Lesson 13

KEY TEXT

“The Lord has appeared

of old to me, saying:

‘Yes, I have loved you

with an everlasting love;

therefore with loving-

kindness I have drawn

you’ ”Jeremiah 31:3

In this our final lesson of James, we will focus on basic questions regarding “the everlasting gospel,” which is

salvation by faith, a belief taught all through the Bible, including in the book of James. The crucial point to

remember is that the Bible does not contradict itself, especially on something as basic as salvation. By finishing with a look at how the gospel appears in the Bible, we can better see how James fits this larger picture of God’s plan

of redemption.

How did people before Jesus understand the Gospel?

ADAM• “And I will put

enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

• Salvation would come through the suffering of a descendant of Eve. He would put end to sin.

DAVID• “If You, Lord,

should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.” (Psalm 130:3-4)

• There is no salvation without forgiveness of sins. God forgives our sins for free.

ISAIAH• “All we like sheep

have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6)

• The Messiah would gain our salvation through suffering and death. He would forgive our sins that way.

JEREMIAH•“But this is the

covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Jeremiah 31:33)

• God would make a new covenant. He would sanctify us and write His Law in our minds.

THE PRODIGAL SON (Luke 15:11-32)

• God is a loving Father. He is willing to forgive His children.

• We must humble ourselves, admitting our sins and accept His forgiveness.

THE PHARISEE AND THE TAX COLLECTOR (Luke 18:9-17)

• God ignores those who believe they are just, but justifies the repentant sinners. He makes them free from their guilt.

THE BLOOD OF CHRIST (Matthew 26:28)

• Jesus suffered the death we deserved. He was the true Paschal Lamb.

• Salvation is for free because Jesus already paid for it.

TAKING AWAY THE VEIL (2 Corinthians 3:2-6, 14-16)

• Jesus took the veil away for Paul in his way to Damascus. Then he could understand the Scriptures.

• When we read the Bible, the Holy Spirit takes our veils away so we can understand the Gospel of life.

POWER OF GOD (Romans 1:16-17)

• The Gospel is power of God to salvation.

• We use that power by faith.

THE BLOOD OF JESUS (Romans 3:24-26)

• Redemption: God bought us back and paid for our sins.

• Justification: He made us free from guilt and purified us by grace.

• Forgiveness: God accepted us again. He “forgets” our past sins.

A disobedient people

Imperfect sacrifices

A perfect sacrifice

An obedient people

“Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord.” (Hebrews 8:9)

“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:4)

“By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10)

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Hebrews 8:10)

THE CULMINATION OF THE GOSPEL

Revelation 10:7

THE LAST CALL

Revelation 14:6THE

COMMANDMENTS AND THE FAITH

Revelation 14:12; 12:17

“But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His

servants the prophets.”

(Revelation 10:7)

“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven,

having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every

nation, tribe, tongue, and people.”

(Revelation 14:6)

“Here is the patience of the saints; here are

those who keep the commandments of

God and the faith of Jesus.”

(Revelation 14:12)

“The sacrifice of Christ as an

atonement for sin is the great truth

around which all other truths cluster.

In order to be rightly understood and

appreciated, every truth in the word

of God, from Genesis to Revelation,

must be studied in the light that

streams from the cross of Calvary. I

present before you the great, grand

monument of mercy and regeneration,

salvation and redemption,—the Son of

God uplifted on the cross. This is to be

the foundation of every discourse

given by our ministers.”

E.G.W. (Gospel Workers, section 8, pg. 315)

This would be beyond Christ’s power to help, it would be outside of his teachings and his example; for he says, ‘I have kept my Father’s

commandments, and abide in his love,’ and all who follow Christ will render obedience to God’s holy law.”—

We are simply to believe the testimony of God, and have entire dependence on him, and all possibility of self-glory or pride will be removed. We are indeed saved by faith, not by a passive faith, but by the faith which works by love, and purifies the soul. The hand of

Christ can reach the veriest sinner, and bring him back from transgression to obedience; but no Christianity is so lofty that it can

soar above the requirements of God’s holy law.