Is it necessary to fully understand the Gospel to go to heaven? Is it enough to believe it, even if we do not fully understand it?
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Asked July 01 2013
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Anonymous (via GotQuestions)
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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
In one sense, the gospel message is very simple to understand: Jesus died and rose again so that we can be saved. The basic facts of the gospel are easy enough to grasp. But in another sense the go...
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Evelyn Leilou
Supporter
The Lords knows our hearts much more than we know ourselves. If you believe in The Lord even though we may not fully understand all the mysteries he knows your heart. Isaiah 43:1-28 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. Did you know that you can ask the Lord for wisdom? James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. Proverbs 2:1-22 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
Andy Mangus
Supporter
Per as usual, here is my simplistic answer to a question that, in my 'child of God' opinion' shouldn't be much debate about this to begin with. Yes, it is enough to believe in the Gospel, even though we may not 'fully understand'. Many scriptures in God's Holy Word either tells us or alludes to "Believe on the name of Jesus Christ"...."believe IN the name of Jesus Christ and ye shall be saved"...."believe that Jesus came to save that which was lost, but now is found and ye shall spend eternity in Heaven with Him"....and, "come unto me as a child, IN childlike faith and I will give you rest". Point being is this: God, through His one and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ and His sacrifice at that cross over 2000 years ago, created us, nurtured us, cared for and provided for us all that we could ever need! All He wants is for us to know Him, Love Him, adore Him, but firstly He wants us to BELIEVE IN Him, with a "child-like faith and simple/pure belief which is the purest definition of FAITH"! (See Mark 10:15 and Luke 18:17) "Come unto me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest". "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness"....and "I will give you rest" for all eternity. He tells us "His burden is light!" (Matthew 11:30) The thief on his cross at Calvary only had to ask Jesus to please remember Him. (Luke 23:42) What a pure example of 'first belief' statement that shows us over and over that Jesus truly loves each and everyone of us! All we have to "do" is to "believe IN Him" to be who He claims to be! One can not 'earn' salvation nor "do good deeds to earn or inherit salvation in Heaven". God's eternal salvation is FREE and was/is His Gift to "anyone that calls upon the name of Jesus, accepting Him as their personal Lord and Savior". Believe and trust IN the Lord with all your heart and mind and with all your strength, IN Jesus name, AMEN! "Praise God that we have a Savior and His name is Jesus Christ!" ~~Andy~~
D W
Supporter
It is necessary to understand who Jesus is, why He came, and what you have to do about it. Read John 14:6, John 3:16-17, John 3:3, John 5:24, Romans 10:8-13. Read it, believe it, confess it! Then join with us in our rejoicing in Ephesians 2:8-9. Now get into Bible study, rejoicing in His Amazing Grace. Study the letters of Paul (but begin in Acts 9).
Ezekiel Kimosop
Supporter
The Bible is the exclusive manual of instruction that God has provided for understanding his will and for proper instruction in righteousness for every child of God (2 Tim 3:15-16). It is our indispensable guide to the revelation of God and His purposes for us. Without Scripture, it will be impossible for the believer to lead a life of obedience and emerge victorious and thereby fulfill the will of God in their pilgrimage journey. Scripture itself underscores its centrality as the source of spiritual inspiration. Psalm 119:105 declares "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path". Hebrew thought here conveys the idea of a journey. Our reading of this verse with Psalm 37:4-7 conveys the idea of manner of life. This scripture verse can therefore be contextualized into our journey of faith. We are pilgrims in this passing world of sin and evil (Hebrews 11:13-17). While it is granted that all believers are accounted for righteousness on the basis of Christ's atoning works, our spiritual relationship with Christ is anchored in his Word. He affirms this truth in John 15:1-15 and more specifically 15:7, 10. It is therefore imperative that we receive a daily and regular intake of the Word of God and in a manner that will enrich our faith and permit us to minister to others too and bring them into obedience (Matthew 28:19-20). The Bible exhorts in 2 Timothy 2:15, saying, "study to shew thyself approved of God....rightly dividing the word of truth" (KJV). This exhortation has a universal application for every child of God. A believer who ignores scripture is a weak disciple and may be susceptible to error and heresy. Every believer requires the Scriptural truths as a foundations for effective Christian living. Why is the understanding of Scripture so critical for our heavenly journey? First, without a sound biblical grounding, the believer may be tossed about by false doctrines and may lose their spiritual compass (Ephesians 4:14). This is because they will not effectively distinguish between false teachers and true teachers (1 John 4:1-6). Many Christians have fallen into cult movements because they lack the instructions of Scripture. Secondly, they will not discern the will of God for their lives. God laments in Hosea 4:6 that His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. True heavenly vision is shaped by proper understanding of Scripture and obedient living. This is what the Ninevites lacked (Jonah 4:11) and so did fallen Israel (Judges 2). They were completely given to evil in total ignorance of divine standards of good and evil with the result that everyone did what seemed right in their eyes (Judges 17:6). Thirdly, believers need to understand Scripture in order to maintain a healthy spiritual relationship with one another. Scripture is the foundation of true fellowship. We must therefore embrace the admonitions of Scripture and allow it to rule our lives and be the basis for resolving all matters of our faith. It must, as it were, be the cannon or rule that speak to our circumstances. Finally, Christians need the instructions of Scripture to understand and correctly interpret the times in which we live and to be better prepared for the soon return of Jesus. The Bible is replete with many passages that address the end times. Matthew 24 stands out in this context and so do other passages such as 1 Cor. 15; 1 Thess.4.
jose francisco
Supporter
"Fully understanding" the gospel could mean intellectual comprehension of the doctrines of Christ in the level of the theologians and doctors of philosophy. But the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is simple emough to understand, even for a little child. The gospel is: Christ came into the world to save us from the punishment of sin. It is the grace of God for our forgiveness and salvation. We need to believe in Him; His mission accomplished and appy it in our lives. (2Timothy 1:9-10) All examples of believing or faith in the bible (Noah, Abraham, Centurion, woman with the issue of blood, the jailer, etc.) illustrate some form of understanding. Not just an intellectual form of understanding but a heartfelt conviction that God is and He is able and faithful to do what He says. Same thing is true when it comes to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We need a heartfelt conviction with understanding that Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be: "The way, the truth, and the life." So the question can be answered in two ways: 1. No, we do not need to fully understand (that is attend college and study theology) the gospel in order to believe it enough. 2. Yes, we need to understand the gospel as preached in the bible and on the pulpits/streets in order to believe it. "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." Mark 10:15
Vin Smith
Supporter
Even a child can understand God's love, and the ministry of His only begotten Son--Jesus Christ. Salvation does not come from high-toned bloviation directed from theologians. It comes from the simple statements that Jesus gave to us--His children--during those miraculous 33 years here on earth ministering to mankind... "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28) NASB "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16 (KJV) "...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9) NKJV Ultra simple. Straight forward. A message from history's greatest lover. Our creator. Jesus Christ. Who died for us that we might live forever--if we simply accept Him as our redeemer. It is all we need to know. Once we do that, studying about our majestic God becomes a lifetime passion. "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15) KJV
Dan Rivers
Supporter
I don't think understanding the Gospel of Jesus is difficult at all... To fully understand the Gospel and be saved, we just need to believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and he was resurrected after 3 days and is now in Heaven! 1Co 15:2-4 NIV - By this gospel you are saved,... For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, That's it! If you believe that then you FULLY understand the Gospel... To be saved one has to believe in Jesus! And that belief does not have to be due to our intellectual comprehension of the Word of God. We have to believe from the HEART! Rom 10:9-10 NIV - If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your HEART that God raised him from the dead, you WILL BE SAVED. For it is with your HEART that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. The Pharisees were the intellectuals of their times yet they could not believe because they could not understand what Jesus was talking about. 1Co 2:8 NIV - None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. The ones that can't understand it are those without the Holy Spirit... 1Co 2:14 NIV - The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. Then as the Holy Spirit works in us to do the things that please the Lord, Phil 2:13, we will able to obey the NEW command Jesus gives us, Jhn 13:34 NIV - "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. And at that we'll be doing his will... So to me it doesn't seem complicated at all as some try to make it, Gal 1:6-9 As I've been told many times, use the "Keep It Simple system" and you'll be fine! Praise God for making it sooo easy for us! :-)
Kenneth Heck
Supporter
The answer is no. No one has yet "fully understood" the gospel in all its aspects because there are so many mysteries involved. We have the mystery of the Trinity, the mystery of iniquity, the mystery of the incarnation, and so on. Belief is what is required - we are saved by grace, through faith, not by understanding. Faith itself is a gift of God, and we perceive as through a glass darkly (1 Cor 13:12) in terms of knowledge or understanding.
Bruce Lyon
Supporter
The question is: "Is it necessary to fully understand the Gospel to go to heaven? Is it enough to believe it, even if we do not fully understand it?" Yes! Notice: Matthew 13:19: When any one hears the word about the kingdom, and understands it not, then comes the wicked one, and catches away that which was sown in his heart. Now on to Luke 8:12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then comes the devil, and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. So Matthew 13:19: states that the word is about the kingdom [of God] and that makes clear what "word" is referred to in Luke 8:12: it is the word about the kingdom [of God] and one must understand that word about the coming Kingdom of God, the gospel of God that Jesus preached in order to be saved. Very, very important to know all about the good news message that Jesus preached all the time, even after his resurrection. Notice: Acts 1:2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the holy spirit had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: Philip preached the same message that his lord preached about the coming kingdom of God and added to that message the name of Jesus: Acts 8:12: But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus the anointed one, they were baptized, both men and women. When you talk about the name of Jesus you are telling people everything there is to know from the scriptures about the lord Jesus, that his shed blood ratifies the New Covenant, the he is the beginning of God's new creation, that his blood gives us forgiveness of our sins and and give us reconciliation to our God and Father Yehovah and so much more. This full gospel message Philip preached in order to prepare people for baptism. Paul preached the same message as his lord and saviour Jesus. Notice: Acts 20: 24-25: But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Notice that verse 25 defines what the Gospel of the Grace of God is, it is the message about the coming kingdom of God. Interesting most preachers refer to verse 24 and do not go on to allow verse 25 define what the gospel of God Grace is? Also note, that Paul preached exactly as did Philip to prepare people to be baptised: Acts 28:30-31: And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus the anointed one, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. So we see that the complete good news message, the complete gospel message the the ministers and apostles taught was the message about the coming kingdom of God and the things which concern the lord Jesus the anointed one of God. That is the message people need to hear in order to be baptised and to be saved! Why is it not being preached to-day. When is the last time you hear the complete gospel preached in your church? It was all Jesus talked about and the sermon on the Mount was given to those who desire to prepare for the positions they will have in the soon coming Kingdom of God, co-ruling and co-inheriting all things on this earth under the lordship of Jesus. Jesus said the meek shall inherit this earth, so the reward of the saved is not in heaven but here on this earth! You don't go to heaven when you die,you go to the grave to await your resurrection at the lord's Jesus return~!
Frank Scimeca
Supporter
No to the first question and yes to your second. Satan knows and understands scripture well yet refuses it. The issue for salvation is the acceptance of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazzareth wo came as man God, was sinless, died on the cross and beat death and rose again. Appropriating this free gift we call Grace is ALL you need to have eternal life. From that than one naturally desires to learn scripture throaght their lives so they can live it as an example to others. Peace and may you be in a state of Grace as described above.
Meluleki Maphosa
Supporter
1. What is the Gospel? 2. What do we mean by “fully understand the Gospel”? From my experience the vast majority of bible readers and Christians in general make a distinction between the "gospel" and the "bible". In other words the bible contains the gospel but it is not entirely THE gospel. In fact they say the gospel is contained only in the New Testament only. I suspect this where most of us get it wrong. Put simply the gospel is the good news for Humanity that whilst we were yet sinners, God in His infinite love decided to take up our sin on our behalf. That the consequences of our sins might fall on Him not on us. He became the guilty one and we, if we accepted it, became holy and inherited the Kingdom of God. Isaiah 53:4 Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. John 3:16, 17 also refers. For want of space I want to submit that the whole Bible is the Gospel. I refer here to Hebrews 4:2 For we have heard the Good News (Gospel), just as they did. They (before the cross) heard the message (Gospel), but it did them no good, because when they heard it, they did not accept it with faith. Paul is telling us that what all the ancient people in the Old Testament heard was the same Gospel that is being preached to us. All they needed was faith in what they heard so that they could be saved. So if it is the same Gospel then it must have talked about God's everlasting love, His Sacrificial death on behalf of Man. It must also have said that they must believe in this substitutionary sacrifice in order to be saved. In other words God put in place the same standard for those who lived before the cross and for those who lived after the cross. In my view that is the Gospel. So why then do we have such huge volume we call the Bible? In my view it is repetition and emphasis of the same theme, to make sure that we do not miss the message. The vast majority of the Old Testament uses illustrations, drama, prose and music to put the message across. The Old Testament also dramatizes for us what happens to those who do not heed the message of the Good News. It also tells us how we should live here on earth as we await that glorious day of His coming. At this point I am going to point us to the story in Acts 8:26. We find a well-meaning gentlemen honestly struggling to understand the wonderful message of the Gospel as given in Isaiah 53. As his heart burned within him to understand what the Gospel meant, God provided a resource in the form of Philip and in no time the man accepts baptism and he is added to the Christians. The fact that he asked for baptism means that he had understood the sacrificial death of Jesus on his behalf and he accepted it. In my view we need to understand this basic gospel truth and act wisely after we have heard it. In other words it does not help us to hear the Gospel (intellectually) and not act on it. The Gospel calls for changes in our lives and we must live out those changes starting with baptism like the Ethiopian Eunuch. “Fully understanding the Bible” is an ideal. I am not sure that any human has ever fully understood the message that God has in the Bible for us. What is important is I think, is what we do with whatever knowledge we have. It is not enough to simply know and understand, but blessed are those that hear and do the Words.
Todd Reinhard
Supporter
In reality, nobody fully understands a single molecule. But our heartfelt desire should be to know the TRUTH of God to our highest GOD GIVEN ability. We need to SEEK out the BEST Bible commentaries and trusted teachers of the Word to guide us along the path of truth. We need to study the creeds--the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Nicene-Constantinople Creed, the Apostles Creed, etc.--and PRAY REGULARLY for an ever-increasing love of the Scriptures and TRUTH. God promises to answer these kind of prayers. In short, you don't need to know or understand everything (thank God!), but you DO need to WANT to know and understand as much as God Himself wills. God bless.
gabriel smit
Supporter
Jesus Christ answers as follows: John 3:18 '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 11:26 'And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?' John 20:31 'But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.' Rom 3:22 'Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:' Rom 10:9 'That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.' 1Cor 1:21 'For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.' Gal 3:22 'But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.' now before you accuse me of intellectual bankruptcy for quoting random scripture [which tells a lot about the accusers degree of humility;-)] take note of Luke 10:27-28 "And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.....this do, and thou shalt live." Mark 12:30 "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." Christ told us here to use our mind to the fullest, i.e. to understand with all our mental capacity What the above last quoted verses stress more than anything else is that your committal to the Lord must be total, hence you can not for instance argue that you believe in the resurrection of Christ but you have your own, 'personal' interpretation of the creation account, or that other parts of scripture are mere fables - leaning on your limited capacity to 'understand' the council of God. for the person in Christ these 'anomalies', which to the unbeliever are a stumbling block, are the reality which is God. In order to be saved, you must believe in the risen Christ; that capacity is given you by the Holy Spirit. Everybody also has a mental capacity to understand the Gospel - some more, some less - the question is are you going to use that mental capacity to remember baseball home-run data or argue time-wasting petty issues or are you going to listen to God who gave us wise counsel through the wisest mortal ever to walk the planet: Eccl 12:13-14 'Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.' what we have to understand is that there will be a day of reckoning... whether we believe it or not :-) kind regards in Jesus Christ gabriel
Tony Medley
Supporter
The thief on the cross next to Jesus, simply believed that Christ was dying for him, and said "Lord remember me when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom." At the other end, The Revelation of Jesus Christ to the apostle John is so deep the greatest theologians have grappled with it. The apostle Paul and Silas when the Philippian Jailor cried out to them, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house." Act 16:32. Simply, we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and then we gain a deeper understanding by the reading and study of the Word of God.
James Kraft
Supporter
Basically all we need to know is that we are sinners, and Christ came to save sinners. We can only be saved on His terms, not on ours. His terms are simple. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. We are all sinners, and God hates our sin, but He loves us. So, He sent His only Begotten Son to die on the cross to take the punishment we deserve so that we could be saved by what he did for us by his shed blood that covers us from all sin. If we believe He did it for us, we are given eternal life through the Spirit given to us the minute we put our faith and trust in Him, and Him alone. Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after ye believed, ye were sealed by that Holy Spirit of promise. First Corinthians 15:1-4 That Christ died for our sin, according to the scriptures, that He was buried and rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures. That is the gospel we are to believe, that all of our sin debt is paid, past, present, and future. If it did not cover all them no one could be saved because we all sin. Galatians 1:8-9 says, Though we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel than that which we have preached unto you, let them be accursed. As we said before, so say I again, if any man preach any other gospel than that ye have received, let him be accursed. There is only one gospel that saves sinners. If we add one thing you have to do to be saved other than just believe the gospel, we have perverted the gospel of all grace and made it another gospel. John 3:16 is the simplest form of the gospel. For God so loved the world, (everybody) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever, (anybody) that believeth in Him, will not perish but have eternal life. Many a small child has been given that one verse and gotten saved. That is the simplicity of the gospel. There are many other places the gospel is given. Ephesians 2:8-9. John 6:37, John 6:39 John 6:40 John 6:47 and on and on. But as Paul told the Philippian jailor, what must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. If we try to analyze it we just can not because it is of the spirit. We just have to believe it as it is. Once you have received the free gift we can never be lost. Other wise we never believed it to start with. Jesus plus nothing = salvation by grace. It is all grace. Romans 11:6 What Jesus did for us, not works, (what we do or do not do.) If it was by what we do, then we would be our own savior and Jesus died for no reason. We can not add one thing to what He did, or it is a perversion of the gospel that saves no one. As an example some believe they are saved by baptism. They are not saved until they believe the gospel without baptism. Baptism is fine, but it has no saving power. Only Jesus alone has the power to save. Some say you have to repent of your sins to be saved. Another lie that saves no one. If we would just keep the gospel as it is written people will get saved. If you add to it, not only are your under the curse, but people do not get saved.
Janet Austin
Supporter
No, it is not necessary to fully understand the Gospel to go to heaven. After all, people in the Old Testament went to heaven, and many people in the world today do not know the Gospel. God is interested in your heart - He's looking for a heart that intends to be ONE WITH HIM. His gift of salvation by HIS GRACE is sufficient for those who, if they knew the Gospel, would agree to live in ONE ACCORD with Him.
Penny G. Vera
Supporter
Yes you need to have understanding of God's Word, it is all truth. If you just believe God's word is truth but you don't read it, how will you be able to come up against the enemy? Ephesians 6:10-20. You must understand how to put on the Armor of God, If you do not, your faith will waver, and you will become deceived into believing the false prophets. Yes, you must read God's word with understanding or you will not be able to pray and receive God's blessings. Pray before reading that the Holy Spirit will guide you before reading His word.
John Appelt
Supporter
It is a mistake to think that believing the gospel will guarantee that one will get to heaven. The error stems from assuming that I Corinthians 15:1, 2 defines the gospel which must be believed in order to be saved. One problem is the term ‘gospel’ is a broad term for any good news, such as what the angel Gabriel spoke to Zechariah concerning Elizabeth becoming the mother of John, Luke 1:19. The meaning of ‘gospel’ is unnecessarily narrowed down in meaning to the Corinthian ‘definition.’ The purpose of I Corinthians 15, known as ‘the resurrection chapter,’ is to refute those who denied there was a resurrection on which salvation is based. All Paul was saying was that without the truth of the resurrection no one could be saved, and their faith would be empty. But Paul never said, “Believe the gospel and you will be saved.” A survey of the Gospels and the Acts does not ever present the ‘believing of the gospel’ as the way to be saved. In John 4:42, the Samaritans believed in the Messiah, the Savior of the world, and by faith in Him they were saved. In John 9:36-38, after the healed blind man is excommunicated by the Jews, he was met by Jesus who asked him if he believed in the Son of God. The blind man believed after Jesus identified Himself. Martha believed Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11:27. He was the object of her faith for she had believed in Him. Throughout the narrative of Acts, there is no exhortation to ‘believe that Jesus died on the cross.’ From Isaiah 53:7, 8, Philip preached Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch, and he believed He was the Son of God, Acts 8:35-37. To the pagans, Paul preached a future judgment by ‘the Man’ Jesus, the certainty of it being by God raising Him from the dead, Acts 17:31-34. If Corinthians defines the gospel to believe, it raises a question, “What is necessary to believe?” Paul lists nine items that are ‘the gospel,’ theoretically meaning all are necessary to believe to be saved. But it would be nonsense to have to believe in all the appearances of Christ. Yet, some have narrowed down the ‘preaching the gospel’ to just the death, burial, and resurrection. Even this causes a problem. What does the burial of Jesus have to do with the requirement for salvation? ‘Believing in the gospel’ hides the truth of how one is Scripturally saved. The Scriptures are absolutely clear that it is only by believing in Jesus that one can receive eternal life, John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 6:68, 69, 20:31, and Romans 3:26. Nothing more, nothing less. Paul never intended the ‘gospel’ to be a formula of what to believe in order to be saved. In fact, this concept is not found elsewhere in Scriptures. Instead, he taught that the reality of the resurrection is the foundational basis of our salvation.
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