The Simple Gospel
When it comes to understanding the gospel message of Jesus, Romans 10:13 is one of the most important verses…
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Romans 10:13 NIV
The gospel of Jesus is the message that Jesus lived a perfect life and died for our sins on the cross, and through His death and resurrection we can experience true and everlasting life. We are given the opportunity to believe in Jesus, and through faith experience Jesus’s undeserved gift of forgiveness and love.
The most controversial part of this message is that we don’t have to work for it or earn it. Salvation is given to us freely as a gift of God through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Paul, the author of Romans, makes it very clear that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Salvation is not reserved for the rich, famous, or popular. It is given to anyone who recognizes their own insufficiency and their need for Jesus.
This means that we do not need to overcomplicate trusting in Jesus. Paul’s statement is a promise to us all–if we believe in Jesus, then we will be saved.
If you’ve ever questioned whether or not you’re saved, then this promise can encourage you. The way to Jesus is simple. If you trust in Jesus then you are truly saved and don’t need to question it. All that is left is to continue to believe in and follow Jesus every day.
Truth Changes Everything
Think about the best news you've ever received in your life. Maybe it was a doctor walking into a waiting room and saying, "The surgery went perfectly." Maybe it was a phone call that said, "You got the job." Maybe it was two lines on a pregnancy test you'd been praying for.
Good news changes everything.
But none of those moments, as incredible as they are, even come close to the truth delivered on the first Easter morning:
"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."
Matthew 28:6 (NIV)
Jesus had been crucified publicly, brutally, and officially. He was wrapped, sealed in a tomb. There was no question. Jesus was dead. It was true.
But when His followers Mary and Mary Magdalene arrived to grieve? The stone was rolled away. The tomb was empty. And an angel met them with the most stunning announcement in human history.
But the angel doesn’t just tell the women the truth. He invites them to look for themselves. To step inside. To experience the...