Romans 1:16-20 (ESV): For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
1 Corinthians 4:1-5 (NIV): This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
1 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (NIV): For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.
1 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV): And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.
2 Timothy 1:6-10, 13-14 (NIV): For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.
So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
What you have heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
2 Peter 1:2-11 (NIV): Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is near-sighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:16-21 (NIV): For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
GOD LOVES US, and EVERY GOOD GIFT comes from GOD, the FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY SPIRIT. So then, we’re BLESSED when GOD CALLS US, DRAWS US, SAVES US, REDEEMS US, FORGIVES US, FREES US, TRANSFORMS US, EMPOWERS US, COMMISSIONS US, and SENDS US, ENTRUSTING US with HIS WORD, the GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST, and the GIFTS to share this GOOD NEWS with others.
GOD CALLS US to be REBORN and REPURPOSED—CONSECRATED, SANCTIFIED, and SET APART—COMMITTED, SURRENDERED, YIELDED, and DEDICATED EXCLUSIVELY to HIM.
And GOD Himself EQUIPS US, ENDOWS US, and PERFECTS US for MISSIONS, MINISTRY, GOOD-WILL, STEWARDSHIP, EVANGELISM, and OUTREACH through HIS SON JESUS with the FRUIT of HIS HOLY SPIRIT: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, kindness, and self-control.
And these, in turn, are the four steps in the process one minister of GOD finds in our MINISTRY of RECONCILIATION: ENGAGE, ESTABLISH, EQUIP, and EMPOWER.
We ENGAGE: We ENGAGE UNBELIEVERS with the GOSPEL—the GOOD NEWS—in respect and love, bringing them the TRUTH of GOD’s WORD and the knowledge of GOD, CHRIST JESUS, and salvation.
We ESTABLISH: We ESTABLISH BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS in people’s lives and help them learn GOD’s WORD, storing it in their hearts, so they don’t sin. And this SOLID FOUNDATION is two-sided, including REPENTANCE and FAITH, turning from everything else we’ve been trusting in and putting all our faith and trust in our LORD, JESUS CHRIST.
We EQUIP: We EQUIP BELIEVERS, teaching and training them, helping them grow spiritually, encouraging them, and helping them understand their own gifts, calling, and purpose in God’s work and ministry.
We EMPOWER: We EMPOWER DISCIPLES to do what they’ve been called and created to do, helping them fulfill their God-given purpose.
And here's the definition of the GOSPEL or GOOD NEWS that another minister of GOD gives us:
GOD became a man in JESUS CHRIST. He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died—in our place. Three days later He rose from the dead, proving that He is the SON of GOD and offering the GIFT of SALVATION to those who REPENT and BELIEVE in Him.
Finally, here's the GOSPEL in GOD'sWORD, from Genesis to Revelation: The Reason for Our Faith
Part I: GOD became a man in JESUS CHRIST. GOD, sovereign and uncreated, all-powerful and all-present, stepped into the world, into time, taking on human flesh. GOD humbled Himself and came down to us, because He wants a relationship with us, and unlike other religions, in Christianity, we don’t have to ascend and work our way to Him.
So, JESUS CHRIST, the ANOINTED ONE, and second Person of the TRINITY of GOD the FATHER, SON, and HOLY SPIRIT, is called the SON of MAN—GOD who BECAME Man. In natural terms, the HOLY TRINITY could be explained like this, using water: GOD the FATHER is water in its natural state—liquid; GOD the SON, JESUS, is water in its solid or manifested state—ice; and GOD, the HOLY SPIRIT, is water in its boiling, evaporated, or invisible state—steam. At every stage, the water, though different, is still water. So, we have IN ESSENCE ONE GOD in THREE PERSONS, ALL SEPARATE BUT EQUAL. And GOD the FATHER stepped from eternity into time and MANIFESTED or REVEALED Himself on earth in human flesh as JESUS CHRIST, His only begotten SON, through the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT.
Part II: He lived the life we should have lived. GOD is holy and righteous, and He expects us to be holy, righteous, and morally sound. So, JESUS CHRIST, tempted in all ways as we are, lived a perfect, sinless life. And His life on earth modeled a life completely committed, surrendered, and yielded to GOD the Father. This is the life GOD intends all of us to live—completely SOULED-OUT to Him—fully committed in love, obedience, and worship to Him, heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Part III: He died the death we should have died—in our place. GOD is GOOD, GOD is JUST, GOD is LOVE. Although GOD is good and GOD is love, most of us forget GOD is also just, and GOD is equally the LAWGIVER, the SAVIOR, and the JUDGE.
Since GOD is GOOD, HOLY and PERFECT, sin and evil cannot exist in His presence, and SIN, lawless, wicked, or rebellious acts that separate us from GOD and His standard of righteousness and perfection, MUST BE PUNISHED, for the wages of sin is death, but GIFT of GOD is eternal life in CHRIST JESUS our LORD. Sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, the first people to rebel against GOD, and because of their ORIGINAL SIN, all human descendants DIED SPIRITUALLY and were cursed in the flesh with a sinful, rebellious nature. GOD the Father wanted RECONCILIATION and RELATIONSHIP with us, and GOD so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. So, JESUS CHRIST, the SON of GOD, bore our punishment and paid in full with His blood and life the debt of our sins by taking our place through His death on a cross at Calvary. He made the GREAT EXCHANGE, giving His perfect life for our sinful ones, so that we could be redeemed and covered by His blood, found righteous and holy in the eyes of GOD through Him, JESUS CHRIST, and be reconciled to GOD the Father.
Part IV: Three days later, He rose from the dead. The entire foundation of our faith in Christianity stands on this one truth, even according to the Apostle Paul: The RESURRECTION of JESUS CHRIST. When GOD raised JESUS from the dead, this verified JESUS’ identity as the SON of GOD and it proved His authority in heaven and earth was real. Neither death nor the tomb could hold JESUS, neither sin nor Satan could destroy Him, because He overcame sin, death, Satan, and the grave, and through Him who loved us, we are now victorious, more than conquerors. And this is the victory that has overcome them--our adversaries--our faith in Him, JESUS CHRIST.
His resurrection also demonstrates His exclusive claim that He, JESUS, is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE, and no one comes to the Father, except through Him. Other religions have graven images and idols and dead gods or leaders found in gravesites they can visit. But JESUS CHRIST is ALIVE; He is RISEN, and His tomb's empty, because He's seated in heaven, at the right hand of GOD, as our CHIEF HIGH PRIEST, COUNSELOR, and ADVOCATE, interceding for us. He's not a created, man-made, or dead god either; He's the LIVING GOD, the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our FAITH; He's ALPHA and OMEGA, the BEGINNING and the END; He's the PRINCE of PEACE and KING of KINGS; He's the BREAD of LIFE, the GOOD SHEPHERD, THE BRANCH, the LIVING WATER, the TRUE VINE, GOD WITH US.
While other religions celebrate human leaders, graven images, foreign idols, and dead gods, touting many ways to heaven and telling people they can DO SOMETHING, like work, perform, or earn their way to salvation, pleasure, enlightenment, immortality, or paradise, GOD'sWORD and GOD's GOSPEL celebrate the CREATOR--the SOVEREIGN, LIVING GOD who is LOVE, and they declare the GIFT of SALVATION BY GRACE through FAITH that comes through ONE PERSON and ONE WAY: JESUS CHRIST.
In Christianity then, SALVATION is a PERSON, JESUS CHRIST, and our good deeds, good works, or good behavior can't save us; ONLY JESUS CAN. So, in our faith, GOOD WORKS don't produce SALVATION, but SALVATION does produce GOOD WORKS and the FRUIT of the SPIRIT (love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, kindness, and self-control). Furthermore, because GOD raised JESUS from the dead, we as believers KNOW that CHRIST JESUS LIVES IN US through the HOLY SPIRIT and we have hope in a resurrection from death to life through JESUS CHRIST and the assurance that if we believe and walk in faith, we will spend eternity in the presence of the LIVING GOD. Because GOD raised JESUS from the dead and JESUS LIVES today, death has lost its sting--its victory over us.
Part V: He offers salvation and forgiveness of sins to those who repent and believe in Him. The wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of GOD is eternal life through CHRIST JESUS. And through Him, we can receive the gift of salvation, the forgiveness of sins, healing from sickness and disease, deliverance from the power and oppression of sin and darkness, and life eternal in the presence of GOD. We are saved BY GRACE through FAITH, not by works, and all we’ve got to do is accept GOD’s GIFT of GRACE and SALVATION, receiving and confessing JESUS CHRIST as our LORD and SAVIOR; repent, turning from evil and from trusting in our own efforts, trying to earn salvation; and turn to JESUS CHRIST, believing in Him, for this is GOD’sWORD: For GOD so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
GOD LOVES US, enough to BLESS US, COMMISSION US, EMPOWER US, and SEND US OUT with these three things: The WORD, the GOSPEL, and the GIFTS.
So, wherever you are, in comfort or conflict, on the mountain or in the valley, in peace or in storm, BE STRONG and COURAGEOUS, DON'T BE AFRAID, for GOD IS WITH YOU and you're never alone; CARRY the WORD of GOD with JESUS CHRIST in you; and GO wherever GOD sends you, SHARING the GOOD NEWS about the GIFT of SALVATION found in ONE PERSON--the SON of GOD, JESUS CHRIST. Because really, GOD LOVES YOU, and He doesn't need your ABILITY; He needs your time, your treasure, and your talents; your heart, your soul, your mind and strength; your full commitment, your life surrendered. But mostly, for all GOD's ENTRUSTED you with, He needs your AVAILABILITY.
