Being commonplace for churches today to claim to believe the FULL GOSPEL, it is therefore necessary to understand what is meant by that phrase. Sometimes, though not always, the one claiming to believe in the “full gospel” insinuates that others do not have as much gospel as they do. At times, those claiming to have the “full gospel” are exclusivists – that is, they believe that their group is, in its entirety, the body of Christ, and no other group is part of the true church. While this is not often the case, it is the case at times.
What is the “full gospel”? When one says that they believe in the “full gospel,” they believe that salvation is only the start; not the end. So many churches today preach salvation as an end, when in reality, salvation is the beginning – the beginning of a walk with God; the beginning of a relationship with Jesus Christ; the beginning of discipleship; the beginning of higher heights and deeper depths; the beginning of a life lived for Christ; the beginning of, in some cases, a ministry. Salvation is not the conclusion of one’s relationship with Christ; it is the start! Those who believe in the full gospel of Christ believe that the one who has received salvation should grow, learn, give, worship, and gain more from Christ. And rightly so. There is more to receive after one receives the blessed gift of salvation. However, while you may receive more FROM Christ, you’ll never receive more THAN Christ. At salvation, you receive Jesus Christ. While the Christ who lives within you has more to offer; you’ll get it all through Him. He is our all-in-all. He is all we need. I am filled with the Holy Ghost when Christ fills me; I am called to the ministry when Christ calls me; I am illuminated with the truths of scripture when the Holy Ghost, who is sent by Christ, reveals it to me! While one can never grow BEYOND Christ; one can grow IN Christ, and most certainly should do so!
So, those claiming to believe the “full gospel” claim to gain more from Christ than simply salvation. And this is certainly the correct mindset, as Christ has more to offer. However, I have made an observation to be shared with the reader. I have observed that some who do not align themselves with the “full gospel” crowd preach and believe in a FULL SALVATION. On the other hand, some who claim to believe the “full gospel” do not believe in a full salvation! Now, the question arises, “what is meant by FULL SALVATION?” Make no mistake about it – I believe in the FULL GOSPEL. While I understand that the Christ who lives within the believer has much more to offer than merely salvation, the reader must understand that I also believe strongly in a FULL SALVATION! Some say they believe in a full gospel, but they haven’t even gotten everything out of salvation that Christ intended them to have. Now, I will look at the question, “What is meant by ‘full salvation,’ and what does it include?”
Full Salvation is Complete Salvation
The salvation that Jesus Christ purchased upon the cross is a complete salvation – neither a deed nor creed can be added to it! It is complete! It needs no touching up! It needs nothing to sustain it! Look at what the wise preacher observed –
Ecclesiastes 3:14 – “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.”
Imagine this, if you can: Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, being mocked in the house of Annas and Caiaphas. He goes from there to Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate examines Him thoroughly, declaring that He could find no fault whatsoever in Jesus Christ. Pilate, after hearing the mob mention Galilee, sends Christ to Herod, because Christ is a Galilean. Herod mocks the Messiah, but does nothing. He simply sends Christ back to Pilate. A second time, Pilate examines Jesus Christ, finding no fault concluding a second examination. Pilate has Jesus scourged, or whipped, until He was unrecognizable. The scriptures tell us that visage, or face, of Christ was marred more than any man. We are told that there is no beauty that we should desire Him. After Christ is publicly beaten, He is then forced to take up a cross and bear it to Calvary’s rugged hill. There, He is stretched out upon the cross. Nails are driven into His hands and feet – may I insert, that these are the hands and feet of a man who KNEW NO SIN whatsoever! He was not only innocent of the crime for which He is dying; He is entirely innocent of any wrongdoing, on any scale, judged by any man’s standard. If He is innocent, why is He dying? He is dying the death of a criminal because you and I are the criminals worthy of death – but alas! Here, Christ dies in our place, so that we might live eternally!
Can you imagine, for a single moment, Christ dying the horrendous death that He died to make salvation difficult? If you think that salvation is difficult (on man’s part), you need to read the blessed story of the crucifixion of our Saviour again. It has not taken root in your heart as it should. God the Father did not send His only begotten Son into the world to make it hard to be saved! He sent Christ to be the Saviour of the world! Let me say it this way: God the Father did not send Christ into the world to help us live perfect so we can save ourselves! God the Father sent Christ into the world to die for us, so that when we place our faith in Him, we are COMPLETELY SAVED! Man is in no way capable of saving Himself. Jesus did not die the cruel death of the cross in order to start a salvation that you and I could finish! He came to FINISH that glorious work of salvation!
John 17:4 – “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”
John 19:30 – “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, IT IS FINISHED: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”
Praise the Lord! The work is finished! All that we must do is place our faith in His completed work on the cross. And, by doing so, we receive a salvation that is complete! I am saved by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8). I am kept saved by the power of God, through faith (I Peter 1:5). The same faith in Christ that gets me saved keeps me saved! Of course, genuine salvation produces good works; but the works do not keep me saved. Only faith in the blood of Christ alone is my complete salvation!
Full Salvation is a “Deliverance” Salvation
When a person receives Biblical salvation, that person is delivered. Notice with me, if you will, Romans the 10th chapter, that great salvation chapter:
Romans 10:13 – “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Here, Paul is quoting from the book of Joel. Let’s look at the verse Paul is quoting:
Joel 2:32 – “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered.”
In Joel, the prophet says, “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be DELIVERED.” When Paul the apostle quotes this passage, he says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be SAVED.” Is this a contradiction? It is absolutely not a contradiction! Genuine, Biblical salvation that is from the Lord is a salvation that delivers! It is a salvation that sets free! Biblical salvation IS deliverance!
II Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
While there are those who simply “say a prayer,” and experience no change, may I say frankly that an experience such as that one is not equivalent to the “full salvation” that the Bible offers! There is deliverance available to the captive! Thanks be to God for a gospel that sets free from drugs; a gospel that delivers from alcohol; a gospel that transforms the pill addict into a prayer warrior! I have seen this done over and over! I know people personally, who, did not merely say a prayer; but they received full salvation – a salvation that sets free!
Isaiah prophesied concerning the work of Christ. Look, he says, at what Christ came to do –
Isaiah 61:1 – “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES, and the OPENING OF THE PRISON to them that are bound.”
What a ministry! Yes, this is exactly what Jesus Christ came to do! He came to set men and women free from the bondage and prison-houses of sin! He came to deliver completely, and to set free. Many churches simply ask people to repeat a prayer. These churches often express no expectation of real deliverance. I do not blame them for not expecting true deliverance; many of these churches proclaim a sorry gospel that does not have power to deliver an individual from sin! But the gospel that I preach – the gospel of Jesus Christ – the message of the Bible, God’s holy Word, has shown the power of deliverance from bondage over and over. And when one places faith in the Christ that I preach, I expect a change, because the Christ I preach has the power to change them! Full salvation is deliverance!
TO BE CONINUED…
