| Lesson 18 - Obedience To The Gospel |
After Jesus had died for our sins, was resurrected
and just before he ascended into heaven, he commanded his apostles in
Mark 16:15-16, "And
he said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who
does not believe will be condemned." Our Lord wanted the
gospel preached to everyone. The word "gospel" literally means
good news or good tidings.
In Romans 1:16 the apostle Paul says,
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who
believes; for the Jew first, and also for the Greek." So
we see that the gospel of Christ is God's only power unto salvation.
It is by the gospel or good news that God saves us.
What does the Bible say that the gospel is that saves us? In I
Corinthians 15:1-4, Paul is reminding the church at Corinth about
the gospel when he says, "Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached to you, which
also you received, and in which you stand; by which also you are saved,
if you hold fast that word I preached to you, unless you believed in
vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received;
that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that
He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the
scriptures." Here we see that Paul was reminding them of
the gospel in which Christ died, and was buried, and was raised again
on the third day. Also notice, they were saved by the gospel. So the
good news of the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of our
Lord, as the following chart illustrates.
Illustration by Robert Swain
Why then is the death of Christ good news? The good news of the death of Christ is that Christ has died for us, taking our punishment, and now God can be just in saving us. Without his death we would all be doomed for eternal punishment and no one could be saved. Even though the death of Christ is a terrible thing to have to happen, it is good news to us. We read in I John 4:10, "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Christ had to be buried since he died. Then after three days, Christ was raised up from the dead. We read in I Corinthians 6:14, "And God both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His own power." So why is the resurrection of Christ, the gospel or good news? The good news of the resurrection of Christ is that since God was able to raise up Christ, He will also raise us up from the dead. Jesus says in John 11:25, "I am the resurrection, and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." So the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is certainly good news.
In II Thessalonians 1:7-9 we read that, "When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." Here we see that vengeance will be taken on those who obey not the gospel of Christ. The gospel as we have seen is the death, burial, and, resurrection of our Lord. How do we obey the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord so that vengeance will not be taken on us?
We are given the answer of how to obey the gospel in Romans 6:3-5 which says, "Or do you not know, that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death: that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection." So here we see that we are baptized into His death, we are buried with Him through baptism, and then just as Christ was raised up from the dead, we also are raised to walk in newness of life after baptism. There must be a death, burial, and resurrection before this new life is possible. Only in baptism does our old sinful person die and our new person rises free from sin. We are transformed from death to life. We become a new creation.
Illustration by Robert Swain
The chart above illustrates how that in baptism we obey the gospel.
That is we obey a form of His death, burial, and resurrection when we
are baptized, so that vengeance will not be taken on us. Continuing
in this sixth chapter of Romans we read in verses 17-18 (KJV), "But
God be thanked, that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed
from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being
then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness."
So, we see that when people obey that form of doctrine that is a form
of the Lord's death, burial, and resurrection when they are baptized,
they are at that point then made free from the sin and become the servants
of righteousness.
Have you obeyed the gospel by being baptized into His death,being buried
in baptism with him and then being raised with Him up out of the watery
grave of baptism to walk in newness of life? If your baptism was not
for the purpose of making you free from sin so that you can be saved,
then you haven't obeyed the gospel of Christ. You haven't
been made free from sin. As we have already seen, the Lord will take
vengeance on all those who obey not the gospel of Christ. If you haven't
why don't you correct your situation and make things right? Don't
put it off. Satan wants you to put off making it right.
The reason that so much time and detail has been spent on the subject
of baptism in this course is because of all the different perversions
and distortions of baptism that men have come up with which are different
from what God has said in the Bible. The tragedy is that this will cause
people to be lost in eternally. The gospel is being perverted today
just as it was perverted in the first century. Paul says in Galatians
1:6-8, "I marvel that you are
turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ
to a different gospel: which is not another; but there be some who trouble
you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel
from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached
to you, let him be accursed."
People pervert the gospel of Christ today when they attempt to make
changes in God's plan to save man to suit themselves. We have
been discussing these perversions throughout this course. It is a serious
matter with God to have his gospel perverted and it will not go unnoticed.
That person will be accursed by God. The person who perverts the gospel
of Christ will be eternally lost and also cause others to be lost by
believing a perverted gospel.
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Questions
Lesson 18
Obedience
To The Gospel
1) (Mark 16:15-16) Jesus wanted the gospel preached
To only a few people.
To every creature.
To just good people.
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2) The gospel means good news.
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3) (Romans 1:16) The gospel is
The power God uses to save everyone who believes.
Optional since we can be saved without it.
Something all people like to hear.
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4) Paul was ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
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5) (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) The gospel is the good news
That all men are going to be saved.
That no one is going to be saved.
Of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
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6) We are saved by the gospel.
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7) (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9) Vengeance will be taken on
Those who do not obey the gospel.
Everyone.
On no one.
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8) One will still go to Heaven if he does not obey the gospel.
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9) (Romans 6:3-5) We obey the gospel which is the death, burial,
and resurrection of Jesus Christ when we
Say the sinners prayer.
Accept Jesus as our personal saviour.
Are baptized.
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10) When we are baptized we are raised as a new person free from sin.
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11) (Romans 6:17-18) When we obey the form of the death, burial,
and resurrection of Christ when we are baptized,
We are not saved.
We are not made free from sin.
We are then made free from sin.
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12) We obey a form of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ
when we are baptized.
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13) (Galatians 1:6-8) If a gospel is preached other than what
we find in the Bible then
It is a perverted gospel.
It is pleasing to God.
It is all right.
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14) There are many perverted gospels being taught today.
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15) (Galatians 1:6-8) One who preaches a perverted gospel
Is doing God's will.
Will be accursed and lost eternally.
Will be saved if he is sincere.
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16) One who preaches a perverted gospel will cause no one to be lost.
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