthermore, the gospel is not an option; it is not one of many ways by which a man can be saved. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, no one can come to the Father but by Him (John 14:6). The gospel is the only means by which we can be saved.
Lastly, the gospel is not a system of rules and practices that require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline and mutilations such as circumcision (Colossians 2:20-23, Galatians 5:11-12).
The gospel hinges on the crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, a work He wrought for our sake.
Dear family, preserving the truth of the gospel is so important that Apostle Paul said, “let God curse anyone, even if themselves or an angel, that preaches a different gospel from the one they had preached” (Galatians 1:8-9).
We must uphold this truth and never be enticed by another almost true message.
Bible Reading Plan: Mark 4: 26- 41