The Gospel that Saves

Hey peeps,

There is something that is of upmost importance and that is our Salvation:). When we are born, we are born with a sinful nature and hence, we and that refers to all men and women, are sinners.

1. The Gospel points to Man as a Guilty Sinner- " Christ died for Our sins "- 1 Cor 15:3, Luke 5:27-32, Romans 3:23.

The gospel has to do with Christ dying for us on the cross. Before we become Christians, we must first accept Christ as our personal Saviour. A sinner needs Salvation.

When Jesus says to follow Him, we should follow Him. Believe me, you never miss out on anything following Christ. Unless a sinner realises he is a sinner, he will not believe in God.

Have you realise that the book of Romans explains Salvation in full details??? The words " Love of God" never appear till Romans 5. Chapters 1-4 never mentions these words. Paul talks about God's law first. This makes people realise that they have broken God's laws.

For all those in Christ, you can be a witness for Christ and awaken the sinner that he is guilty of God. For all have sin and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23. Hence, no one can say they are not a sinner. You may be a good person but good is not perfect. And we can never be that. Only God is Holy. There will always be some point in life that we disobey or sin against God. Fortunately, there is the good news! But people must realise they are a sinner first.

2. The Gospel points Man to Christ as the Living Saviour.- 1 Corinthians 15:4, Romans 10:9-10.
Christ died for our sins and was buried and rose again. Christ is victorious over sin. For all those in Christ, preach Christ as He is the one who saved us from our sins. 1 Cor 1:23

3. The Gospel points men to the gift of God. Salvation is to be received by repentence and faith. 1 Cor 15:2. Mark 1:15, Luke 24:7, Acts 17:30. In Mark 1:15, "repent" is repeated loads of time. Repentence is to have a change of mind from sin and towards God. Acts 17:29, God is not an idol. He is the true and living God.

All of us are accountable to sin. Sin is an offence to the Holy God. Holiness before happiness and the cross before the cross. We must realise that we have sin against God and receive Salvation from God. Salvation is given freely by Christ and it is received by faith- Acts 20:21. With no true faith, there is no true repentence. A change of mind results in the change of action-Acts 26:20, 2 Cor 5:17.

Therefore, when a person becomes a christian, his life will be changed to be a new person. He is a new creature in Christ. God be praised when the sinner is saved!

Nahum 1:3

The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. Nahum 1:3

This picture was taken by my brother from CopenHagen. I am pretty sure you have noticed the trail of clouds that seem to meet the bright light at the end of the road. Looks like God has been walking this part of the Earth:). You can see the clouds. To me, they are the dust of His feet.

God is a long-suffering God. He is not willing that any should perish but that all come for repentence. Hence, He is slow to anger. Take the e.g of Jonah:

This is Nineveh. God spared Nineveh when they repented of their sins even though they were very sinful. Nuhum is re-echoing what Jonah says in Jonah 4:2 where he says the Lord is "slow to anger". God is long-suffering and this also shows His great power. However, though God is merciful and loving, He is Holy. Hence, He cannot stand the wicked and they must be punished if they refuse to repent of their sins. Psalms 7:12-13, 2 Peter 3:9-10.

The vengeance of the Lord comes at swiftly, vehemently, fearfully, irresistibly- 1 Thess 5:3 This is what it is meant when Nahum said that the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm.

And the clouds are the dust of His feet - the image is from the light dust raised by an earthly army- Ezekial 26:10. Taken from http://barnes.biblecommenter.com/nahum/1.htm.

And so, as seen, lots can be said on 1 verse:D. I realise that reading the Bible is like finding little bits of treasure and gold. Everyday, you gain more gold and understanding. It amounts to a lot and it helps you when you are in danger-danger of sin and temptation. So, it is ALWAYS important to hide God's Word in our hearts:)