In my previous post, I examined Adrian Warnock’s The Simple Gospel in 10 Points, concluding that I did not believe that it was necessary to believe all of his points in order to be saved. I also emphasized - and believe that Adrian would agree - that faith is in a Person and not a set of doctrines or creeds. I also provided illustrations from the life of Abraham and the experience of Peter and Cornelius to support my contention that it is faith in God that is salvific.

The purpose of this final post is to present what I believe to be the essence of the gospel message. It is found, I believe, in Rom 4.5:


“But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness . . .”

What follows is but a mere peek into the riches of this verse. I would encourage you to study it for yourself to see much more of the riches and truth packed therein. At the outset, however, let me provide two quick definitions:

To be “righteous” means to be in conformity to a standard. Theologically, it means that the person is at all times fully doing and being that which is right and never that which is wrong. This includes all thoughts, feelings, and behaviors: everything must conform to God’s original design and purpose for that particular aspect of his creation.

“Justify” or “justification” means to declare righteous. Throughout the history of the orthodox church, justification is understood forensically: people are not made righteous but are declared righteous. God’s righteousness is His righteousness; it is not ours. It is credited to us, but it remains His.

Rom 4.5:

“But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness . . .”

1. Note first of all the kind of person that God is said to justify: the ungodly. Ungodly people are not merely unlike God or different from God; ungodly people are opposed to God and enemies of God. Unsaved people are not morally neutral or ambivalent: they are hostile to God and aligned against Him. These are the kinds of people that God is said to justify.

It should also be pointed out that God does not justify Baptists. He does not justify Bible Church members. He does not justify Reformed people whether Charismatic or not. God justifies one type of person only: the ungodly. They are the objects of His grace. To be ungodly is to be in a perfect position to be saved.

2. It is also significant that the kind of person God saves is described as “one who does not work,” that is, someone who does not believe that by his or her own individual efforts salvation can be accomplished or merited. God does not save people because of what they do or who they are; God saves people because of who He is and what He has done.

Requiring or offering works in order to be saved is putting the cart before the horse. Works follow faith and are a natural consequence of being born again of an imperishable seed (1 Pe 1.23), but our works having nothing to do with our salvation. Absolutely nothing (Tit 3.4-7). Even faith is a gift from God, not a work that we produce (Eph 2.8-9).

3. Finally, it is the individual’s faith that results in righteousness being credited to his or her account. The verse also identifies the content and object of faith: belief in Him. Again, it is a Person that is trusted, not a doctrine or an event. It is the blood of Jesus that makes salvation available to us, but it is our faith in Jesus that accomplishes it. And, as stated above, even our faith is a gift from God. We can take no credit; all credit goes to God.

What, then, would my gospel points be? They might subsist of this:

  • A recognition that I am ungodly and estranged from God;
  • An awareness that there is nothing I can do to save myself;
  • A desperate belief that a Person - Jesus Christ - is the One who will declare me righteous based solely on my trust in Him.

To me, this is the heart of the gospel; this is what must be communicated when explaining the good news to a unsaved person. It is about a Person who will save them, not because they are good or because they promise to be good, but because they realized that they are ungodly, that they are without hope if left to themselves, and that God will do for them what they cannot ever do for themselves.


2 Cor 1.13