Posted by: The Simple Guy | January 13, 2010

3 questions

I have 3 questions for you:

  1. What is the Gospel?
  2. How is one saved?
  3. How do we find assurance of our salvation?

Please keep it simple, remember I am “Just A Simple Guy”

I welcome your thoughts,

Craig

Posted in assignment, your thoughts

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Responses

  1. Craig,

    I’ll take a shot at some short answers,

    1.) The gospel is the good news of God’s provision for sinners to be saved from the penalty and power of sin by the atoning death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
    2.) The sinner is saved after that they are awakened from spiritual death, enabled to see their wretched condition, and through the gifts of faith and repentance are brought to flee to Christ as their substitute, their salvation, and their righteousness before God.
    3.)The assurance of salvation in the converted is wrought by the Holy Spirit who now dwells in them and through His testifying to them that they are the children of God they are able to find assurnace in this world in their imperfect state. This is done by the discerning of those “Christ-like” attributes that are enumerated in the scriptures. These are the character traits (though imperfect reflections in our present state) of the “new man”. The Christian is one who now “hungers and thirsts after righteousness.”

    By: Tom G. on January 14, 2010
    at 8:48 am

    Reply

  2. Tom G.’s answers are good; better than I’d be able to come up with quickly. I’d add these comments to his foundation.
    1. The gospel also includes the fact that God sent his son to earth in the person of Jesus, who lived a sinless life while teaching and healing and doing other signs, and that Jesus was eventually rejected and killed. It also includes the fact that we must turn from sin.

    2. Sound Christians argue about whether regeneration precedes faith (as Tom and many wonderful Christians believe) or whether faith precedes regeneration (as seems to be taught in John 1:12-13, 3:3,5,15,16). Whatever the order, we must turn from our sins, we must believe in Jesus and we must be born again–and all of this (repentance, faith, rebirth) comes from God, not from our works.

    3. We find assurance of salvation in the ways Tom G. mentioned; also in the presence of the Holy Spirit within us; also in believing such promises as “the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”

    One final comment: When first saved, it’s common for our beliefs to be quite uninformed. We may not yet know all of the essentials of the gospel, just as the thief on the cross probably didn’t. We may still hold to many false beliefs–beliefs that would be heretical if we continued to hold them persistently after being shown otherwise from the scripture.

    Thanks, Craig, for asking questions that deal with things of importance. I believe it sharpens us who read your blog.

    By: Jim Swindle on January 15, 2010
    at 2:20 am

    Reply

  3. Tom and Jim,
    Thank you so much for your answers. Odd how something that should be so simple can get so complicated. I truly believe that if we can’t keep it simple we will not be able to reach the production line floor or “Joe Lunchbox” with this treasure that has been entrusted to us.
    Craig

    By: The Simple Guy on January 15, 2010
    at 6:41 pm

    Reply


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