The Pure Gospel

Have you ever considered the idea of bottled water? Personally, I go for tap. If you do the math, bottled water costs about 8 or 9 dollars a gallon. And that's for the cheap stuff. I knew a guy, however, that would NOT drink tap. He even refused coffee made from tap water, claiming it would upset his stomache. Now, I'm not sure about the credibility of his claims, but like this guy, many people drink bottled water because they want it pure and free from odd tastes.

When my wife gave birth to my daughter, we had to keep a good supply of purified water on hand for the formula. We needed the water to be pure. And so many people want pure water, so they drink bottled water.

How do you know it's pure? The easiest way is to look at the label, to see where it is from, what is the source of the water, and if anything is added. Typically you're looking for the words "natural spring" and NOT looking for words like "municipal water supply" or "added for ___."

While most bottled water is pure or clean, you can now find all kinds of bottled water with all kinds of things added to it: flavoring to give it a different taste, coloring to make it look pretty, and chemicals for various purposes. This are things people add to the water to make it more appealing.

The Gospel of Christ also started pure.
Water is pure because of source. So is the Gospel. What is the source of the Gospel? Duh, Jesus Himself. And we learn from Jesus in the bible. In the books written by those who walked with Jesus and learned directly from Him. Like water from a natural spring, we know the Gospel being taught is pure when it comes from the Bible.

However, like some have added to water, some have tried to change the gospel of Christ, too. In Galatians chapter 1, the Apostle Paul said he was surprised to see the church at Galatia so easily believing other teachings. He gave a warning, “If we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned.”

Ouch, that seems harsh. But is it really? What good is a lie or a false teaching when we're talking about salvation? We need the truth!

What are some things people add to The Gospel? Traditions and works. Some people insist you are only really a follower of Christ if you also have been baptised, tithe, attendend church, take communion, or belong to the right group/denomination. Other people add in whole new teachings: Mormonism, 7th Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witness. Those are just the ones that are 'official' and well known. But people add all kinds of things. Maybe you really like your preacher, and while he claims belief in the bible he ALSO says some new stuff that's not in there. There's only one gospel, the one that came from Jesus himself and was preached by the apostles. Any different gospel preached by anybody or revealed to anyone after that is not from God, but is from man (or the devil). We must only put our faith in the PURE gospel of Christ.

I've seen a few groups that have gotten this idea. One proudly proclaims, "I am not a fan of Jesus." Meaning our following goes beyond merely liking Him to obedience and faith. I also saw a book titled "Jesus + Nothing = Everything."

So, what is the Pure Gospel? Let's go to the source:
In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."In Matthew 26:28 He said, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."In John 1:29 John the Baptist proclaims, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!", and Jesus didn't deny it.

But perhaps we get a really clear look in Acts 2 when Peter gives the first evangelistic revival:
vv. 22-24 "Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him."

v 36 "God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah."

v 38 "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Epesians 2:8 reminds us that we have been saved by grace through faith, and it is a gift from God and not of works so that no one can claim credit.And we all know John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have ever lasting life."

The Pure Gospel is simple:
We are sinners (law breakers/criminals) deserving of justice. Romans says that "the wages of sin is death." Our sin has earned us a debt that we cannot pay. However, because God is as perfect in His mercy as He is in His justice, we were given a savior. Jesus, through the cross and resurrection paid that debt for us. If we repent (turn from) our sins and trust in Jesus we are saved from the penalty we had coming, and we are cool with God again.

So what is trusting in Jesus? Believe He paid your debt and then, out of gratitude, do things His way and not your own. Will you mess up? Sure. No one's perfect. But God sees our heart. He knows the difference between mistakes and rebellion.

THAT, is the pure and simple Gospel. Salvation comes from Christ's sacrifice ... period. Nothing we can ever do can add to or take away from that.