Welcome to my blog, where we explore the life-changing truths of the Bible. Today, we’re diving into the heart of the Christian message—the Gospel as preached by the Apostle Paul.
Paul, transformed from a persecutor of Christians to a bold messenger of Jesus Christ after his encounter on the road to Damascus, clearly explains how sinners like us can be saved forever. The beauty of this message? Salvation is by God’s *grace alone*, through *faith in Christ alone*, with *nothing* from our own efforts or merits—and we stay saved by grace alone as well. There is nothing we have to do to either get saved or stay saved. However, we must also heed Paul’s grave warning: preaching or believing a false gospel that mixes grace with works is accursed and cannot save.
If you’ve ever wondered what the true Gospel is or felt weighed down by trying to earn God’s favour, this post is for you. We’ll unpack Paul’s teaching from Scripture, using the New American Standard Bible (NASB) translation, to show how salvation is a free gift that secures eternal life—and why deviating from this truth has eternal consequences.
## What Is the Gospel Paul Preached?
The word “Gospel” means “Good News,” and Paul calls it the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16, NASB). At its core, the Gospel is about Jesus Christ—His death, burial, and resurrection—and what that means for humanity.
Paul summarises it in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NASB): “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” This isn’t just history; it’s God’s solution to our greatest problem: sin.
We never became sinners because of a sin we committed; rather, we were born sinners, separated from God by the original sin of Adam. As Paul explains in Romans 5:12 (NASB), “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned.” This means every human inherits a sinful nature from Adam, making us sinners by birth, not by our first personal act of sin. Our personal sins are simply the evidence that we were born sinners—outward manifestations of our inherent separation from God.
While it’s not our personal sin that initially made us sinners, we are still accountable to believe the Gospel so we don’t remain in that state of separation. All of us are sinners, as Paul states in Romans 3:23 (NASB): “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Sin separates us from a holy God, and its penalty is death—both physical and spiritual (Romans 6:23, NASB). No good deeds, rituals, or moral efforts can close that gap, as our best works are tainted by sin (Isaiah 64:6, NASB).
But the Good News is that God didn’t abandon us. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to live a sinless life, die on the cross as a substitute for our sins, and rise again, defeating death. Paul emphasises this was God’s plan all along, fulfilled in Christ.
## Saved by Grace Alone
Paul’s message is radical because it overturns human religion. Most belief systems teach that salvation comes through our actions—obeying rules, performing rituals, or achieving moral goodness. Paul, however, declares that salvation is by *grace alone*.
Grace is God’s unearned, undeserved favour toward sinners. We are saved by grace alone, and we stay saved by grace alone—there is nothing we have to do to either get saved or stay saved.
In Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB), Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Notice: “not of yourselves” and “not a result of works.” Salvation isn’t earned; it’s a gift from God’s kindness.
Why grace alone? Because adding our works to grace nullifies it (Romans 11:6, NASB). Paul is adamant that salvation depends entirely on Christ’s finished work on the cross, where He bore the wrath we deserved (Romans 3:25, NASB). In Galatians 2:21 (NASB), he warns, “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.” If we could save ourselves, Jesus’ sacrifice would be meaningless.
## The Danger of a False Gospel
Paul doesn’t mince words about those who distort the Gospel by adding works to grace. In Galatians 1:6-9 (NASB), he writes, “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel, which is not just another; but there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” The word “accursed” (Greek: *anathema*) means condemned under God’s judgment.
A false gospel that mixes grace with works—such as requiring baptism, church attendance, or good deeds to earn salvation—cannot save. Those who trust in such a message are not saved forever because they’re relying on their efforts rather than Christ’s sufficiency. Paul warns that this perversion leads people away from true salvation, leaving them under God’s judgment (Galatians 5:4, NASB). The stakes are eternal: only the true Gospel of grace through faith in Christ alone brings everlasting life.
## Through Faith in Christ Alone
So, how do we receive God’s grace? Paul teaches it’s through *faith in Christ alone*. Faith isn’t a work; it’s trusting fully in what Jesus accomplished.
In Romans 4, Paul points to Abraham, who was justified by faith, not works or circumcision (Romans 4:3, NASB, quoting Genesis 15:6).
He writes, “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness” (Romans 4:5, NASB). Faith means resting in Christ’s perfect life, atoning death, and resurrection.
Paul stresses “Christ alone” because adding anything else undermines Jesus’ sufficiency. In Colossians 2:13-14 (NASB), he explains how Christ “made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” We don’t need to add rituals or deeds; we simply believe.
This faith is personal trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Romans 10:9-10 (NASB) declares, “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; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
## Nothing of Ourselves: Eternal Security in Christ
The true Gospel brings unshakeable assurance: salvation is *eternal*. Why? Because it depends on God’s grace and Christ’s work, not our performance. Once a sinner believes the Gospel and receives salvation by the Holy Spirit, they are saved forever because Jesus promised that He is able to save us forever.
As Hebrews 7:25 (NASB) states, “Therefore He is also able to save forever those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Therefore, once we have been saved forever, we can never become a lost sinner again.
In Romans 8:38-39 (NASB), Paul proclaims, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Nothing can snatch us from God’s hand (John 10:28-29, NASB, echoed in Paul’s teaching).
This doesn’t mean we can live sinfully without consequence—true faith produces good works as evidence, not a requirement (Ephesians 2:10, NASB; James 2:17, NASB). But our security rests in Christ’s righteousness credited to us (2 Corinthians 5:21, NASB), not our own. We’re sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee (Ephesians 1:13-14, NASB).
Paul’s own life reflects this truth. Despite his past, he declared, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20, NASB).
## Living Out the True Gospel
Paul’s Gospel transforms lives. It frees us from guilt, fear, and self-effort, empowering us to live for Christ out of gratitude. But we must cling to the true Gospel, rejecting any message that adds works to grace.
If you haven’t trusted in Jesus alone, I urge you: Acknowledge your sin, believe in Christ’s sacrifice, and receive His free gift of eternal life today.
The Gospel is clear: Sinners are saved forever by grace alone, through faith in Christ alone, with nothing of ourselves. As Paul writes in Romans 5:1 (NASB), “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” But beware—trusting in a false gospel of grace plus works leads to condemnation, as it rejects the sufficiency of Christ.
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