Updated 01/10/08
Life’s most important question is this: “How can a sinful human be justified before a completely holy God?” Here is the Bible’s answer to and explanation of that question, and discussion as to why it is so important. In answering the question, we have to understand what the Bible has to say about God, about Man, about Jesus Christ, and about what we must do with this information.
The following verses are a succinct presentation of the gospel message “in a nutshell.” I encourage you to read the full account in the Gospels, then continue reading through the rest of the New Testament, and the Old Testament, as well. (Much of the material presented below is adapted from “Grace Evangelism” by Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, California.)
1. What the Bible says about God:
God is the Creator of everything.
Genesis 1:1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Because God is the Creator, He is also the Owner of everything:
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains,
The world, and those who dwell in it.
This almighty God loves mankind
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
I John 4: 8, 9 …God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.
But this loving God is holy (that means He is morally perfect, without any sin, defect, or shortcoming whatsoever).
Lev. 11: 44 'For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves
therefore, and be holy ; for I am holy .
Because He is holy, God requires our perfect obedience to His Law (getting close, or just messing up a little bit every now and then isn’t good enough to satisfy the demands of a holy God).
Matt. 5:48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father
is perfect.”
2. What the Bible says about Man
Man is guilty before this holy God, because we have all broken His holy Law many times over.
Rom. 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one
point, he has become guilty of all.
The penalty for breaking God’s Law (sin), is eternal death.
Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We cannot be saved from this eternal death by trying to do good things.
Isaiah 64:6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Titus 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
3. What the Bible says about Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is fully God.
John 10:30 (Jesus speaking) “I and the Father are one.”
Although He is fully God, Jesus also became fully man, yet without sin.
John 1:1, 14 (Speaking about Jesus) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman,
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Jesus died as a substitute for us on the cross to provide a means for man’s salvation.(he took the punishment we deserved, and those believing in him are credited with his righteousness)
2 Cor. 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Jesus arose from the dead
I Cor. 15:4 Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
And He will someday return in judgment
2 Thess. 1:7b, 8 …the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Jesus is the only way that man can be reconciled to God (saved).
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.
4. What the Bible says Man must do to be justified before, or reconciled to, God
The Bible calls on man to confess (agree with God regarding) his sinful condition, to repent of (turn away from, or change his attitude toward) his sin, and to believe fully and completely on the work done by Christ on the cross as his sole means of salvation.
Confession (agreeing with God that we have broken His Law):
I John 1:8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Repenting (turning away from, changing attitude toward disobedience to God)
Mark 1:15 "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."
Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
Luke 9:23 And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Believing (specifically, to believe fully on the work of Christ on the cross as full payment for your sins and sole means of salvation):
Acts 16:31 (Paul, in response to the question, " what must I do to be saved?") And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household."
Romans 10:9, 10 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
John 3:36 "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
In the last verse, note the consequence of not obeying and believing – such an individual has the wrath of God abiding or remaining on him. Elsewhere the Bible describes the current state of such people as people “lost” or spiritually “dead,” and the eternal state as being in a place of torment called the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15)
What do I do now?
If you have believed the gospel message above, and confessed and repented towards God, you need to continue walking in obedience to Him. This will include publicly declaring your faith in Him, and associating with a local body of believers (choose carefully!) for continued growth, training and encouragement, and going to His word daily for the same.
Understand that you will still have times of failure and times you will disobey God, both in your heart and in action. As you continue to submit your heart and will to God, to His Holy Spirit, and his to word, however, you will see an increasing pattern of godliness and obedience, and decreasing pattern of sin and disobedience in your life.
Obviously, I think our church, Countryside Bible Church, Southlake, Texas (see link below), is a wonderful place for you to associate with other believers, and you would be most welcome there. If there is any way I can help, email me at txbennett@aol.com.
Link to Countryside Bible Church: