Read 323.) from the 4 Gospel accounts. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each write of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel. They each explain who Jesus really was, and what He really accomplished, particularly by His death and resurrection. Each account is comprised of The 10 Essential Elements of the New Testament Message. All are necessary, and there are not 9 nor are there 11.
The first essential component of the message of the Gospels is that God is holy, and He requires 1.) RIGHTEOUSNESS of every person who has any hope of going to heaven to be with Him throughout eternity. Matthew expresses this with 5:6, 8, 20+48; Mark with 2:17 and 6:20; Luke with 18:18+19; and John does in 5:29 and 7:18, and many other passages in each of them. No one contests this point.
The next 2 points are that as humans we have 2.) SIN and we will, if it is not cleansed away, undergo severe 3.) JUDGMENT in hell, the Lake of Fire. Matthew opens with the point in 1:21; Mark with 1:4+5; Luke with 1:77; and John in 1:29, and many others besides. That judgment of sinners is sure, is seen in Matthew with 10:28, 13:39-42, 49+50, 25:41+46; Mark with 9:42-48; Luke with 12:4+5 and 16:19-31; along with John in 16:8-11. These are just a sample few from each.
Next comes God’s love-response to us in our sinful and condemned state. He sent His Son to be the 4.) SAVIOR of the world. And He gave us the 5.) GOSPEL, which, in just 10 words is: “Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead;” best derived most clearly from I Corinthians 15:1-4. Matthew depicts Jesus as the Savior with 1:21; Mark with 8:29; Luke does so in 2:11; and John says the same in 1:29. That the Gospel is central to the Christian message of salvation is stated by each; Matthew begins it with 12:3+40 and concludes it with 28:5-7; Mark does likewise, first with 1:1, and closes with 16:6-19; Luke tells of the Gospel with 9:22, and closes with it in 24:46+47; John focuses on the Gospel with 3:14-18 and 20:24-29. Miss this point and you’ve missed everything!
For all that God has done to save man, no one is yet saved until individual persons respond to God in the manner He has prescribed. This can be summed up in the two words, 6.) REPENT and 7.) BELIEVE. God requires that all persons everywhere repent of their sin and unbelief in His Son and turn to Him with empty hands, acknowledging that they have no righteousness of their own and deserve only death and hell. Matthew notes repentance beginning at 3:1-11 and 4:17; Mark says the same in 1:4 and 15; Luke with 3:2-8 and 5:32; John also with 3:21, 8:11 and 12:40 as examples. Repentance is not enough however. One must also place all their hope and trust for forgiveness, cleansing, salvation, and everlasting life in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ of the New Testament, and not in anything else or any other. Matthew says this with 12:17-21 and 27:42; Mark as early as 1:15 and as late as 16:16; Luke with 24:25 and 40-48; John tells of it nearly 100 times but let 3:16 and 20:27 suffice. Now, understand this: Though God sent His Son to be the Savior, and the Savior died and rose again, so as to give us the Gospel, and though every person were to repent toward God and believe on Jesus Christ… Still, no one would be saved… Yet! The next operation is necessary and vital, and I will go there next and conclude with the final 3 essential component parts of the true New Testament message to all people everywhere. This truly is what the Book is entirely all about!
ForeverKingdom,
Harold F Crowell
ForeverKingdom's Blog 