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A Clear Gospel – Ephesians 1:13

Clear and accurate instructions are vital. After a plane hit the World Trade Center on 9/11, an employee of Aon Insurance Company on the 93rd floor had begun his escape. But he returned to his office because security officers made the announcement that the building was safe, and everyone should stay inside until they were told to leave. Before he died, he spoke to his father on the phone saying, “Why did I listen to them – I shouldn’t have.”

A disaster took place once Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. They plunged the entire human race into the guilt of sin, condemning each one of us to eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire. Our only hope is to be rescued. Unfortunately, there are many voices that send errant instructions, resulting in many who remain confused as to how to find escape from eternal destruction. Some voices say there is no hell. Other voices say you can only escape if you perform certain religious works, or if you are a member of their church. Tragically, some voices garble the message that points to the cross of Calvary as our only hope by saying things like, “Give your heart to Jesus,” or “Make Jesus the Lord of your life.” It is imperative that we who know Christ as Savior use clear, accurate, biblical words when we persuade others to flee from eternal destruction. Ephesians 1:13 tells us it is a matter of choosing to trust in Christ alone. This verse says, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of truth, the gospel of your salvation…” We must place our entire trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as our only hope for forgiveness and eternal life. “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures” (I Corinthians 15:3-4). We must trust in His death as the payment for our sins and accept eternal life as a “free gift” (Romans 5:15-16,18). We must not trust in our merit, because “…by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Make sure your presentation of the gospel is clear and accurate. Emphasize that lost souls need to trust in the finished work of Christ alone.