Hot Focus View
The Hot Focus View brings into a tight focus that which is the heart of the gospel message. They bring into bright clarity what is (and is not) the Good News that Jesus brought to mankind.
There are many excellent presentations of the hot focus of the Bible. To list them all would take away from the focus which is the objective of this page.
Therefore, I will here set out just one, not copywrited, presentation, one that reflects the simplicity of the message, one that is as simple as ABC.
A: Acknowledge that you have sinned at various points in your life, and that therefore you are a sinner, in need of deep repentance and that you are unable by your own efforts to overcome the character defect that is at the root of your sins. (Romans 3:10, 23) All unrighteousness is sin (1 John 5:17). If you have broken any of the Ten Commandments even once, you have sinned. For the Ten Commandments, read Exodus 20:3-17. For the consequence of sin, read 1 Corinthians 6:8-10. The most important thing about acknowledging sin, is not just an admission of the fact. The word usually translated as confess or acknowledge sin, is homologeo, which means “say the same thing”. It is taking the same attitude to sin as God takes. He abhors it, hates it. It offends against His perfect righteousness. It also offends the infinite love of Him Who loves us with an everlasting love.
B. Believe, trust, in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, who not only paid the penalty for your sins (thus freeing you from sentence that God passes on sin), but also has the power to help you overcome your character defects. He does this by putting His Spirit into you, and so that His Life in you becomes the motivation and source of your actions. Believing on Christ brings salvation from sin. Saving faith involves the whole personality; the head or mind; the heart or emotions; and the hand expressing the will or volition. All these must act in unity with each other to express belief. (Read Acts. 16:31; John 6:69; Acts 8:37; Romans 10:10.) Specifically, believe that Jesus died for your sins. (You may want to read 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 2:9; Romans 5:8.)
C. Confess Jesus before others as your Savior. Some shrink from this third step for fear of what people will say. But stop and think for a moment. If Jesus is (and He is) the Creator of the world and your personal Savior, then what are you worried about? Part of trusting Jesus is trusting Him for the consequences of your confession of Him as your Savior. (Read Matthew 10:32-33; Romans 10:9.)
The person who takes the three steps above, does so as a result of an impetus freely given to him by the Holy Spirit and receives as a permanent gift a new nature.
This gift is explained in 2 Corinthians 5:
2 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.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
In effect, the Holy Spirit reformats our hard disk of the spirit (old things are passed away), and installs His own operating system (all things are become new). Read more about the Spirit’s Operating System
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