The simplicity of the gospel of Christ is simply amazing. The gospel is so grand that no man can ever believe it unless God gives faith in Christ. This is also true: the gospel is so simple that no man can ever believe it unless God gives faith in Christ. The gospel is so complex that no one can ever comprehend it in this life, yet the gospel is so simple a little child can understand it. The gospel is so simple that only God in His wisdom could purpose and plan it. How amazing!

The simplicity of the gospel of Christ also comforts me. I am thankful that I do not have to understand the deep mysteries of scripture in order to be saved. I must simply believe Christ. My salvation is simply Christ. My righteousness is simply Christ. My justification is simply Christ. My sanctification is simply Christ. My acceptance before the Father is simply Christ. What am I waiting for, looking for, and longing for? Simply Christ my Savior to return. Satan and his false prophets use subtlety to accomplish wickedness. The gospel is preached to save and comfort God’s elect in the simplicity of Christ. How amazing and comforting is the simplicity of Christ!

THREE THINGS REGARDING GOD’S GRACE

1. Grace is always sovereign. “Therefore, hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth.” (Rom. 9:18)

2. Grace is always free. “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 3:24)

3. Grace is always saving. “By grace are ye saved.” (Eph. 2:8)

God’s grace is not an offer up for man’s acceptance or rejection. His grace sovereignly, freely saves! We cannot believe grace without believing these three things regarding grace.

Pastor Todd Nibert

FREE INDEED!

Isaiah 49: 9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves.

All who Christ saves are guilty prisoners by Adam’s one transgression. And receiving Adam’s sin nature we were born in a prison cell in chains which no man could break. Our prison-nature was solitary confinement, complete darkness, with no windows to let in the light. That is what the flesh is.

If we would have been born free then later locked away for our crimes we would have known the difference between freedom and imprisonment. But since we were born in prison, we never knew anything but the total darkness of our prison cell. Therefore sinners boast of their free will. But a sinner under the power of his sin-nature has as much freedom as a prisoner in solitary confinement. Indeed, he can stand, walk, and lay down when he will but only within the confines of his cell. We were in prison, on death row, too blind in sin to know it --“Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” (Jer 13: 23; 2 Cor 4: 3-4)

God sent the Deliverer, Christ Jesus his Son, who purchased liberty for those given him from everlasting by his death on the cross. Christ rose from the dead with all power in heaven and earth “to loose those that are appointed to death;” (Ps 102: 20) “to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” (Is 42: 7)

When Christ spoke with irresistible power into our hearts, saying, “Show yourselves” for the first time, we, who hated the Light and would not come to the Light, did truth by stepping forward in our hearts into his marvelous Light. (Jn 3: 19-21; 1 Pet 2: 9) Christ said, “Go forth” and for the first time, we became truly free to do God’s will--“And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (Jn 6: 40) “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (Rom 6: 18; Jn 8: 36)

Pastor Clay Curtis