There are various religions that resemble the Christian faith but have different core teachings. Some of them claim to acknowledge the gospel, but they don’t seem to recognize the effects of the gospel. It’s like having a gospel that doesn’t satisfy God’s will. It’s like having a medicine that does not cure the disease it was invented for. This is a significant concern because if the medicine didn’t help you, then you are still sick, and the sickness is still taking your life. To comprehend the effects of the gospel, we must understand the result of Jesus’ ministry, including why He came and what He accomplished. Let’s begin with why He came.
The Bible says that because of Adam’s disobedience, sin entered the world (Rom. 5:12). Since then, people have been conceived and born into sin. This means that we have inherited the nature of sin and we are continuing this sin through our sinful choices. The Scripture says, “All of us were like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isa. 53:6). It means we were hopeless about our sins and our sinful nature. This is the reason Jesus had to come. The good news is that God sent Jesus Christ to be the Savior of the world. Because of Jesus, and through His death and resurrection, we are both justified and sanctified. Jesus’ death frees us from our guilt and shame and God showed He is both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Rom. 3:26). This is so no one can boast in himself but only in Christ Jesus to the praise of God. This is the reason Jesus had to come, and through His sacrifice, He has accomplished the mission God had purposed in Christ.
So then, what are the effects of the gospel? You see, there are transactions that have taken place as the result of Jesus’ ministry. God imputed (assigned, treated as if) our sinfulness to Jesus for Him to be nailed to the cross, and in exchange, the righteousness of Christ that He lived, that He accomplished, is imputed (again, assigned or treated as if) to those who believe in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). It was an exchange of our sinfulness with Christ’s righteousness. Therefore, those who believe in Jesus Christ are made righteous before the throne of God. It means having faith in Christ is what makes us to be justified, meaning to be declared righteous, and sanctified, meaning to be declared holy. There is no guilt or shame for believers because Christ has clothed His believers with His righteousness. As the result, Christians are at peace with God (or reconciled with God) through Christ and understand where they go after death.
This is the good news, but wait, there is more. Don’t forget, Jesus did not stay in the grave for long. On the third day, God brought Him back to life, so that we also would be made alive in the spirit to pursue righteousness and have hope for eternal life. Through Christ’s justification, Christians now pursue God’s righteousness, until the glorious Second Coming of the Lord Jesus. When the Lord Jesus returns, we won’t be just saved from the wage and penalty of sin. We won’t be just saved from the nature and power of sin. On that glorious day, we will be saved from the very presence of sin forever, because there will be sin no more.
Are you saved through the gospel? “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
James Kim currently serves as a pastor/elder at House to House Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee. He holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies (MABS) from Bob Jones University Seminary and is a doctoral student (DMIN in Theology and Apologetics) at Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity. He is married to his amazing wife Mina and is the father of five wonderful children.
