Man never invented the Gospel. It is completely opposite to anything the human mind would have ever devised.

1. YOUR SINS AREN’T AS APT TO KEEP YOU FROM CHRIST, AS YOUR SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.

It takes people a long time to learn that Christ did not die for good people, but for sinners. Only lost people can be saved. The fact that we are sinners does not cut us off from Christ’s benefits, but rather makes us eligible for them. He did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

The worst thing about a man is his self-righteousness because it hides from him the need of Christ. The Pharisees trusted in their own imagined goodness. As a result they were left outside the Kingdom, while the harlots and publicans crowded in.

Self-righteous people cannot be saved. Salvation is only for confessed sinners.

2. YOU DON’T HAVE TO CLEAN UP YOUR LIFE BEFORE COMING TO JESUS.

In fact, you can’t do it anyway. If you could, you would be your own saviour. But the more you try to reform the worse you get. The Gospel does not tell you to turn over a new leaf before you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. It tells you to come to Him in all your sins, misery and wretchedness, just as you are, He will do the saving. To tell a dying thief to clean up his life is no gospel. Christ must save and He alone.

3. YOU CAN’T BUY OR DESERVE SALVATION.

God gives eternal life as a free gift to those who receive His Son by faith. You cannot earn or merit a gift. It is strictly a matter of grace on the part of the giver.

If you could somehow purchase or deserve salvation, then there would be two Saviours – Jesus and you. This is impossible. You would be able to boast in heaven. This too is impossible. You would be adding to the finished work of Christ. This also is impossible. “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Romans 4:4,5.

4. THERE ARE NO DEGREES OF FITNESS FOR HEAVEN.

This will come as a shock to many religious people. But it is absolutely true. There are no degrees of fitness for Heaven. No believer is more fit for heaven than any other believer. Some may live more godly lives than others, but that does not affect their eligibility for Heaven.

No more illuminating or impressive example of this can be found than in the life of the Apostle Paul. Over and over, he finds it necessary to maintain the paradox, in order to preserve the fullness and the reality of the Gospel which he was presenting. To those who had thought the essence of true religion to be man’s effort can end only in inducing a more profound consciousness of his sinfulness and essential unrighteousness.

To those who strive to make themselves acceptable before God through good works and deeds, and believe that therein lies the essence of true religion, Paul maintains that the simple act of faith in Christ is the only route by which any justification before God can be had.

To those who take it for granted that man must first reform and purify himself before he can become worthy of God and reap the benefits of the religious life, Paul points to the astounding fact of God’s outreaching love to the most miserable sinner. “But God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

“For by Grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:8-10.

You see a person is in Christ, or he is not in Christ. If he is in Christ, he is as fit for heaven as God can make him. God accepts us in His beloved Son. Christians stand before God in all the acceptability of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is impossible to improve on His standing.

Some Christians will enjoy heaven more than others, but none will be more fit to be there.

5. IT IS NOT A MATTER OF THE AMOUNT OF FAITH YOU HAVE THAT COUNTS.

In any given air flight, there are all degrees of faith aboard the plane. Some passengers worry every mile of the way. Others put back their seat and go to sleep. When they get to their destination it is no thanks to the amount of their faith. They had enough faith to get on board the plane. Then it became trustworthiness of the plane and the pilot.

So it is not a matter of how much faith you have, but whether your faith is in the worthy and only capable Saviour. It is impossible to trust in Him at all…without being saved.

6. YOU DON’T KNOW YOU ARE SAVED BY YOUR FEELINGS.

Too many people have the idea that when you are saved, you experience all kinds of warm, inward mysterious, emotional feelings, and that this is the way you know you are saved. This is misleading.

Dr. C.I. Scofield was right when he said “Justification takes place in the mind of God, and not the nervous system of the believer.”

The second the person trusts Christ, he is saved. He knows it, because the Bible says so, not because his feelings tell him.

Dr. Ironside used to say “I don’t know I am saved because I feel happy, but I feel happy because I know I am saved.” That puts things in proper order.

Ponder these six salvation surprises, then ask yourself this question:

“Have I ever acknowledged myself to be a guilty, lost sinner deserving of eternal Hell….forever?” by Wm. MacDonald

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 CHAPTER 3 VERSE 16)

My journey to Christ began during one of the most difficult periods in my life.  On November 15, 2022, my fiancé and spouse of nearly 16 years unexpectedly passed away.  Feelings of anger, sadness, frustration, and depression overwhelmed me.  

Many kind people reached out with their condolences, including the folks at the O’Leary Gospel Hall.  Several members signed a card and included some Bible verses, along with financial assistance.  My sister-in-law suggested I could attend a gospel meeting to show my appreciation for their kindness.  

The Gospel Hall atmosphere was inviting, without the air of ceremony.  The meetings were simple with two speakers who spoke directly from the Bible regarding Jesus, God, and Salvation.  Not the sort of church experience I remembered as a child.  At first, I attended because I felt obligated to repay their kindness, however, I began noticing people enjoying their faith, especially my brother and sister-in-law.  My continued depression and confusion with life’s circumstances caused me to continue attending the meetings, hoping to discover what gave them joy.

The members were patient to answer my questions, and while the key points of the gospel messages seemed clear, how they were relevant to me wasn’t as clear.  It felt like I was standing outside a door, wanting to enter, but not knowing how.

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13 & 14

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. John 10:9 

On the morning of March 10, 2023, I sat in a car outside the hospital where my fiancé’s tragic journey began. To help distract myself I picked out a podcast from a Gospel feed recommended to me.  The podcast featured a Scottish preacher who shared his life story, the importance of the Word of God, and salvation.  As I listened to him, the Spirit of God nudged me as he read Joel 2:32 which says –

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered. 

Hitting pause, I began speaking aloud to myself and to God, admitting I was a sinner, that I needed help.  From the depths of my sorrowing heart, I called out that I believed Christ suffered and died for me at Calvary’s cross, and by His sacrifice my sins were forgiven.  It seemed as if a weight was lifted from me!  I later understood that God had saved me that moment and given me His free gift – eternal life!

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Romans 6:23

That will always be a memorable morning!  I know I’m saved from sin by God’s grace and the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.  My journey began in the depths of sorrow but I’m now enjoying real joy.