*“There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”* (1 John 4:18, NASB)

Fear grips the human heart like nothing else—especially the fear of death. What happens when the heart stops? Is there judgment? Darkness? Annihilation? The Bible says fear involves **punishment**, and deep down, we know we deserve it.

But here is the thunderclap of grace: **Jesus is God’s perfect love**. He stepped into our fear, took our punishment, and shattered death’s power. On the cross, He cried, *“It is finished!”*—the debt paid, the wrath exhausted, the grave conquered. Because He lives, **we do not need to fear death**. We can *look forward* to it. Why? Death is not the end; it’s the **beginning of eternal life with God**. The moment a believer breathes his last, he breathes heaven’s air—face to face with the Saviour who loved him and gave Himself for him.

Now, let’s unpack the gospel the apostles preached

First: 

**You are not a sinner because you sin. You sin because you are a sinner by nature.** Romans 5:12 declares, *“Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

Adam’s disobedience infected the entire human race. We are born spiritually dead, with a heart that loves darkness. Your first lie didn’t *make* you a sinner—it *proved* you already were.

That’s why God gave the **Ten Commandments**. They were never a salvation checklist. They were a diagnostic tool. *“You shall not steal.”* Ever taken anything? *“You shall not lie.”* Ever twisted the truth? *“Honor your father and mother.”* Ever dishonored them in heart or deed? The law shouts, *“Guilty!”* Paul says in Romans 3:20, *“Through the law comes the knowledge of sin.”* It doesn’t save—it **exposes** our desperate need for a Savior.

And that Savior is **Jesus Christ**. 

The apostles preached

• Christ died for our sins.  
• He was buried.  
• He rose on the third day.  
• **Believe this, and you are saved.**

No additions 

Not grace plus baptism. Not grace plus law-keeping. Not grace plus sincerity. Not Grace plus tithing. **Grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.** Ephesians 2:8–9: *“By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”*

**All God requires is belief**—total trust in the **finished work of Christ**. When Jesus said, *“It is finished,”* The transaction was complete. 

Your part? **Believe.** Receive the gift. It’s that simple.

Paul spells this out plainly in **Romans 10:7–11

• [7] *or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).*  
• [8] *But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,*  
• [9] *that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;*  
• [10] *for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.*  
• [11] *For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.”*

Explanation

Paul is quoting Deuteronomy 30 to show that salvation is **not far off**—you don’t need to climb to heaven or dive into the abyss to earn it. Christ has already come down and risen up! The gospel is **right here, right now**—*in your mouth and heart*. It’s the **word of faith**:  

1. **Believe in your heart** that God raised Jesus from the dead (trust His finished work).  
2. **Confess with your mouth** Jesus as Lord (acknowledge His authority and your need).  

Result? 

**You will be saved**—justified (vs. 10: *righteousness*), delivered from wrath, adopted as God’s child. And vs. 11 promises: **No shame**—no disappointment, no rejection. Whoever believes **will not be put to shame**.

Good works? 

They **follow** salvation, never precede it. Verse 10 of Ephesians 2: *“We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus **for good works**…”* You don’t work *to* the cross—you work *from* it. Fruit proves life; it doesn’t produce it.

In Galatians, Paul issued a dire warning: 

*“If anyone preaches any other gospel… let him be accursed!”* (Galatians 1:8–9). A gospel of **grace plus works** keeps you under the law’s curse: *“Cursed is everyone who does not continue in **all things** written in the law”* (Galatians 3:10). Miss one, you’re doomed. But Christ became the curse for us (Galatians 3:13).

Finally, Jesus Himself said: 

*“You **must be born again**”* (John 3:7). Nicodemus asked, *“How?”* Jesus answered: *“Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life”* (John 3:16). **To be born again is to believe the gospel of grace alone**—specifically, **to do exactly what Romans 10:10 commands**:  

*“For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”*  

That is the divine act of regeneration. The moment you **believe in your heart** that Christ died for your sins and rose again, and **confess with your mouth** that Jesus is your Lord, the Holy Spirit **makes you alive**—born again, a new creation, forever God’s child.

So today:  

• **Fear not.**  
• **Believe with your heart.**  
• **Confess with your mouth.**  
• **Be born again—right now.**
• Perfect love has driven out your fear.  
• The door to eternity is open.  
• Step through by faith—**today**.

Amen.

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