Standing in the Gospel – The Believer’s Life

How unwise is it to travel without a clear knowledge of the destination! But this is what many so called Christians are up to. They live with a profession of faith, but with no knowledge, not to talk about the assurance of salvation. No idea where they will go when they die. This is a result of wrong belief. Biblical salvation is that you believe the gospel to be saved, and then you remain in the gospel through your entire Christian living.

Plenty of believers have this mentality that salvation is believing in Jesus today while they spend the rest of your life trying to earn heaven or eternity. These people do not have any knowledge, not to talk of the assurance, of where they are going when they die. They live their lives daily hoping that they will make it to heaven some day. They would quickly dismiss any teaching related to the eternal security of the believers as “unbiblical”. This is what happens to you when you’re believing wrong.

The knowledge and the assurance of salvation come from believing what the Bible says, and not by what you think you must do in order to be saved, or make it to heaven.

How We’re Saved

Salvation begins with knowing what to believe. But there are many today who claim to be saved but have no idea what it means to be saved. The requirement for salvation is to believe the gospel. The gospel is found in the Bible, a very good example is the text referenced below:

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 ¶ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.

The above passage clearly states that we’re saved when we believe the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:2). But only if we believe with all our hearts. Mere head knowledge will NOT bring about conversion. The gospel states that we’re sinners and we cannot save ourselves. Christ died and paid for our sins. He was buried and He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. Any unsaved sinner who heartily believes this message will be saved. That is the gospel according to the Bible!

The knowledge and the assurance of salvation come from believing what the Bible says…

What it Means to be Saved

What is means to be saved is that your sins are forgiven (justification), you get the perfect righteousness of Christ, you are adopted into the family of God, just to mention but a few. The utmost part of it is the fact that you will go to heaven when you die – you received the gift of eternal life when you believed. This is a biblical truth upon which you can bank. The Bible says in 1 John 5 that if we do not believe this report, we make God a liar.

But all the above happened to the believers simply because they believed. Not because they did or will do anything. The ignorance of what to believe makes a lot of people believe lies, which in turn leads to the lack of assurance of salvation. If you know what the Bible says, and you believe it, then there is not reason to doubt.

Salvation begins with knowing what to believe.

The message of the gospel is very simple in the Bible. The gospel tells us who we are, what Christ did for us, and how we should respond to His completed works.

The part that is hard to do though is convincing some very religious people that neither salvation nor sanctification is by works or by human efforts. A lot of people believe that they would loose their salvation, (thereby losing heaven) if they do such and such, or fail to do such and such. If you believe this, then you’re no longer trusting or believing in Jesus, you’re now trusting in your own works to keep you saved. This is another gospel – the gospel of works.

The gospel tells us who we are, what Christ did for us, and how we should respond to His completed works.

1. The Believer Stands in the Gospel

Pay attention to the end of the first verse of 1 Corinthians 15:

“the gospel…which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand”

Believing in the gospel means that you remain in it. The gospel brings eternal justification upon all who believe. What that means is that you do not return to trying to justify yourself by your good works after believing the gospel. You remain in the gospel! You stand in it. You abide. You continue to trust in the gospel, even for your sanctification, security, and glorification.

With regards to “wherein ye stand” in the above passage, Family Bible Notes writes:

“Wherein ye stand; upon which your church is founded, and upon which all your hopes rest.”

The Geneva Bible Footnotes writes

“In the profession of which you still continue.”

The believer is to continue to trust Christ for his security. He must always remember that we’re drawn nigh unto God by the blood of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:13) and that there is nothing he can do to make God love Him more. That is not to say that you cannot know more of God, but His love for you continues to be upon the basis of Christ redemptive works, and not your own good works or your self-righteousness.

2. The Believer Stands in the Grace

1 Peter 5:12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.

We saved by grace through faith, according to:

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

But after we’re saved, we continue to be kept saved by the grace of God. All the good works that the believers do must be focused on worshiping God, and not trying to complement their salvation. And remember also, that whatever good work you’re able to do, with the right motives, is by the grace of God.

The Apostle Paul confessed this in one of his Epistles:

1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Therefore, every effort which you make to serve God should be seen as a result of his grace in your life. The life of the Christian is that of joy and rejoicing, worshiping God for what the Bible has revealed concerning our true identity in Christ. In Romans 5:1-2, we are told some very important truth about our identity in Christ:

1. We are justified, by faith
2. We have peace with God, meaning we can no longer be condemned by God (Romans 8:1)
3. We have access into the grace of God by faith – that is why Ephesians 2:8 says we’re saved by grace through faith
4. We stand or remain in the grace and not deviate into trying to justify ourselves by our works
5. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God

Romans 5:1-2 ¶ Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5:8-10 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

See also: Romans 8:30-39; John 5:24.

3. The Believer Stands By Faith

The life of the believer begins in and by faith, it continues in faith, and it will end in faith. There is a lot that we will have to receive by faith until Christ will finally return to take us home. The Bible is clear that “the just shall live by faith” (and not by works).

Romans 1:16-17 ¶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

I strongly encourage you as a believer to make efforts to do as much good works as humanly possible. Serve the Body of Christ, serve others, both saved and unsaved. But do not make the mistake of letting those efforts get into your head to now begin justifying yourself by your works. Paul admonishes the Corinthians that they stand by faith (not by their works):

2 Corinthians 1:24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

I understand the position of those who think or believe that they can lose their salvation. This belief undoubtedly comes from the ignorance of the true gospel. The Bible is full of the truth regarding our salvation and our eternal security. But because the eternal security of the believers is a broad topic on its own, I will only briefly mention here some biblical truths regarding the true identity of the believers.

The Bible does not teach that we get saved when we believed while at the same time we better be sure that we’re lucky enough to make it to heaven. That will not be true salvation.

Salvation is a package deal! When you believed, you did not only get forgiveness of sins, you also got the perfect righteousness of Christ (Romans 3:22), the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the gift of eternal life. Listen and learn about some of the things that happened to the believers when they believed:

1. You Became A Child of God

The day you genuinely put your faith in Christ as described above, you’re adopted in to the family of God. That means you’ve now come from being a child of wrath (Ephesians 2:3) to becoming a child of God John 1:12. This is part of being born again.

Romans 8:15-17 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 ¶ And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Galatians 4:4-7 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

You may have noticed, in the above passages, the connection between the Holy Spirit and the new birth. The new birth is effected by the Holy Spirit, His baptism is what makes you a child of God and a part of the Body of Christ. Without it, you do not belong to Jesus and therefore not born again (Romans 8:9)

Oh, did I mention that you also become a joint heir with Christ? What that means is that not only are you now adopted into the family of God, you also now have access to sonship just like Christ the only begotten Son of God does. That is the truth of Romans 8. There is nothing in the Bible (aside of those twisted verses) that suggests that the person who is born again will become ‘unborn again’. If you know any, then let’s discuss it!

2. You are Sealed with the Holy Spirit

You’re Sealed with the Holy Spirit the moment you believed. This sealing is part of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And this truth is written all over the new testament:

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Ephesians 1:13-14 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

As you can see from the above passages, not only are the believers sealed with the Holy Spirit, this sealing is permanent “until the day of redemption”, that is, “the redemption of the purchased possession”. So the believer is secure in Christ. He is in Christ, Christ is in Him. This is an inseparable union!

3. Nothing Can Separate You From Christ

Nothing can separate the true believers from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Savior.

John 10:27-30 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and my Father are one.

Romans 8:34-39 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

For more about the identity of the Christians, please see What It Means to be Saved.

So, rather than putting yourself back under the Law, or trying to keep yourself saved by your own works, or living with the fear of losing your salvation, I will suggest that you spend more time to learn in the Bible what it means to be saved. Spend more of your time, talent, and treasure to worship and serve God. It is a fulfilling and rewarding life to live.

Thank you for reading!