GOSPEL NUGGET # 69

Gen. 4:4 ...Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,

Genesis 4:5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

Here we see the two kinds of approach of sinful man towards God. We have the Cain type of approach and the Abel type of approach. The Cain type approach represents the religions we have in this world. It is the approach of good works and religious achievement.

"...Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground,"

Many people today believe that they can satisfy the demands of God's justice against their sins by their own efforts, by their religious activities. But God must be approached by His own way. It has been indicated to sinful man that God must be approached with a blood sacrifice when God sacrificed an animal for Adam and Eve.

Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves. But God changed it with tunics of skin---an animal had to be slain (it was probably a lamb). Indicating that only through a blood sacrifice will God be satisfied, not the works of man's hands such as the fig leaves of Adam and Eve and the fruit of the ground of Cain's labor. All indications point that Cain knew all these but still he chose to approach God his own way. It was the way of unbelief.

But Abel's way was the opposite of Cain's. Abel knew from his parents that God must be approached by way of a blood sacrifice. And so " Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions." The Lord accepted His offering because it was the approach of faith [see Heb. 11:4].

The story has never changed. Men and women today still approach God the same way as Abel and Cain. Many approach God on the basis of their works. They are confident that God will forgive their sins because they have done this and done that. Others, by the grace of God, approach God relying on the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ for their sins at Calvary 2000 years ago.

The animal sacrifice that Abel made in faith was a picture of the sacrifice that the Lord Jesus made in the Cross of Calvary years later. Abel through his animal sacrifice looked forward to the coming sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

How about you? What's your religion?

GOSPEL NUGGET # 68

1Ti 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"---it is reliable, receivable and remarkable.

1. Here is a word that is reliable: It "is a faithful saying"
It is God's Word. It can be trusted. He will not lie.

2. Here is word that is receivable: It"is worthy of all acceptance"
It is God's Word. It is the truth. It must be accepted.

3. Here is a word that is remarkable: "of whom I am chief"
Even the chief of sinners is not excluded.

However, it is only sinners who will actually rely on Christ and receive Him who will experience His remarkable salvation.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 67

Lu 18:14 "I tell you that this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself shall be humbled; but he who humbles himself shall be exalted."

Notice the last part: "he who humbles himself shall be exalted."

What is humility? Humility is seeing yourself as you really are in the eyes of God, nothing more, nothing less and nothing else!

In God's eyes, we are all sinners, helpless and hopeless in ourselves to save ourselves, in dire need of God' mercy and salvation. A humble person realizes this and acknowledges it.

He does not, in pride, try to make something of himself, like attempting to save himself with his good character, religious achievements and ascetic sacrifices. No, it would be a denial of who he is in the eyes of God---a sinner who is helpless and hopeless to save himself.

Rather, a spiritually humbled person, throws himself in the mercy of God expressed in the Cross of Calvary when the Savior died for him. He says: "O, God have mercy on me, the sinner! I could not do anything to save myself. I am so deep in sin. If ever I should be saved, it is only because of Your mercy and grace. And so, I will take the dependent's place and rely on Christ's work on the cross for my salvation."

And it is this sinner---humbled by conviction of sin---that God will exalt in salvation.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 66

Lu 18:13 "But the tax-gatherer, standing far back, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but kept beating his breast and saying, "`O God be merciful to me, the sinner!'

This is a picture of a man who has been convicted of his sin. His location, position, action, supplication and confession demonstrate it all.

* His Location: "Standing far back" He knew where he belonged. He knew that as a sinner he is separated away from God. And so he kept his distance from the sanctuary.

* His Position: His position or posture was that he "would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven." He knew he was guilty and could not look straight to heaven.

* His Action: He "kept beating his breast." He was in deep sorrow and agony. He knew where his real problem was---his heart!

* His Supplication: "O God be merciful to me." He appealed that the sacrifice of atonement be applied to him. The word "merciful" means to be propitious. And propitiation can only come when the animal sacrifice is offered in behalf of the sinner.

This was of course a picture of the sacrifice that the Lord Jesus would make in Calvary. All animal sacrifices in the Old Testament point toward the coming Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.

* His Confession: "the sinner." In the original Greek the definite article is used: "THE sinner". He did not view himself as a sinner among many sinners. No, in his own eyes he is THE sinner.

In many people's eyes, he may have been an outcast from participating in the religious activities of the temple. They might have told him: "You have no part in this sacrifice! You are disqualified! You sinner!"

But God had a sacrifice for him. Sometime after this, Christ came and died for him. And God heard his prayer: "O God, make an atoning sacrifice for me!" And "this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself shall be humbled; but he who humbles himself shall be exalted." (Luke 18:14)

GOSPEL NUGGET # 65

1Co 11:24 ..."Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

25 ..."This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

Notice the expression: "in remembrance of Me." It is repeated twice for emphasis because that is the point of the Lord's Supper. It is a look-back, a picture of the Person of Christ and what He did on the cross.

My trust for the forgiveness of my sins rest not on the picture but on the real and actual person represented by the picture--Jesus Christ.

Do you feel that your sins are forgiven after you partake of the bread and the wine during the Lord's Supper celebration? If yes, then it is a sure tell-tale sign that your trust and reliance for the forgiveness of your sins is in the picture and not in the person of Christ.

Even without the picture (the bread and the wine) a sinner can still be forgiven of his sins because it is the Person and not the picture that saves. Pictures stir our memory. Saving power rest on the person who has died and has resurrected and is alive now ready to save.

I celebrate the Lord's Supper in order to remember what He did for me. But my trust for the salvation and forgiveness of all my sins is in the Lord Jesus Christ who died for me 2000 years ago. Whose actual death took care of my sins past, present and future.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 64

1Co 15:3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again...

We have here the content of the Gospel or the Good News: "Christ died for our sins and rose again from the dead."

The bad news? "Our sins"

The good news? "Christ died for our sins"

Did God accept it? Yes! Christ was raised from the dead. If God did not accept Christ's death for our sins, if He was not satisfied with it, He would not allow Christ to be resurrected from the dead. Christ's resurrection is God's receipt signifying that God has accepted Christ's payment for our sins.

It was a provisional payment, provided for all but only effectually applied to anyone who trust in Christ and His work on the cross.

The Gospel is of first importance, Paul says in verse 3: "For I delivered to you FIRST OF ALL..."

"First of all" just means of first importance. All in God's Word are important, they would not be written down if they are not. But the Gospel is of PRIMARY importance. First things first, before you deal with the spiritual things of God in His Word, you MUST make sure that you have received the salvation that the Gospel offers.

On this Good News of a message, on this truth, I hang my eternal destiny. If this message is false, I will go to hell for there is no other way of salvation. But I know this is the truth, and I have committed the salvation of my soul to it. It is God's truth and God will never ever lie.

I hid this truth in my heart. And when I die and face God, I will pull it out and say to God: "I am a sinner, I don't deserve to be with You for eternity, but here Christ died for my sins and He has satisfied You, because of Him, I can be with you forever."

GOSPEL NUGGET # 63

Ge 28: 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

Notice Jacob's dream: "...behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven..."

Who is this Ladder that connects earth to heaven?

Joh 1:51 And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

The ladder in Gen. 28:12 is the Son of Man in John 1:51. It is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ! This is talking of the Second Coming of course, when He will come with His mighty angels here on earth. In His 1000-year reign here on earth, redeemed people will visibly see angels ascending and descending back to earth at Christ's beck and call.

But it can also be appropriately applied to His death on the cross. When He hung on the cross, elevated between heaven and earth, God, as it were, set up a Ladder for sinners to come to God.

Men have attempted to set up their own ladders that they believe could take them to heaven---we have the ladder of religion, morality and other works of merit to name a few. But there is only one Ladder between earth to heaven for sinners: Jesus Christ.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 62

Ro 3:9 "...all under sin."

All are under sin. Every single child of fallen Adam find themselves in this position. This is our position by nature in God's eyes.

Think of it this way: All are under gravity. Everything we do, 24/7, is affected by gravity. Not only that, everything in us, from head to foot, is affected by it. No matter how we wish to soar to the skies, gravity pulls us down.

All are under sin, everything we do is affected by it so that in God's eyes "there is none righteous", "there is none who does good, no not one." (Rom. 3:10,12). Not only that, everything in us is affected by sin: spirit, soul and body--from head to foot (Rom. 3:13-18). No matter how we wish to be in heaven when we die, sin pulls us down.

Fallen man naturally thinks that if he improves his condition, he'll pull himself out of this position. But no amount of reformation, self-improvement methods, good works and religious activities on our part can shake us out of this position. In fact, under this position, all our good works are filthy rags (Isa. 64:6), all our religious activities are dead works (Heb. 9:14).

We came to be under this position by natural birth and the only way out of it to a new position under grace is the new birth. And we can only become born again if we place our trust in the Savior.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 61

Heb 9:22 ...without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

Without air man cannot breath. Without food man can never survive. Without water man cannot live. In the same way, without the shedding of blood man can never be forgiven.

Sin's penalty must be paid. And the penalty of sin is death. Christ Jesus shed His blood for man's forgiveness. The forgiveness of a sinner's sins is not cheap. It is not God being lenient, it comes at a very costly price. Before He forgives, Someone must die.

And so any sinner seeking forgiveness of sins must come to the fountain where the blood has been shed. It is at the Cross of Calvary where the Savior died.

You see, God forgives not on the basis because you ask for forgiveness, not because you did many good works, not because you are prayerful, not because you go to church regularly. No! It is because Christ shed His blood on the cross. Why?

Because "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."

GOSPEL NUGGET # 60

Mk 1:30 ...Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.

Mk 1:31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

This is a beautiful picture of spiritual salvation. She was lying there, weak and helpless, the Lord Jesus took her by the hand and immediately she got well and she served them. Her loving service followed her healing. It was not the cause of her healing. It was the consequence.

We do not serve in order to be spiritually healed. No, we must be spiritually healed first, then and only then, can we serve. A genuine Christian does not serve in order to be saved. Rather, he serves because he has been saved. Saved to serve, not serve to be saved.

We are sinners, spiritually sick and helpless. But the moment we put our trust in the Savior, immediately we are spiritually healed and raised. And as a loving response for what He did, we serve Him and the brethren.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 59

Ac 16:30 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved...

FOUR CHARACTERISTICS OF SAVING FAITH
(This is not exhaustive. This is a study based only on verse 31 of Acts 16)

1. Saving faith is to trust on the Savior.

The word "believe" in verse 31 means to trust, rely or depend.

2. Saving faith is specific

Saving faith is not general like "I am going to trust God now for everything in my life like my finances, school life, love life, health etc." Trusting God for everything in our lives has a proper place in the Christian life. But it is not saving faith.

Saving faith is specific. Look at verse 31, it is trusting on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

3. Saving faith has Christ as its object

Saving faith is not believing that you are saved. It is not saying and believing: "I am saved! I am saved! I am saved!" No, look at the verse 31, it does not say: "Believe that you are saved and you will be saved." No, rather, it says: "Believe, trust on the Lord Jesus Christ (the Christ who died on the cross for our sins, who rose to life again) and you will be saved."

4. Saving faith is only saving because of the Savior

Faith is not the basis of salvation. Salvation does not sit on top of faith. Rather, salvation hangs on the cross of Calvary. And faith rests on the Savior: "Believe ON the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved."

Faith is only the means of salvation "For by grace you have been saved THROUGH faith..." (Eph. 2:8).

Faith is only the conduit pipe that connects you to the source. Even if your pipe is the largest in the world, if it is not connected to the Savior, it is not saving faith. When the Bible says: "Your faith has saved you", it is speaking elliptically. You must read between the lines: Your faith (in Christ) has saved you."

GOSPEL NUGGET # 58

Mt 27:51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom;...

The veil of the temple was a very thick curtain, 4 inches thick and was very sturdy that no human being could split in two. It was so strong that not even the strength of two horses could break the curtain apart.

Beyond the veil was the place called the Most Holy Place. Only the high priest could enter it once a year. And only with a blood sacrifice was he given access into it. It was a place where God and sinful man meet in the Old Testament days.

The veil was torn in two immediately after the Lord Jesus died:

Mt 27:50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Mt 27:51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom...

Because of His sacrifice on the Cross for man's sins, access into God was opened. Just as it was humanly impossible to split the curtain in two, so it is impossible for man to gain access to God by his efforts, works and sacrifices. Access was gained only and solely because of what the Savior did on the Cross.

Notice the manner in which it was split: "...the veil of the temple was torn in two FROM TOP TO BOTTOM..."

It was a divine work (from top to bottom) not human (from the bottom up). Jesus was and is the Great High Priest that gives a sinner access to God. A sinner can only come to God through Him. It is He, not our religiosity, not our good character, not our charitable deeds, that opened the way to God.

My friend, come to God through Christ, by faith in Him. 

GOSPEL NUGGET # 57

Phm 1:17 If then you count me as a partner, receive him as you would me.

18 But if he has wronged you or owes anything, put that on my account.

The writer, the apostle Paul, wrote to Philemon about Onesimus the runaway slave. Something marvelous happened to Onesimus; he was converted through the apostle Paul's preaching of the Gospel. Now, Onesimus wanted to amend the the wrong he made against Philemon. And Paul is appealing on his behalf for him to be received back.

What is this but a picture of Christ as Mediator between God and the sinner who has trusted in the Savior for salvation. Christ as it were appeals to the Father in behalf of the sinner and says:

"Father, if then You count me as a partner, receive him as You would Me. And the wrongs he owe You, put that on My account."

A sinner who trusts in Christ is accepted by God in all the acceptableness of Christ. Christ is his Representative before God, he is in Christ, as such, he is "accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6 KJV). But Christ is also his Substitute, as such, his sins are imputed to Him. In Him, he already paid the penalty of all his sins.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 56

Ga 2:21 "...if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."

If a sinner can be accounted as righteous in God's eyes by keeping the Law, the Ten Commandments, then Christ threw His life away. Calvary would be a complete waste.

His death on the cross would be rendered totally  unnecessary. We don't need a Savior who will die on the cross for our sins if we can just save ourselves anyway, in the first place. But Christ did not die in vain. His death was vital and essential. For no sinner can be saved by keeping the Law because no one can obey it perfectly.

We are not saved by our imperfect obedience to God. Rather, we are saved by what God has done for us in Christ.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 55

Man's Spiritual X-Ray Result From Head to Toe

Isa 1:5...The whole HEAD is sick..

Ro 3:18 "There is no fear of God before their EYES."

Ro 3:13 "Their THROAT is an open tomb; With their TONGUES they have practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps is under their LIPS";
14 "Whose MOUTH is full of cursing and bitterness."

Mt 13:15 ...Their EARS are hard of hearing...

Jer 17:9 "The HEART is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked;

Mic 7:3 ...they....do evil with both HANDS...

Ro 3:15 "Their FEET are swift to shed blood;


Man is in a desperate and incurably bad shape. He does not need the bandage of religion, the band-aid of reformation and the pep-talk "C'mon! You can do it!" of worldly psychology. He needs the transformation of the new creation. And it is through Christ.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 54

Joh 6:67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"

Joh 6:68 But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

I did not come to Christ primarily for material and earthly benefits. I came to Him because of the promise of eternal life. So whatever happens to me, be it hardships, pain, ill-health, failure and misery, my feet are stayed on Christ and in Christ I will always be.

Christ came to fill my greatest need---life. If death means separation, life basically means union. What I need is eternal life---eternal union with God, the source of all life.

And Christ is the "super-glue" that sticks me to God. And so I will not depart away from Christ, I will stick around for dear life.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 53

Tit 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us,

Struggling to make it to the edge, a thief gingerly but skillfully scaled the wall of a large sprawling multi-billion dollar mansion. With uncanny agility, nimble as a cat, he evaded the gaze of the security cameras like clock work.

Landing on a greenery, it was made plain and clear to him that he was not so welcome by the dozens of security guards all aiming their angry guns at him. He went cold as he felt the cold gun barrels kissing his face. In the background, he could hear as many guard dogs ready to jump on him with gusto.

Not far from the scene, he could see a tall, angular man draped in a stately velvet robe supervising the entire event. He was the owner...and his life is in his hands. At that point, a slight nod could send him to eternity.


* He could not save his life by offering the owner his 1000 peso bill in his pocket; the owner has no need of it. He has billions of them.

* He could not persuade him by offering his lifetime service; the owner has hundreds of faithful servants working for him.

 He was guilty. He could not escape. He was helpless. He could not do anything to save himself. He was solely at the mercy of the owner for salvation. And that's how a sinner is saved.

He is guilty, he is helpless and he could not escape God's justice. God has no need of our service, they are filthy rags (Isa. 64:6). He is not persuaded by our pleas to work for Him; He has millions of servants (the angels) working faithfully for Him. If ever a sinner should be saved, it would be "according to His mercy."

GOSPEL NUGGET # 52

Ac 2:47 "...And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." NKJV

Many believe that in order to be saved a sinner must join himself to a local church. For them, the church is the way to salvation. Whereas, this verse tells us the complete opposite.

Who are added to the church? "...those who were being saved." In other words, they were first saved, and since that is the case, they were then added to the Church. It's the other way around. Be saved first by trusting in the Savior. And the Savior Himself will add you to His church.

Church membership is not the way to salvation. Rather, salvation adds you to the church. 


The expression "the Lord added" is significant. Actually, no one joins himself to the church. Rather, one is joined to the church by the Lord. The very moment a sinner trusts in Christ for salvation, he is immediately joined to His body--the church.

It is not the arm that crawls its way to the body. No, it is the Lord who picks up the arm and joins it to His body. One can be a member of a local church while all the time remaining an outcast from the spiritual church of God which is composed of sinners who have genuinely trusted in Christ for salvation.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 51

Mt 27:21 The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They said, "Barabbas!"

Mt 27:26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.

Barabbas is the only man in the history of the world who can say: "Christ died for me literally and physically."

The cross of Calvary which should have been his fell on Christ, his literal and physical substitute. He should have been scourged and spit upon but Christ took it all for him. He should have carried that burdensome Roman cross but Christ carried it for him. He was condemned to die but Christ took his condemnation. He was guilty but Christ took his guilt. He should have died but Christ died for him.

 Supposing Barabbas bargained with his executioners saying: "Look, sir, I will do community service all my life, I will faithfully serve the Roman government, I will do a lot of charitable works, everything, the whole nine yards, just pretty please let me live. Spare my life."

They would tell him: "Barabbas, you don't have to do all those things. Somebody took your place and HE IS ENOUGH!"

Many want to save themselves by baptism, church membership, sacrificial works, and what have you. They do not know that Christ is enough.

My friend, what Christ did on the cross was enough for your salvation. Trust in Him.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 50

Le 14:4 "then the priest shall command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living and clean birds...

Le 14:5 "And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed...

Le 14:6 "As for the living bird, he shall take it...and dip...the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed...

7 "And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose in the open field.

The animal sacrifices of the Old Testament were symbols of the coming Christ. They were God's object lesson to prepare the Jews for the coming of the Savior. They were shadows of the real thing---the death of Christ for our sins.

The two birds were a picture of the One Christ, who died and resurrected. The one bird which was killed (verse 5) speaks of Christ's death on the cross for our sins. The living bird (verse 6) dipped in the blood of the bird that was killed speaks of the Christ who resurrected after shedding His blood on the cross.

The living bird loosed in the open field (verse 7) speaks of Christ who ascended to heaven after making a perfect sacrifice for the sins of sinners. The sprinkling of the blood "seven times" speaks of Christ's perfect atonement for man's sins, seven being the number of perfection in the Bible.

Here is the lesson behind these verses:

There is a coming Savior, who will make a perfect sacrifice for your sins by His death, who will resurrect and ascend to heaven where He came from. And He did come and did all of the above. 

GOSPEL NUGGET # 49

La 1:12 "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Behold and see If there is any sorrow like my sorrow, Which has been brought on me, Which the LORD has inflicted In the day of His fierce anger.

Though these words strictly and primarily belong to Jerusalem during the time when God chastened and punished her for her sins. These words can also be spiritually applied in principle to the Lord Jesus, when He hung there on the Cross for ...our sins:

"Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Behold and see If there is any sorrow like my sorrow, Which has been brought on me, Which the LORD has inflicted In the day of His fierce anger."

Mt 27:38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. 39 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

The sufferings and death of Christ in Calvary, is it nothing to you? Does it not break your heart in repentance and faith? Can you imagine the incomparable sorrow He experienced for you and me when He said: "My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?" Is it nothing to you? Can you pass by the Cross of Calvary in cold indifference and unbelief?

GOSPEL NUGGET # 48

Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father *EXCEPT* through Me.

Truth is narrow and dogmatic. It is not relative. 1 plus 1 equals 2. It is not 3, even if you are open-minded about it.

Someone might say: "Ah c'mon! You are too narrow-minded. I am not like you Christians. I am open-minded. There are no absolute truths, truth is relative. It varies from person to person. Your idea that there is only one Savior is pure bigotry! You are disrespectful of other people's beliefs!"

My friend, truth is always narrow and dogmatic. That lady over there is your wife. How do you like the idea that some other man would be open-minded enough to consider that he may also be the husband of your wife? No, you would dogmatically and narrow-mindedly say: "Over my dead body! That lady over there is my wife. No other man can have her."

And if he should say in protest: "You are disrespecting my belief!

You would all too readily give the reply: "You change your belief. It is wrong! The only thing that matters is the right belief. Not just any other belief!"

Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world. Yes, it's narrow, it's dogmatic. But it's the truth.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 47

2Co 11:2 ...I married you to one husband...to Christ.

Eph 1:3 ...God...who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ

The Church's relationship to Christ can be likened to that of a marriage relationship. Here read about the Church's story about how she came to possess every spiritual blessing:

Let me tell you about the day when I became one of the richest persons in the universe. I was a poor miserable sinner, living in a desolate place called the world, with nothing to offer God but filthy rags.

Heavy in debt and in misery, I could not do anything but flee. A heavenly Gentleman went and sought me, He loved me so much that He died for me. He came with the Spirit who told me: "Will you marry this Man, to be your Savior, for all eternity?"

"I will", I replied in glee. He then told me: "Now you are mine and you will always be."

I am a poor sinner married to the richest person in the universe. What He has is mine. And His Father, who is now my Father has blessed me with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 46

Ro 11:22 ...consider the goodness and severity of God...

Though this verse primarily refers to Israel as a nation and the Gentiles collectively as a whole, its principle can be applied to the cross of Christ.

Consider the goodness of God:

God's goodness is an expression of His love. In His love, He sent His Son to die for all sinners. The judgment that should have been for us fell on Him. He had no obligation to save sinners and yet He did it. It made all the angels in heaven gasp in awe and adoration.

But consider also the severity of God:

Sin must be punished. And if it takes God's one and only Son to do it, so be it! If God did not spare His one and only Son to die such a horrible death on the cross, what makes you think He will spare you...if you are unrepentant? Are you greater than God's holy and sinless Son?

GOSPEL NUGGET # 45

2Sa 9:1 Now David said, "Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?"

A kindness shown to someone for somebody else's sake. A benefit given to one because of another. One's merit is another's credit. What could this be! It is nothing less than the principle of salvation!

I received God's salvation
And spiritual blessings not because me
But because Somebody paid all the expenses
And so I got it free!

"...even as God FOR CHRIST'S SAKE hath forgiven you." (Eph. 4:32) KJV

GOSPEL NUGGET # 44

Isa 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags...

Man, in his fallen state, apart from the grace of God, is unclean and therefore can only produce righteousness that are totally worthless in God's eyes---filthy rags. For "who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one!" (Job 14:4).

I may hold up to you a glass of clear water (so clear that it is almost invisible), it may have the world's nod of approval as the world's clearest water, but if you know that it has an HIV virus in it, the "world's clearest water" is to you the most despicable.

All our best works are tainted by sin. Sin is like the HIV virus that contaminates everything that we do. Everything is infected by it, that to God the best that we can do are only filthy rags.

It is only when a sinner becomes a new creation in Christ, by faith in Him and what He did on the cross, can he produce righteousness that are acceptable to God.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 43

1Co 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption--

If the universe has a land area wherein God's spiritual blessings are stored; that land area is called Christ Jesus.

In Christ Jesus, a sinner finds spiritual treasures like righteousness, sanctification and redemption. You can be a member of a Christian church but if you are not spiritually in Christ Jesus, then you do not have righteousness, sanctification and redemption.

For these spiritual blessings are only found in Him.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 42

Ro 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus

Just as those who were in Noah's ark were safe from the raging waters of God's judgment so are sinners who are in Christ safe from God's condemnation.

There is only one "place" where God's judgment cannot reach a sinner---it is in Christ Jesus. It was the ark that took the judgment so that those inside were safe. In the same way, Christ took the punishment so that those in Him are saved.

Are you in Christ Jesus?

GOSPEL NUGGET # 41

1Ti 2:6 (Jesus) Who gave himself a ransom for all...

Christ paid the ransom price for all of us. But it must be noted that it was a provisional payment.

Illustration

He did not pay in cash but He paid in the form of checks. Christ issued a check for each one of us signed with His blood. It is offered to all and provided for all. But only those who receive the check and endorse it will have their sins actually and effectively paid.

The check is received and endorsed when we excise faith in Him for salvation.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 40

Ex 12:13 '... And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.'

God was about to judge the land of Egypt. But before that, He gave instructions to Moses for Israel.

They were to slay a lamb, apply its blood on their doorposts and God's judgment would pass them by: "...when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you..."

 This is nothing less than a picture of the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ---the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! We are all sinners and because of that we are all in danger of God's judgment. But anyone who has the blood of the Lamb applied in their hearts by faith is safe from God's wrath.

 Notice God did not say:

a) "When I see your good works..."
b) "When I see your good character..."
c) When I see how religious you had been..."

No, none of that. It says: "When I see the blood, I will pass over you."

GOSPEL NUGGET # 39

Re 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood...

All the redeemed in heaven will sing a redemption song of praise to the Savior. Notice very carefully a part of the lyrics of this song: "You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood..."

You would be the loneliest person in heaven if you go there through redeeming yourself by your own efforts. You would be out of place. While all the redeemed in heaven are singing: "Praise be to the Savior for saving me!", you, on the other hand, will be alone in a corner singing: "Praise be to me for I have redeemed myself by my own efforts!"

No. Salvation is designed by God to be 100% His work through His Son Jesus Christ so that all glory will go to Him. It is rightfully His anyway. It is this way so that our mouths in heaven will be opened to sing only a song that glorifies His Son. And when the Son is glorified, the Father will be glorified.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 38

1Jo 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Propitiation is the most important concept in the Bible when it comes to salvation. All spiritual blessings hang upon this blessed concept.

What does it mean?

Let's keep this simple. When you think of propitiation, think of the word satisfaction. God was propitiated or He was SATISFIED with the work of Christ for our salvation. God is a holy and just God and His holiness and justice demand to be satisfied. God cannot look on sin tolerantly. He just can't brush our sins under the rug and simply forget about them without His holiness and justice satisfied. God's wrath against us must be appeased, His justice and holiness must be upheld.

Yes, Christ died for sinners, but, He died for God first of all. 

When Christ died on the cross for all our sins, it was there that God's wrath, justice, and holiness were satisfied eternally. Without God being satisfied, there is no forgiveness, no salvation, and no spiritual blessing that would flow toward any sinner.

My friend, God is satisfied with Christ's death on the cross for your salvation, so should you. Trust what He did on the cross for your salvation. 

GOSPEL NUGGET # 37

Mt 11:28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

For almost two years I labored and toiled to make myself perfectly righteous before God. My all-consuming passion was to be perfectly righteous in God's eyes.

I tried to obey all the minute details of God's law outwardly and inwardly. I could control my external actions but certainly not the inward motions of my heart. My heart was a fountain of sinful desires. I could plug the leak from overflowing but then I realized that the leak itself was sin.

Emotionally drained, physically exhausted and psychologically battered, I was like a boxer knocked down in the twelfth round; I could not get up and I won't get up.

For the first time my eyes were opened that I could not do it. It was then that the work of Christ on the cross became clear to me. I came in faith and I found rest. No longer will I ever labor to save myself. I am resting in the Savior.

What He did was enough for God and it is enough for me.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 36

Joh 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Christ is like a bridge that God erected between the world and Himself. Just as a bridge is laid down for all, so the love of God sent Christ to lay down His life for all. God is going to judge the world and anyone in it will perish. But anyone who crosses the bridge will be saved.

The bridge was meant for all in the world. But only those who actually cross the bridge will be saved.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 35

Jos 20:2 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses,

3 'that the slayer who kills a person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

The cities of refuge were a picture of Christ. They were provided by God for the manslayer--those who had killed a man by accident. The manslayer within the walls of the city of refuge was safe from the avenger's sword.

Its origin: It was God's whole idea
Its nearness: They were stationed in places that were accessible to people
Its necessity: Without them the manslayer was hopeless
Its security: Within the walls, the manslayer was safe
Its applicability: It was for all, Jew and non-Jew alike

It was God's whole idea that Christ should become the only Savior of the world. Without Christ no one will be safe from the wrath of God. Within Christ, a sinner is safe. Christ is the Savior of all men Jew and non-Jew alike. And Christ's salvation is near. It is just a faith away.

Whereas the cities of refuge were for the innocent manslayer. Christ accepts guilty sinners.

Have you come inside the "City of Refuge" in the person of Christ?

GOSPEL NUGGET # 34

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only...

 To give one son out of many is a demonstration of a great love. But to give your one and only Son is a love that is far greater.

When God gives, He does not only give the best, He gives everything. When He gave His one and only, He did not only give everything, He gave His heart. What more could He give.

If God were a Man, who had only one life to give, and walked down here in our dark and needy world, He would give His one and only life for it. And that's exactly what He did when He actually became a Man in Christ Jesus.

If this does not break your heart in repentance....nothing will.

I appeal to you. Be drawn by the love of God to repentance and faith in Christ Jesus for salvation. 

GOSPEL NUGGET # 33

Ex 14:13 And Moses said to the people, "...STAND STILL, AND SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD, which He will accomplish for you today."

The situation here was this: Israel was cornered and the Egyptian army was running after them. But God interposed with His salvation. He opened up the Red Sea and Israel passed through and was delivered. 

Although this refers to physical salvation, its principles can also be applied to spiritual salvation:

* Salvation is not the result of our works:--- It says here: "Stand still..." In the work of salvation, we contribute nothing. We simply stand still. 


* Salvation is not of ourselves:--- It says here: "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord." We are not to look for it in ourselves. Rather, we are to look outside of ourselves to the Lord.

* Salvation is God's work:--- It says here: "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you..." 

* Salvation can be possessed now:--- It says here: "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today." You and I can be saved today. 

My friend, if you want to be saved, look at what God did in Calvary: "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He has accomplished for you on that day."

GOSPEL NUGGET # 32

Ac 20:21 "testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God..."

Ac 8:22 "Repent therefore of this your wickedness..."

Job 42:6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes."

Ac 13:38 "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 "and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Repentance means a change of attitude. A sinner must change his attitude towards God; he must take God seriously.

He must also change his attitude towards sin; the sin that he loved he must now hate and despise.

Not only must he change his attitude towards God and sin, he must also change his attitude towards self; he must realize that he is helpless and hopeless in himself to save himself.

And lastly, repentance means a change of attitude towards Christ; he must now trust in Christ alone and what He did on the cross for his salvation. Before, he trusted in his good works, good character etc. for his salvation, now he must trust in Christ alone.

In Acts 13:38-39, the apostle Paul, after striving and endeavoring to convince the Jews to change their attitude concerning Christ (Acts 13:16-37), gave the climax to his sermon saying in effect: "Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation."

GOSPEL NUGGET # 31

Ac 10:43 "To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins."

Isa 53:6 ...And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all

Forgiveness means to dismiss and send away. All of us are sinners. But the moment we put our trust in Christ for salvation, all our sins are dismissed and sent away. God laid them all on Christ---our Sin-Bearer who paid the penalty of all our sins.

Are your sins dismissed and sent away?

GOSPEL NUGGET # 30

Col 1:20 ...having made peace through the blood of His cross.

 A man once approached a Christian and asked him: "Have you made peace with God?"

"No" was the surprising reply. "

If you have not made peace with God then you are not a Christian. You are still at enmity with God." the man responded.

The Christian then explained: "You see, I have not made peace with God because Somebody, 2000 years ago, already made peace with God for me through the blood of His cross. I do not make peace with God because He already did. My responsibility is not to make the peace but to rest in faith in the peace that He already made to God for me."

And so, my friend, do you want to enjoy peace with God? You can have it if you bank on the cross of Christ for it. 

GOSPEL NUGGET # 29

Romans 5:20 ...But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more...

Sin can never stop and limit the grace of God. Grace is greater than sin. You can never out sin the grace of God.

What we have here is best exemplified in the story of the nation Israel. When sin abounded just too much in that nation, God sent His Son. As a nation, what did Israel do? They murdered the very Son of God who came to them in love. The murder of the Son of God was the greatest crime man has ever committed against God.

But think: In that very murder of the Son of God, flowed the immeasurable, superabounding grace of God. The cross became a fountain of salvation for all sinners. The greatest crime in history that man has ever committed against God was the very gateway through which the super abounding and immeasurable grace of God flowed.

You being a sinner is your very qualification for God's undeserved favor or grace. Come to Christ. Come as you are. Come to the Friend of sinners by faith.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 28

Ps 14:1 ...They are corrupt...

The problem is not only that we have committed acts of sin, the deeper and bigger problem is that we ourselves are sinners. The problem is not only that we have committed wrong but also that we ourselves are wrong!!! We are sinners!!! The problem is not only that the fruit of the tree is bad but that the tree itself is bad.

We are apt to think that the sins we did are bad but we ourselves are not bad.It takes the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit to convince us that not only the sins we did are bad but that we ourselves are bad.

Man does not need reformation. He needs transformation. And it is only by faith in Christ can this become possible.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 27

Ro 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes...

The apostle Paul was confident of the Gospel because of his conviction of it: "It is the power of God to salvation..."

The word "power" here means supernatural, miraculous and divine power. It takes supernatural, miraculous and divine power to be saved. It takes the power of God to save us from the wrath of God. That is one of the reasons why our good works can never save us. Our good works are not supernatural. Neither are they miraculous nor are they divine.

Our sins are so indelibly attached to us that only the supernatural, miraculous and divine power of God can blot it away. It took supernatural, miraculous and divine power to create creation; it will certainly take supernatural, miraculous and divine power to create a new creation. And salvation is being a new creation in Christ.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 26

Ge 1:3 Then God said, "Let there be light"

2Co 4:6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Everything changed when God said: "Let there be light." What was without form and void and surrounded by deep darkness (Gen. 1:2) became bright. Everything began to have form and order (Gen. 1:6-10) and what was empty and void began to be filled (Gen. 1:11-25).

When Man fell into sin, everything was turned upside down. Morally, he was twisted out of shape. Inwardly, he was empty. Spiritually, he was in deep darkness. Everything began to change when God said through the Gospel of Christ: "Let there be light".

Morally, he is now being transformed into the image of Christ. Inwardly, Christ is in him. Spiritually, he is now in Christ, the One who said: "I am the Light of the world."

Have you allowed Him to shine in your heart?

GOSPEL NUGGETS #25

Jon 2:9 ...Salvation is of the LORD

Salvation, whether physical or spiritual deliverance is of the Lord. It is not a 50-50 work between God and a fallen sinner. It is entirely of the Lord. He does all the saving.

 It was He who provided the Savior
And it is He who opens our eyes to see our fallen state

It is He who grants repentance
And it is He who supplies faith

It is He who opens the record books in heaven
Blots all our sins in order to give us a clean slate.

It is He who makes us pass from death to eternal life
All for Jesus' sake.

Salvation is of the Lord Don't you ever, ever make a mistake

GOSPEL NUGGET #24

Ps 32:7 "You are my hiding place"

Many are hiding from God because of a guilty conscience. They look for cover everywhere else. Many run behind religion, others hide behind morality. Not a few try to forget Him and hide their fears through a bottle of wine. Still others through worldly pleasure.

Little do they know that the only safe ground from God is God Himself. The very One they are hiding from is the very One that they can truly and only hide in. Be saved from God by being saved by God. God in Christ Jesus is the only safe place from the wrath of God.

My friend, make Christ your refuge. Trust in what He did on the cross for your salvation. 

GOSPEL NUGGET #23

Ro 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law...

Fallen man in his natural condition---a man "in the flesh"--- is so crooked and perverted, we are by nature crooks and perverts, that even what is good and holy and righteous stirs up our sinful desires and passions.

There is nothing wrong with God's law but there is something fundamentally wrong in us. There is a nature in us that is stirred up to rebel against the law. It is irritated by it. The more the law forbids, the more we desire.

That is why we have a saying: "What is forbidden is sweet".  That is why doing bad comes naturally easy to us. That is why people do not naturally find the Ten commandments their favorite verses of the Bible.

How we need God's saving and transforming grace in Christ Jesus.

GOSPEL NUGGET #22

Joh 19:30 ...Jesus...said, "It is finished!"

The work of redemption has been accomplished. The prophecies in the Old Testament concerning man's redemption are fulfilled. The debt has been fully paid. In short, it is finished.

The Lord Jesus has perfectly and completely finished the work of redemption. 

 Now, we don't improve on what's already been perfectly and completely done. No one improves on perfection. For a sinner today to work for his salvation is 2000 years too late. 2000 years ago, the work was done. It was finished. What he must do now is to be satisfied with it by faith.

GOSPEL NUGGET #21

Ro 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one

Jer 23:6 ....THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

"None" is a sweeping word. There is none righteous in the eyes of God. But to emphasize the point further, he adds: "no, not one." In other words, there is ABSOLUTELY no one who is righteous in God's eyes.

"None"
"Nada"
"Zilch"
"Nil"
"Zero"
"What part of 'none' and 'no not one' do you not understand?!"

A truly righteous person is a person who does the right thing, in the right manner, in a right place with a right motive, to the right person, at the right time all the time, for God's glory...and none of us can do that.

God is a perfect God and so He demands nothing less than perfection. He demands perfect righteousness from us. No one can enter His blessed presence without it. Now that's a big, huge, colossal problem. But that problem is solved when I see Christ offering His perfect righteousness to us.

And so I am accepted by God not because of my own righteousness (I really have none). God accepts me because of Christ my righteousness.

GOSPEL NUGGET #20

Ac 16:30 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved...

To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is to trust Him, to rely and depend on Him and what He did on the cross for our salvation.

The death of Christ on the cross for all our sins, even though you did not see it, even though you will not be able to feel it, is nevertheless true and effectual in God's reckoning even now.

Its value and effect still reverberates into eternity and even into the throne room of God in heaven that the moment you put your trust in it, salvation will be yours.

GOSPEL NUGGET #19

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

* Salvation is by grace, God's undeserved favor to those who deserve the very opposite.
* Salvation is received through faith, faith in the Savior and what He did on the cross.
* Salvation does not come from ourselves, it is of God. Salvation is of the Lord.
* Salvation is a gift from God. As a gift, it is free.
* Salvation is not the result of works. We don't earn salvation by working for it.
* Salvation results in the saved sinner glorifying and thanking God for his salvation, instead of looking at himself and what he has achieved.

GOSPEL NUGGET #18

* Job 40:4 "Behold, I am vile...

It is the sinner's realization as to who he is in the eyes of God apart from His grace. This describes the sinner's ruin.

* Joh 1:29 "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

It is the sinner's realization that it is only through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, His death on the cross can he find forgiveness of sin. This sets forth the remedy.

* 2Co 6:2 ...Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

It is the sinner's realization that salvation can be possessed now. This speaks of the urgency of its reception. Salvation should be received now (notice twice in the verse the word "now" is repeated for emphasis).

And receiving it is by faith.

GOSPEL NUGGET #17

Before a sinner can follow Christ's example (His life), a sinner must first trust His work (His death on the Cross). A sinner is not saved by following Christ's example. He is saved by trusting in Christ's Work. His death, not His life, saves.

However, anyone who will trust in His work will be enabled to follow His example.

GOSPEL NUGGET #16

Mr 10:26 And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"

27 But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."

Did you get it? Salvation is humanly impossible. And yet many of us have attempted it by our works, efforts and religious activities etc.

We are all sinners, spiritually dead. Just as it is impossible for a physically dead man to make himself alive again so it is impossible for a spiritually dead man, a sinner, to save himself.

But with God, who is gracious, kind and merciful, a sinner can be saved. But not without cost. The salvation of a sinner is costly. It cost God His Son.

Since salvation is humanly impossible for a sinner, salvation then is not earned by our trying. It is received by our trusting in what the Savior did on the cross.

GOSPEL NUGGET #15

1Ti 4:10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, WHO IS THE SAVIOR OF ALL MEN, ESPECIALLY OF THOSE WHO BELIEVE.

Some say: "Your God is a failure because He failed to save every single sinner in the world. Even right this moment, many are suffering in the place of torment and many more will be in the Lake of fire in eternity."

Our Answer

If God planned and decided to save every single sinner in the world INCLUDING UNREPENTANT SINNERS, then God certainly has failed. But if God has planned and decided to save sinners WHO REPENT, then God has not failed. So far, 100% of the time, He has saved every single sinner who repents and trust in the Savior.

Christ's salvation is sufficient for all but effective and is applied only to those who believe or trust in Him.

GOSPEL NUGGET #14

Lu 24:7 "...The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified..."

A cross without Christ is useless and meaningless, a Christ without a cross saves no one.

God does not save a sinner at the expense of justice. God's justice and wrath must be satisfied. Sin's penalty must be paid. And so, "the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified." 

My friend, there is no other way to be saved. It must be through Christ crucified. You must trust in what He did for your salvation. 

 

GOSPEL NUGGET #13

1Ti 2:5 ...there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus

A wooden bridge is an illustration of the Lord Jesus Christ as mediator. It is actually a life laid down. It came from a living tree that was chopped down and died. Laid down so that others can cross from this side to that, from point sinner to point God.

There is only one bridge between God and Man. If Christ did not lay down His life for sinners, we sinners could not cross from this side to God's side.

Have you, by God's grace, used the bridge by relying on it for your salvation?

GOSPEL NUGGETS #12

2Ti 1:12 ...I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

“Upon a life I did not live,

Upon a death I did not die,

Another’s life, another’s death,

I stake my whole eternity.”

---Horatius Bonar

GOSPEL NUGGET #11

Pr 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Man can be sincere and be sincerely right, but he can also be sincere and be sincerely wrong. His judgment as to the right path is not always reliable. What he thinks is right is not always right. In relation to salvation, men have trodden many different paths, convinced that it will lead them to heaven. Some of them are the following:

1. Good works superhighway
2. Reformation lane
3. Church alley
4. Charity--Donation street
5. I-am-morally-better-than-others avenue
6. Religion road
7. Prayers boulevard
8. Baptism expressway
9. Penance drive

All these lead to a dead-end. Because there is only one way to the Father: Jesus Christ.

GOSPEL NUGGET #10

Joh 10:9 "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

Christ is the door of salvation. He is not one of many doors. No, He is "THE" door of salvation. If you want to enter salvation land, you go through Him.

As we go in, we find three things:

a) salvation: "...if anyone enters by Me, he will be saved..."
b) security: "...If anyone enters by Me...he...will go in and out..."

The going in and out here speaks of the sheep guided by the shepherd. He leads them out for pasture and he leads them in for safety. All the time, the shepherd protects them.

c) satisfaction: "If anyone enters by Me, he will...find pasture."

Have you entered the door by faith?

GOSPEL LIGHT #9

2Co 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

When I as a sinner trusted in Christ for salvation a grand exchange took place. Just as God treated Christ as a sinner because of me, I am now treated by God as righteous because of Christ.

Many people know that Christ bore all our sins in His body on the cross, when He died. What many people do not know is that just as all my sins were imputed to Him, so God imputed Christ's righteousness to me. That in God's eyes, I am viewed as righteous even though I am still in an imperfect condition.

In God's eyes, I am righteous because of Christ, not because of me. He accepts me as righteous not because of what I did, but because of what Christ has done .

GOSPEL NUGGET #8

Ro 3:24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

To be justified is to be declared righteous by God. We are all sinners in God's eyes and so therefore not one among us is righteous before Him. "...in Your sight no one living is righteous." (Psalm 143:2)

 How then is a sinner justified? The verse answers it for us. It tells us three things:

 a) The manner of justification: "freely"
 b) The mount (or basis) of justification: "by His grace"
 c) The means of justification: "through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

 The word "freely" in the Greek means without cause. When God looks at us, He sees nothing in us that would give Him the reason and the basis to justify us. Nothing in us can cause Him to justify us.

 Rather, He justifies sinners by His grace. Because Christ His Son paid for all the penalty of our sin.

GOSPEL NUGGET #7

Ro 6:23 ...the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The word "gift" here in the Greek means a FREE gift. All gifts are free. Paul wanting to emphasize the gratuitous nature of salvation had to say: "This is a gift. This is free."

There are many impossible things in the world; one of them is the earning of a free gift. It is absolutely impossible to earn what is freely given. And yet millions today are attempting the impossible. They want to work for salvation. They want to earn a ticket to heaven.

The "earning" of a "free gift" is a contradiction in terms. If it is earned, then it is not free. If it is a free gift, then it is something that must be freely received. Because freely given things are freely received, not labored for and earned.

GOSPEL NUGGET #6

Mt 14:30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"

31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him...

Notice three things here: "he saw", "he was afraid" and "he cried out".

He saw his desperate situation. He realized the danger he was in ("he was afraid"). And he called ("he cried out") on the Lord for salvation and immediately the Lord saved him.

What happened here is a perfect illustration of spiritual salvation. Man is hopeless and helpless in himself to save himself. It is only when man sees and realizes his spiritual condition that he will realize his need of the Savior.

And calling upon Him in faith, salvation takes place...not gradually by and by, not in a process of time but "immediately."

GOSPEL LIGHT #5

Joh 10:10 "...I have come that they may have life..."

Man is spiritually dead, so what he needs is not religion, reformation nor rehabilitation.
What he needs is life. And so Christ came to give him life.

 And it is received by faith: "Whoever believes/trusts in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

GOSPEL LIGHT #4

Ro 5:11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

"Reconciliation" in this verse means a change of relationship or position. From being at enmity with God to being a friend of God, having peace with Him.

Many people think that they can reconcile themselves to God by their efforts, sacrifices, religiosity and even prayers. But reconciliation with God is not found in what we do; it is found in a person---Jesus Christ. His death on the cross took away all our sins and hushed the justice and the wrath of God.

Be reconciled to God by trusting in the Lord Jesus and what He did on the cross.

GOSPEL LIGHT #3

Col 1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.


It is God who qualifies us, it is He who makes a sinner fit to be a partaker of the inheritance of God's people. 

In the issue of the salvation of our souls, we can never make ourselves fit for heaven. It is not our work to make ourselves fit in order to be in His presence, we can only do so imperfectly. Our good works, our religious efforts, our sacrifices etc. can never do it.

It is His gracious work in the person of His blessed Son who died for our sins that qualifies a sinner. Because of God's redemptive work in the Cross of Calvary, the sinner who trusts in the Savior has all his sins forgiven and has God's righteousness imputed to him. Thus, making him fit or qualified to be with God and enjoy Him forever in heaven.

Without the Savior, all of us are disqualified and unfit to enter His holy presence.

GOSPEL LIGHT #2

Ac 8:20 But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!

All of God's gifts are free. The principle contained in this verse can be applied to salvation.

God is not a salesman selling salvation. He is not a trader who gives salvation in exchange for church donations, offerings, pledges, tithes, good works, religious activities etc., though many people believe and think so.

It is to lower the value of an infinite and priceless gift when it is given in exchange for money or anything that fallen man can do. Gifts are offered freely and are to be received freely. That's the nature of a gift. 
And you can have the free gift of salvation through faith in Christ.