Back to the Basics: Christianity and the Gospel
What if we set our hearts on getting back to the basics of Christianity and not letting anyone soften the gospel message?
Google defines basics, “the essential facts or principles of a subject.” Synonyms include: fundamentals, foundations, and groundwork.
So, what are the fundamentals of Christianity?
According to the Bible, the gospel message is the foundation with these main essentials:
Jesus, the Savior who loves and takes away the sins of the world.
Salvation, eternal life provided through the bloodshed of Jesus.
Eternity, spiritual life after this physical life in either heaven or hell.
Jesus never preached a feel-good message about eternity. Christ taught God’s truth in relation to eternal life and death. And when we know the truth, we also know that no one would want to go to Hell—a place void of God’s lovely, powerful, and holy presence.
God’s people, let’s stop letting culture sugarcoat Christianity. And let’s get back to the basics of our faith.
Everyone’s born broken and a sinner.
We need a Savior.
JESUS saves.
Accepting Christ as Lord gives us eternal life and abundant life NOW.
Back to the Basics Scripture
“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 (ESV)
Romans describes every person’s condition and need for saving. Some call these next five verses the Romans Road. They are great to commit to memory for when you are discussing salvation with someone.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 (ESV)
“The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (ESV)
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (ESV)
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Romans 10:9-10 (ESV)
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13 (ESV)
More Scripture on the Basics
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (ESV)
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (ESV)
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (ESV)
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)
Salvation Prayer:
God, I’m a sinner in need of a Savior. Please forgive me for my sins. I believe Jesus Christ died to give me eternal life. Thank You for Your mercy and grace, and for the gift salvation. I accept Jesus as Lord and invite Him to live and reign in my heart and life. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Have you made this decision, prayed a similar prayer? Contact me to discuss Christianity and how to have a personal relationship with God.
Let’s go back to the basics.
Heaven is real. And Hell is real.
But there’s a real Savior who holds the power of eternity in His hand. Jesus. This is Christianity.
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Sometimes I participate in these link-ups:
Legacy Linkup/Inspire Me Monday/Tell His Story/Recharge Wednesday/Let’s Have Coffee/Tune in Thursday/Embracing the Unexpected (Grace & Truth).
© 2023 by Karen Friday, All rights reserved
Amen. Lean into His Word and be renewed.
Yes, Melissa, staying in the Word and His presence is a difference maker.
I love when you take a significant truth regarding salvation and walk your reader through the essentials, getting to the root of what is necessary for our salvation and what actions are required of us as we pursue the Lord. We seek to know Him better and to be saved by Him, so that we might have eternal life.
Melinda, sometimes we need to remind our minds and hearts of the necessary and essential parts of Christianity and how the Lord calls us to live and follow Him.
Beautiful message Karen. So important to lean in and rely on God for everything.
Thank you, Yvonne. And let God be God in our lives. God bless.
Excellent! I have been saying this exact thing this week: time to drown out all the noise and complexities and get back to the basics of what it means to be a follower of Jesus and what He wants us to do in the world. Well done!
That’s great, Jessica. What a difference we could all make in our own corner of the world if we got back to these basics of our faith.
In these troubling and confusing times, we could all benefit from returning to the basics of our faith.
Blessings, Karen!
I believe that, Martha. With the world going off in so many other directions, it’s a powerful thing to walk God’s path. God bless.
Yes and amen, Karen! Jesus is the only way. The Bible is the living TRUTH. We cannot not pick and choose which parts we feel like obeying.
Keep shining, dear sister!
Yes, agree, Beckie. Your story with cancer the last few years has boldly proclaimed the gospel message with your hope in Christ. I pray you are doing well as I type this reply.
Amen! Such truth here Ms. Karen. Sadly, for many CINOs, I think that they’ve been so deceived that for them to “get back to the basics”, we need to tear down the high walls of deception and rebuild them from the ground up. You can’t build a castle without a solid foundation.
You make such a great point. The foundation is the key for any building project, with Christ as the cornerstone, our sure foundation.
Complicating the way we live out our faith leads to so many unnecessary divisions. The basics unite us and effect a faith that can change our world. Thank you for bringing the focus back to where it rightly belongs; excellent article.
Yes, Candice, that’s so true. The basics do unite us in a way nothing else does. I pray we get back to the basics and stay there. The world is watching.
Great reminder of the basics of our salvation. We are sinners and can’t reach God on our own, but God, in His grace, provided the way through Jesus. Amen! Blessings to you, Karen! Thanks for sharing such a great reminder of God’s love for us. I’m your neighbor at #InspireMeMonday.
Glad you visited, Gayl. I pray we keep these basics at the core of our Christian journey. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)
Some wonderful, powerful verses—thanks so much for the reminder of “the basics”! 🤗 Stopping by from #tuneinthursday
Appreciate you stopping by, Laura. It’s easy to forget the basics after years of knowing Christ. And it’s the warfare of the enemy to keep us distracted. Blessings!
Yes and Amen, Karen! I’m a gentle person and we’re called to be winsome, but Truth is important. If I don’t share the truth about Jesus, I’m complicit in an awful end for those who haven’t met Christ.
Tammy, that’s a sobering thought for any of us. I pray the Lord keeps my heart eyes open to the foundations of my faith, especially the gospel message.
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