The gospel (good news) of eternal salvation:
The Bible is clear that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who died on the cross as our substitute.
He paid the penalty for our sins.
He took the punishment that we deserve.
God’s provision of eternal salvation is a free gift (Eph. 2:8,9).
God, through Jesus Christ, did everything.
All you do is accept that free gift.
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
The Bible explains how to be saved (how to receive the free gift of eternal salvation):
John 3:16-18
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVES in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He who BELIEVES on him is not condemned: but he who does not BELIEVE is condemned already, because he has not BELIEVED in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Romans 4:5
But to the one who does not work, but BELIEVES in Him who justifies the ungodly, his FAITH is reckoned as righteousness
Romans 5:1
Therefore being justified by FAITH, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:28
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by FAITH without the deeds of the law
John 6:28-29
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to BELIEVE in the one he has sent.”
John 6:47
(Jesus Christ said) He who BELIEVES in me has everlasting life.
Acts 16:31
BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved
Acts 10:43
Every one who BELIEVES in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.
John 11:25-26
(Jesus Christ said) I am the resurrection and the life. He who BELIEVES in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and BELIEVES in me will never die. Do you BELIEVE this?
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A few helpful resources:
Gospel Wars - Part 1 (paper)
by Dr. Robert L. Dean Jr.
http://deanbible.org/Media/Doctrines/A-G/Gospel%20Wars%20part%201.pdf
Gospel Wars - Part 2 (paper)
by Dr. Robert L. Dean Jr.
http://deanbible.org/Media/Doctrines/A-G/Gospel%20Wars%20part%202.pdf
What Is Wrong with Lordship Salvation? (article)
by Dr. Andy Woods
http://www.spiritandtruth.org/teaching/documents/articles/59/59.pdf
The Free Grace Alliance
offers dozens of free papers examining problems with so-called Lordship Salvation:
http://www.freegracealliance.com/articles.htm
Quote: “With God, to believe means to obey. God does not desire a lukewarm, vague belief in Him, but a devoted life in His service. This is evidenced later in the chapter. John 3:36 reads as, ‘He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.’”
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Helpful notes from Dr. Robert L. Dean Jr.’s verse-by-verse series on the Gospel of John:
John 3:36 NASB “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
The conclusion to the whole chapter.
Notice it doesn’t say, he who believes and is baptised, he who believes and joins the church, he who believes and is circumcised, he who believes and follows the Mosaic Law, he who believes and commits himself.
Incidentally, one of the big problems today is that faith is defined by many people as commitment.
That is absurd.
Faith is not commitment; faith is to trust, to believe, to accept something as true.
Commitment has to do with things in the spiritual life, it has nothing to do with salvation.
Notice the shift in words: “but he who does not obey.”
This is a very important shift.
The one who believes has eternal life but the one who is disobedient, the one who does not obey -
Notice is doesn’t say “the one who does not believe.”
Why is that?
Because it is a command.
What is the command?
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”
If you obey the command (to) believe you will have eternal life.
The issue here is not obedience to the Law, obedience to every mandate in Scripture.
The issue is one particular mandate,
Acts 16:31 NASB “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved...”
http://www.divineviewpoint.com/sane/dbm/setup/John/Jno032.htm
What about the parable of the sheep and the goats and the whole “I was hungry, and you did not give me food to eat” . . . or does that one not count in your Bible?
PS, If it takes you more than 100 words to explain away the extraordinarily clear meaning of this extraordinarily brief passage you’re probably making excuses.
I have spent a lot of time among Evangelicals, and (leaving aside the fact that faith is a work) I have never met a group of more works-oriented Christians - not Reformed, not Emergent, and certainly not RCs.
if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.