Gospel in a Minute
Peter packed a lot into the two sentences below.
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. 14 "But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.Acts 3:13-15 (NASB)
Principle: The gospel calls people to declare allegiance to Jesus the Messiah.
There is no middle ground when it comes to the gospel. We either declare allegiance to the Lord Jesus or we end up denying or disowning him. One of the core meanings of the Greek word “pistis,” which is translated “faith” in our English Bible, is allegiance. (For a well-reasoned argument in support of this, read my summary of Salvation by Allegiance Alone by Matthew Bates.) Faith responds to the gospel message by repenting from a self-directed life and turning in trust and obedience to Jesus, who is Savior and Lord.
Those who are indifferent or hostile to the gospel, end up disowning the Lord of Life. They will be disowned by him at the Last Judgment.
We must help people understand the gravity of their decision, just as Peter did.
"Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 "But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33 (NASB)
