The simplest, most succinct…and perhaps the clearest…passage in the bible comes when a man asks that very question of disciples, and it says this:

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, and your household.”

There has been, and is, some discussion about what “believe” means. It certainly means more than an intellectual assent that He lived. In the passage above, part of the key is “Believe on…”. “On” carries with it the implication that we believe “something” about Jesus. Again, a wonderful illustration of how simple and straight-forward that is, is found in the crucifixion account, found in the book of Luke. One of the thieves, crucified at the same time as Christ said:

“…he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, Today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

That was it! That simple! In this instance, “believe on” meant believing in Jesus as Lord.

Both of these men knew they “needed to be saved”. They both trusted in Jesus, and they were saved. The first man went on to see his entire household be saved, and we don’t know what else after. The second man passed from this life and into paradise with Jesus. The second man had no opportunity to “do” anything. He couldn’t “prove” his faith to the world.

It’s a simple as saying, “Jesus…Lord.” Or, “Jesus, save me,” or, “Jesus, I love you.” “Jesus, I yield to you.”

We absolutely do not want to get caught up in…or confused by…the issue of what “believe” means. Believe means…believe…

The word “gospel” means “good news”. The Bible is pretty plain about what the good news is. Jesus declares that in His first recorded sermon: “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me; because of this He has anointed Me to proclaim the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and new sight to the blind, to set at liberty those having been crushed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Jesus lived His life demonstrating what the gospel is and how to live it. Having died, risen, and walked the earth for a short time after resurrection, He then tells believers to preach the good news and to live the abundant life that results.

The word “gospel” means good news.  The “good news” is that the blood of Jesus can cleanse people from the consequences of sin and allow them to live an abundant life. Salvation would be enough, it is more than what any person deserves, but God, in His kindness, gives us even more good news! The good news includes many other gifts from God. The Bible speaks of grace for living[a], healing[b], gifts of the Spirit[c], ministry gifts[d] and more[e]. Accepting and walking in all that God has for His church is embracing the full gospel! Our desire is to accept all that He has for us, we are learning, every day, to be a “Full Gospel” church!

[a] 2 Peter 1:2-4
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, {3} as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, {4} by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

[b] 1 Peter 2:24
“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.”

[c] 1 Corinthians 12:6-12
And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. {7} But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: {8} for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, {9} to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, {10} to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. {11} But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. {12} For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.

[d] Ephesians 4:11-14
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, {12} for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, {13} till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; {14} that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive,

1 Corinthians 12:27-31
Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. {28} And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. {29} Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? {30} Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? {31} But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

Romans 12:4-8
For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, {5} so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. {6} Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; {7} or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; {8} he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

[e] 1 Corinthians 2:9-10
But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” {10} But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.