Reformed: The gospel is the power unto salvation for everyone ("chosen to believe" elect) who perseveres.
Bible: The gospel is the power unto salvation for everyone who believes.
The Gospel
The Gospel is that Jesus Christ, the promised Redeemer in Human flesh by being born of a virgin, yet wholly God, bore the sins of the whole world upon Himself by offering Himself as the innocent and spotless Lamb of God, sacrificed for us, appeasing the wrath of a Holy God Who cannot allow sin to dwell in His presence, thereby reconciling those of us who believe to God the Father by the blood of Jesus Christ, and saving us with His resurrected Life which He gives to us with all spiritual riches through the third person of the Triune God, the Holy Spirit sealing us until the day of complete redemption where we will be like Christ, all of us adopted sons and daughters of God, possessing a glorified body to dwell in the presence of God the Father, giving all thanks to Jesus Christ Who freely and selflessly gave Himself for us according to the will of God the Father.
This is absolutely the most important decision one will make in this lifetime. The moment one believes Christ has paid the penalty for all his sin by His death on the cross and resurrection, God gives him eternal life as a gift, no strings attached! Eternal life by definition is without ending, sealed forever within the believer by God's Holy Spirit. It cannot be lost, no matter what kind of behavior is exhibited or grievous sins are committed. All believers can have the assurance that eternal life is theirs once they put their faith in Him through what He accomplished on the cross.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine; Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
An Abused Word
The word 'repent' in the Greek language is metanoia, meaning 'to change one's mind.' I'm not sure about other states and countries, but in many churches throughout California this word has been wrongly defined. The improper definition of this word has produced many false doctrines. Many church doctrinal statements include the phrase 'repent of your sins and turn to Christ for salvation' or 'repent of your sins and commit your life to Christ to be saved.' The truth of the matter is one doesn't have to repent of his sins to turn to Christ. In fact, repenting of sins or committing one's life to Christ is not even required for salvation. Only belief is. Repentance is essential for salvation, but it is not turning from sins. The Bible does not even mention repentance in the context of turning from sin, and furthermore, the phrase 'repent of your sins' is not even found in the Bible. Repentance involves one changing his mind about salvation -- the fact that his good works cannot save and that only Christ can save him. Repentance does not require nor demand a change in behavior, but only a change of mind.
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