The MessiahSample

Thistles, Gerasa (Gergesa)

Salvation through Christ

The Christian’s faith differs from all the religions in the world in this way: Religions, and religious teachers, teach men the precepts they must follow in order to be happy in this world and/or the world to come; and they urge men to discipline themselves to follow those teachings. Christians, however, believe that all men already know the teachings they should follow; so they not only do not need more teaching, but are so hopelessly bad that they neither can, nor want to, follow God’s laws.

Because of mankind’s utter depravity and hopeless sinfulness, God himself sent Jesus to take away sin for men, and as their representative, in their stead.

Jesus did this on the cross. There, while being rejected and mocked by men, he became also, as the embodiment and personification of man’s sin, the object of God’s wrath and judgment against mankind.

So now the problem of sin—all sin—is gone. God counts ungodly men righteous! God wants us to simply believe this and be happy about it. More than that, God has promised that whoever believes in Jesus and trusts God’s word concerning the forgiveness of our sins because of Jesus’ death—to this man he will give his Spirit. That is, his Spirit will come into those who believe, and they will become new men—born anew into his kingdom—with different hearts, with both the strength and desire to be righteous.

This is the gospel—the good news— from the writings of Jesus’ disciple, Paul.