THE GOSPEL
(GOOD NEWS)
The Gospel's DEFINITION
I Corinthians 15:1-4
(Good News of Christ's Death, Burial & Resurrection)
The Gospel must be PREACHED
Mark 16:15
The Gospel must be BELIEVED
Romans 1:16
The Gospel must be OBEYED
II Thessalonians 1:6-9 and I Peter 4:17
THE GOSPEL AS REVEALED IN THE BIBLE
JESUS - 1 Cor. 15:1-4 Died Buried in ground Raised
PHYSICAL MAN - Jn 5:28-29 Dies Buried in ground Raised
SPIRITUAL MAN - Rom 6:3-4 Dies Buried in baptism Raised
SPIRITUAL MAN - Col 2:12 Dies Buried in baptism Raised
DISTORTED GOSPELS AS PREACHED BY MAN
GALATIANS Dies Buried in Circumcised Raised
Gal 1:6-10 & 5:1-5 baptism
SOME BELIEVE Dies Raised Buried in
Baptism
SOME BELIEVE Buried in Raised Dies
baptism
SOME BELIEVE Dies Raised
(If you don't understand how False Teachers corrupt the gospel after finishing this study,
please do send either an IM or and e-mail to waynekcobb@nvbell.net)
THE GOSPEL
The word of God gives us different approaches to reaching salvation. One of these approaches is through the gospel. The preceding chart concerning the gospel and salvation brings to light both some very wonderful things and some very wicked things. This study, I hope will be enlightening to you as it was to me.
THE GOSPEL'S DEFINITION
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 - Now I make known to you, brethren, the GOSPEL which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ DIED for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was BURIED, and that He was RAISED on the third day according to the Scriptures.
The gospel, then, is the good news of Christ's death, burial and resurrection.
THE GOSPEL PREACHED
Mark 16:15-16 - And He said to them, "Go into all the world and PREACH THE GOSPEL to all creation. "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
When we go to the lost, it is the gospel that we preach to them. We tell them all about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ!
THE GOSPEL MUST BE BELIEVED
Romans 1:16 - 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.
In order for either the Jew or the Greek to have salvation, we must believe the gospel (the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ). If we don't believe in the gospel, there is no salvation.
THE GOSPEL MUST BE OBEYED
2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 - For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not OBEY THE GOSPEL of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed-- for our testimony to you was believed.
1 Peter 4:17 - For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if {it begins} with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not OBEY THE GOSPEL of God?
Those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus will go to hell for eternity. They must obey Christ's death, burial and resurrection.
THE GOSPEL AS REVEALED
IN THE BIBLE
In this first section of the chart, it is easy to see that there is a pattern that is quite apparent. Always, death occurs before burial and always, burial occurs before resurrection.
JESUS
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 - Now I make known to you, brethren, the GOSPEL which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ DIED for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was BURIED, and that He was RAISED on the third day according to the Scriptures.
Jesus, according this scripture, DIED, was BURIED and was RAISED.
PHYSICAL MAN
John 5:28-29 - "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
As with Jesus, the above scriptures reveals the same. It is true that death is not mentioned in this scripture, but it is only natural to bury a dead person. We don't bury people that are still alive. So we can conclude with this scripture that physical man DIES, is BURIED and then is RAISED.
SPIRITUAL MAN
Romans 6:3-4 - Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His DEATH? Therefore we have been BURIED with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was RAISED from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in NEWNESS OF LIFE.
Colossians 2:12 - having been BURIED with Him in baptism, in which you were also RAISED up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
Spiritual man, we can see from these two scriptures also dies, is buried, and is raised and thus, we can see that Jesus, physical man and spiritual man all follow the same pattern.
DISTORTED GOSPELS
AS PREACHED BY MAN
THE GALATIANS
Galatians 1:6-10 - I am amazed that you are so quickly DESERTING HIM who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to DISTORT THE GOSPEL of Christ. But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a GOSPEL contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be ACCURSED. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a GOSPEL contrary to that which you received, let him be ACCURSED. For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would NOT be a bond-servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:6-10 makes it very clear that if anyone preaches a different or distorted gospel he is accursed. Paul says it twice for emphasis and concludes that a person who would do such a thing is not a bond-servant of Christ.
In Galatia, the church consisted of both Jews and Gentiles. Notice the following scriptures which show the problem that existed there.
Galatians 5:1-4 - It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive CIRCUMCISION, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been SEVERED FROM CHRIST, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have FALLEN FROM GRACE.
The Jews who had become Christians were telling the Gentiles that wanted to become Christians, that it was not enough to obey the gospel, but if they wanted to become Christians, they would have to be circumcised. Paul tell the people that if they do submit to circumcision that they have been severed from Christ and have fallen from grace.
The Jews were distorting the gospel by adding another condition. There were in effect saying, that even though a person dies, is buried in baptism, he is not really raised when he comes up out of the water. He first must be circumcised and then he really becomes a Christian.
Paul said of these individuals that teach and preach this that they are accursed and not bond-servants of Christ!
TODAY
It is so very sad, but today, there are still denominations that are preaching a different gospel, distorting it in different ways.
SOME SAY
These denominations all teach and preach that a person DIES, is RAISED and then is BURIED. "How," you say? Well they all teach that a person dies, is raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-6 and Colossians 2:12) and then is buried (immersed) in the watery grave of baptism. Both Romans 6:3-6 and Colossians 2:12 plainly tell us that a person dies, is buried and then is raised. They claim that a person is died first, and then is saved (raised to walk in newness of life) and then is baptized.
SOME SAY
These denominations all teach that babies must be sprinkled with water or have a little water poured on them (They substitute a man's doctrine of pouring and sprinkling instead of following the pattern in the Bible where people were immersed in water.) Notice what the Apostle Paul said in the following scriptures.
Romans 8:13 - for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are PUTTING TO DEATH the deeds of the body, you will live.
Babies cannot die (die to sin) for they cannot put to death the deeds of the flesh. This only comes when we reach the age when we can reason and understand. A baby cannot repent for he does not have that capability at that age.
Therefore these denominations teach that a person is buried and raised to walk in the newness of life and then sometime later in life, he is buried (buried in baptism). Again, this does not parallel the pattern revealed in the scriptures. They say that a person is BURIED, is RAISED, and then he DIES. This is a different and distorted gospel that they preach.
SOME SAY
These denominations preach that a person DIES and then is RAISED. There is never a burial that takes place for they do not immerse a person in the watery grave of baptism.
CONCLUSION
As one can see, all of these denominations break the pattern set forth in the Bible. The teaching of these denominations and other denominations like them are false teachings of the most serious nature for they get people to believe that they are saved wherein in reality, these people are still lost and going to hell. They have not obey they true gospel, but have obeyed a distorted gospel. Notice Colossians 2:12 again.
Colossians 2:12 - having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through FAITH in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
This scriptures shows that we must have faith in the working of God when we are being baptized. We cannot be raised up with Christ with out this faith for it states that it is "through faith" in the working of God that causes us to be raised up with Christ. If a person obeys a distorted or different gospel, he cannot have the above faith. It says in the following scripture:
Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and {that} He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Here it states that without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith is absolutely essential in obey the gospel. We must have faith in the working of God, for without it, we cannot be raised up to walk in newness of life.
Friend, if you want to be raised up to walk in newness of life and become a Christian, you need to follow the pattern revealed in the scriptures and be baptized correctly.
IF YOU WANT TO BECOME A
CHRISTIAN
Please notice again, Mark 16:15-16
Mark 16:15-16 - And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the GOSPEL to all creation. He who has BELIEVED and has been BAPTIZED shall be saved; but he who has DISBELIEVED shall be condemned."
Now, that we have learned the definition of the gospel & that we must believe it & obey it to be saved, let us now use what we have learned to better understand Mark 16:15-16.
Mark 16:15-16 (paraphrased) And he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel (Christ's death, burial and resurrection) to all creation. He has believed (the death burial and resurrection of Christ) and been baptized (Obeyed the gospel - Christ's death, burial and resurrection) shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved (The gospel - the death, burial and resurrection of Christ) shall be condemned."
If you believe that Jesus has died, been buried and has been raised and would like to become a Christian by obey the gospel, we would be glad to immerse you into Christ.
If you will read Acts 2:38-41, Acts 22:16, Romans 6:3-7, Colossians 2:11-13, and 1 Peter 3:21 you will find that salvation always occurs upon being baptized and all the blessing that are connected with salvation listed in these scriptures also come upon being immersed in the watery grave of baptism.
God bless you and you consider this most important matter!
Wayne K. Cobb
The Church
1205 N. McCarran Blvd.
Reno, Nevada 89512
(702) 329-6625
