Post by disciple on Dec 3, 2011 14:15:10 GMT -5
What is the Gospel?
c. 5—Response: Faith and Repentance
Introducing faith and repentance
o Faith and repentance are what God requires of us in response to the good news of Jesus (Mk. 1:15)
o This is what the apostles call people to do throughout the New Testament (Ac. 2:38, 20:21, 26:18)
o A Christian is one who turns away from sin and trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ alone to save him/her from sin and the coming judgment
Faith
o Most people misuse “faith,” thinking it is blind hope in something you can’t prove
o True faith is reliance and trust in the risen Jesus and His promises
-Example: Abraham believed, trusted in, and relied on God and His promises, even though he and his wife were old and barren (Rom. 4:18-21)
-The gospel calls us to do the same thing—rely on and trust in Jesus to do what He has promised
o What do we trust in Him for? A righteous verdict from God, not a guilty one
-The greatest need of every human is to be found righteous in God’s sight, but our “record” is a sinful one
-If God is ever going to count us righteous, it will have to be on the basis of someone else’s record, who is standing as a substitute for us
-When we trust Him, all our sin, rebellion, and wickedness is put on Jesus’ record, and the perfect life of Jesus is put on ours (2 Cor. 5:21)
o God saves us only by grace—not because of anything we have done, but only because of what Jesus has done for us
-Example: Zech. 3:1-5. Joshua only had the filthy clothes in which he stood; the clean, new clothes were given to him by someone else.
-In the same way, our righteousness before God is not our own; it is given to us by Jesus
o There is no other way, no other savior, and no one else we can rely on for salvation
-Other religions say that salvation is won through moral efforts, good deeds, or gaining enough merit to outweigh your evil
-Putting faith in Christ means that you give up on any other hope of being counted righteous before God—your good works, your good intentions, etc
Repentance
o Repentance is turning from sin, hating it, and choosing to forsake it by trusting Christ (Ac. 3:19, 26:20)
o Accepting Jesus without repentance is impossible
-Contradicts what the Bible says about repentance and its connection to salvation (Lk. 13:3, Ac. 11:18, 2 Cor. 7:10)
-Faith in Christ requires renouncing Jesus’ enemy, sin. Without renouncing sin, no genuine faith in Christ is present (Matt. 6:24).
o Repentance doesn’t mean you stop sinning, but it does mean we no longer live at peace with our sin (1 Cor. 10:13). We have to remember that repentance is more about the heart’s attitude toward sin than it is a mere change of behavior.
o When a person genuinely repents and trusts Christ, he/she is given a new, changed life (Eph. 2:1, 4-5) and will “bear fruit” (Ac. 26:20, Lk. 6:44), doing the kind of things Jesus did. This fruit is the result of our salvation, not the cause of it.
Conclusion
o When you stand before God, what will you do or say to convince Him to count you righteous? Will you point to your own attitudes or works, or will you point to Christ and say, “Count me righteous not because of anything I’ve done or am, but because of Him”?
c. 5—Response: Faith and Repentance
Introducing faith and repentance
o Faith and repentance are what God requires of us in response to the good news of Jesus (Mk. 1:15)
o This is what the apostles call people to do throughout the New Testament (Ac. 2:38, 20:21, 26:18)
o A Christian is one who turns away from sin and trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ alone to save him/her from sin and the coming judgment
Faith
o Most people misuse “faith,” thinking it is blind hope in something you can’t prove
o True faith is reliance and trust in the risen Jesus and His promises
-Example: Abraham believed, trusted in, and relied on God and His promises, even though he and his wife were old and barren (Rom. 4:18-21)
-The gospel calls us to do the same thing—rely on and trust in Jesus to do what He has promised
o What do we trust in Him for? A righteous verdict from God, not a guilty one
-The greatest need of every human is to be found righteous in God’s sight, but our “record” is a sinful one
-If God is ever going to count us righteous, it will have to be on the basis of someone else’s record, who is standing as a substitute for us
-When we trust Him, all our sin, rebellion, and wickedness is put on Jesus’ record, and the perfect life of Jesus is put on ours (2 Cor. 5:21)
o God saves us only by grace—not because of anything we have done, but only because of what Jesus has done for us
-Example: Zech. 3:1-5. Joshua only had the filthy clothes in which he stood; the clean, new clothes were given to him by someone else.
-In the same way, our righteousness before God is not our own; it is given to us by Jesus
o There is no other way, no other savior, and no one else we can rely on for salvation
-Other religions say that salvation is won through moral efforts, good deeds, or gaining enough merit to outweigh your evil
-Putting faith in Christ means that you give up on any other hope of being counted righteous before God—your good works, your good intentions, etc
Repentance
o Repentance is turning from sin, hating it, and choosing to forsake it by trusting Christ (Ac. 3:19, 26:20)
o Accepting Jesus without repentance is impossible
-Contradicts what the Bible says about repentance and its connection to salvation (Lk. 13:3, Ac. 11:18, 2 Cor. 7:10)
-Faith in Christ requires renouncing Jesus’ enemy, sin. Without renouncing sin, no genuine faith in Christ is present (Matt. 6:24).
o Repentance doesn’t mean you stop sinning, but it does mean we no longer live at peace with our sin (1 Cor. 10:13). We have to remember that repentance is more about the heart’s attitude toward sin than it is a mere change of behavior.
o When a person genuinely repents and trusts Christ, he/she is given a new, changed life (Eph. 2:1, 4-5) and will “bear fruit” (Ac. 26:20, Lk. 6:44), doing the kind of things Jesus did. This fruit is the result of our salvation, not the cause of it.
Conclusion
o When you stand before God, what will you do or say to convince Him to count you righteous? Will you point to your own attitudes or works, or will you point to Christ and say, “Count me righteous not because of anything I’ve done or am, but because of Him”?