The Gospel of Salvation
“Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.” — Psalm 62:1
What is salvation? Salvation in the Bible refers to God delivering His people from impending destruction. Throughout the Old Testament, God has been delivering His people from troubles. in the Old Testament, God has been called as the Redeemer of Israel, denoting redemption or salvation as one of God’s absolute work, and no one else was considered as such (Isaiah 43:10–11).
In the New Testament, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob came into flesh as the Messiah, the One promised to Israel. It is God Himself, the Holy One of Israel who prepared Himself a sacrifice, not just for the redemption of the Jewish nation but also to the redemption of all mankind. Jesus fulfilled them all. “And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The Bible further declares that this Jesus is no other than Emmanuel, God with Us, prophesied in Isaiah 7:14.
SALVATION IN JESUS ALONE
Therefore, salvation is tantamount in receiving Jesus Christ as both God manifest in the flesh to be the begotten Son prepared for the redemption of humanity, and the personal Lord and Savior of an individual person: “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). Faith in Jesus Christ alone, and not in any other false gods or deities perceived in this world and by other religions, is the only, or say the minimum requirement in order for a man to obtain salvation for his soul.
In Ephesians 2:8, Paul reminded God’s people are saved by grace through faith, not of their works. This epistle was written for the church, who have already been saved. It is not intended to be the way of salvation itself, for Paul is not giving a pattern to unbelievers on how to be saved. He just reminded them of the salvation that they have received, as recorded in the book of Acts. The Book of Acts of the Apostles details the actual conversion experiences of the early church, on how they got saved and added to the church, the pattern of terms of the Gospel message that the Lord has provided for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, backgrounds in life, traditions, or nationalities.
JESUS’ GREAT COMMISSION AND THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
The Gospel, which is represented by Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1–4) summarizes the steps on how a sinner can be saved. It is through the Gospel that man is considered saved. This Gospel is wholly found in Jesus, and any one who profess faith in Him should respond in the command to believe (Acts 16:31).
Believing is more than a mental profession. It is an action word that expects obedience in the part of man: “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). God is requiring all people to believe in the Gospel, which is the Good News of death and resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord. To believe the Gospel is to accept the words and command of Jesus Christ, which He commissioned to all His apostles before He ascended back to heaven. The Great Commission is found in the books called the Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament.
In Matthew’s account, the Bible says: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:18–20).
In Mark’s account, the commission was stressed: “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15–16).
In Luke’s account, the Lord has clarified the details o the Great Commission: “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:45–48).
THE GOSPEL CENTERS ON THE IDENTITY OF JESUS
As we understand very clear in the above scriptures, the Great Commission consistently includes the message of the true identity of Jesus Christ Himself, the importance of His name, the connections of preaching the Gospel in His Name, and the relationship of the Gospel to the message of salvation. The Gospel cannot be complete without carrying the message of Jesus Christ’s absolute identity, whose Name possesses all the authority from heaven and on earth. The command of baptism in one single Name of God, who has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, all represented in the Person of Jesus, is part of His commission. He wants His disciples to fulfill all these commands and teach them to those who have been reached by the Gospel and been baptized. The Book of Acts of the Apostles records all the records on how the apostles preached and obeyed the Gospel of salvation.
THE GOSPEL OBEYED BY THE EARLY CHURCH
Peter, the apostle who received the “keys of the kingdom” from Jesus Himself (Matthew 16:18–19) was the one who first preached the Good News of Christ’s salvation to the people gathered on the day of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, or the initial ingathering of God’s people for His name. He opened the kingdom through the keys of the Gospel, so that all people can be saved and be counted part of God’s called out people (Read the whole Acts Chapter 2).
In summary, Apostle Peter, in obedience to the Great Commission of the Lord in Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16, and Luke 24:47–49, commanded all people to: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).
1. Repenting of sins
2. Being baptized in water in Jesus’ name for the remission of sins
3. Receiving God’s gift, which is the promised Holy Ghost
Repentance, water baptism, and Holy Ghost reception constitutes the terms of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:1–5; 1 Corinthians 15:1–4). This is the apostles’ doctrine where the apostles and the early church resided in, the faith once delivered unto the saints (Acts 2:42; Jude 1:3), the actual experience that any person on earth who believe the Lord should have, .”For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to those who are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:39). Through this, the words of Christ are fulfilled, that: “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20), that the Lord is “working with them, and confirming the word with signs following” (Mark 16:20).
SAME OLD MESSAGE FOR TODAY’S PEOPLE OF GOD
Those people who have obeyed the Gospel of Jesus Christ becomes His followers or become part of His Body which is the Church. In God’s final call to salvation in these last generations, the same Gospel message is preached and laid, but those who will respond will in this final worldwide revival will no longer be identified in denominational names and affiliations, but will be part of The Jesus People, which is God’s remnants in this end of age, a people for His name, which will usher into the new millennium of Jesus Christ’s final rule on earth.
