Paul: The Gospel is the Power of God unto Salvation to Everyone that Believes.

[Robert Pate]

To everyone that believes the Gospel. In the Gospel Jesus fulfills all of the demands of God's Holy Law, Matthew 5:18. This is very important because God's law demands absolute perfection. Jesus said, "Be perfect even as your father in heaven is perfect" Matthew 5:48. Anything less than perfect is sin. God is holy, holy, holy, beyond human comprehension. Where there is sin, there is judgment. God must judge all sin, if he didn't, he would not be righteous.

Christians (Believers in the Gospel) have already been judged. When Jesus died on the cross, they spiritually died with him, Paul wrote, "Know you not, that so many of us were baptized unto Jesus Christ were baptized unto his death" Romans 6:3. When Jesus died on the cross, we died with him. That was our judgment. We have been spiritually crucified with Christ, Galatians 2:20. In the resurrection of Jesus, we have been spiritually resurrected with Jesus, Romans 6:6. God now sees his people as perfect and complete in Christ, Colossians 2:10.

This is why Paul wrote, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away: behold all things are become new" 2 Corinthians 5:17. No one has been rehabilitated by the works of the law. We are now new creations in Jesus Christ. If God sees us as new creations in Jesus Christ, then we should act like it. This is known as playing your position. Some guy on the radio keeps singing that song "I am just a sinner saved by grace". We are not really sinners anymore; we are now new creations in Jesus Christ.

 

[Robert Pate]

To everyone that believes the Gospel. In the Gospel Jesus fulfills all of the demands of God's Holy Law, Matthew 5:18. This is very important because God's law demands absolute perfection. Jesus said, "Be perfect even as your father in heaven is perfect" Matthew 5:48. Anything less than perfect is sin. God is holy, holy, holy, beyond human comprehension. Where there is sin, there is judgment. God must judge all sin, if he didn't, he would not be righteous.

Christians (Believers in the Gospel) have already been judged. When Jesus died on the cross, they spiritually died with him, Paul wrote, "Know you not, that so many of us were baptized unto Jesus Christ were baptized unto his death" Romans 6:3. When Jesus died on the cross, we died with him. That was our judgment. We have been spiritually crucified with Christ, Galatians 2:20. In the resurrection of Jesus, we have been spiritually resurrected with Jesus, Romans 6:6. God now sees his people as perfect and complete in Christ, Colossians 2:10.

This is why Paul wrote, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away: behold all things are become new" 2 Corinthians 5:17. No one has been rehabilitated by the works of the law. We are now new creations in Jesus Christ. If God sees us as new creations in Jesus Christ, then we should act like it. This is known as playing your position. Some guy on the radio keeps singing that song "I am just a sinner saved by grace". We are not really sinners anymore; we are now new creations in Jesus Christ.

In the Gospel we have been justified, sanctified and redeemed and now stand in God's holy court as perfect and complete "In Christ" Colossians 2:10. No laws, rules or religion needed. Jesus has done it all and he did it perfectly. Jesus justifies the ungodly and reconciles them to God, 2 Corinthians 5:17-18. We had no part in the saving work of Christ, our part is to believe and have faith in what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.