The "Gospel of God" (Romans 1:1-7) concerns His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came from Heaven to this world in the form of a body of flesh, lived a perfect life of holiness, laid down His life as a Sacrifice for the sins of men, arose from the dead, ascended back to Heaven, and is coming again for His people.

A lost, condemned, sinful person who believes in Jesus Christ thereby becomes a child of God, is born again to a new life in Christ,and will eventually be resurrected from the dead, have a perfect, glorified body, and spend eternity with God and all the saints and angels of God forever. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" is the message of the Word of God to you (Acts 16:30-31; John 3:16, 3:36, 5:24).

JESUS FULFILLS GOD'S LAW FOR YOU

Jesus Christ is the LORD over the Law of God, and judgment has been committed unto Him (John 5:22). He stated that "the first of all the commandments" is to "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" (Mark 12:30).

Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, and men are responsible unto Him to obey this commandment. He is the "end of the law for righteousness" (Romans 10:4), and there can be no justification under the law (salvation) apart from Him. What He is to the believer is the Righteousness required by the law (1 Corinthians 1:30; Romans 3:24-26; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Christ is both our obedience to the Law and our curse with respect to its penal sanctions against sin. He is what we must have as a Fulfillment of the holiness of the Law, and He is what we must have as a Satisfaction for our transgressions of the law. Christ is ALL, or we have nothing. There shall no flesh be justified by the deeds of the law, for no flesh can indeed do what law requires (Romans 3:20; 7:14; Matthew 5:20).

It is ALL Christ, and our relation to Him is by nothing but Faith — believing, accepting, receiving, trusting — HIM and Him alone. Add nothing to Him, and take nothing from Him. A sinner who believes in Christ is COMPLETE, so far as salvation is concerned. Baptism, the church, the Lord' Supper, Prayer, good works — all of these are to FOLLOW salvation, but have no part to contribute to salvation. Trust to nothing but Jesus Christ and what He has done to save you.

The Gospel of Christ is the only hope of fulfilling the law. In honoring the Son of God by acknowledging Him as Lord, we are in effect brought into a standing of having "fulfilled" the law. No man can honor God without honoring the Son of God (John 5:23); He is the fulfillment of the law for the transgressor of the law, and there is no other fulfillment available or possible.

FAITH IN CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY

Under the breadth of the "first commandment," men are under responsibility to honor the Son, as He is God. This message is to be proclaimed in all the world, to every creature, as the Lord Himself has commanded (Matthew 28; Mark 16). For men to set up barriers, additions, substitutes, and alternatives to Jesus Christ, or even in the name of Jesus Christ, is to become enemies of the Gospel and transgressors of the very first commandment of the law.

Perhaps above all other reasons for proclaiming the Gospel to the world, to every creature, is the fact that the LAW requires that the creature is responsible to love God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength; and inasmuch as Jesus Christ is the embodiment of Deity, and has all judgment committed unto Him, and is the only hope for men to have the fulfillment of the law, the Gospel of Christ is paramount, as Christ is the only Way whereby the transgressor can be justified:

"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me," said Jesus (John 14:6).

This is the Gospel which is blessed by the Holy Spirit to men "dead in trespasses and sins." It is the power of God to raise the dead, for it is His own Word, accompanied by His own Spirit (John 6:63). Death cannot stand in the way of this Gospel, for death recoils from its path. Every man who has received it has known the power of resurrection from the dead. He has received a new birth (John 3), and is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), and has passed from death to life (John 5:24). All of this was done for the DEAD, not for the living, but the DEAD! Not the state of physical death, but spiritual death — condemned for sin, finally to be cast into Hell. But as the Lord Jesus Christ raised dead Lazarus by His Word (John 11), so dead sinners are raised by the Gospel, thru the power of His Holy Spirit.

Yes, the Gospel is to go forth to the "dead" sinners of this world, and it is to be preached to bring the "dead" into full compliance with God's law thru Christ, the END of the Law for righteousness to every one who believes (Romans 10:4).

The Lord calls His servants, fills them with His Spirit, and sends them forth (Acts 26:17-18). They have no power whatsoever within themselves to perform spiritual miracle of raising dead sinners, giving them a new birth to the new life in Christ; but under the leading of the Holy Spirit and by the message of the Gospel, they are used of the Lord in this great ministry (2 Corinthians 4:7).

WHAT IS YOUR STATE?

Do you know Christ? Have you believed in Him as your own Saviour? Is He your righteousness before the holy Law of God? Is He your Sacrifice who atones for your sins — past, present and future?

If not, LOOK to him by faith, believing on Him, and you shall have eternal life. He has said, "Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:14).

Author: Bob L. Ross

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