During last Saturday's broadcast (1.17.09) we asked the question: "Do Christians understand the gospel?" Our contention is that many do not. Sure, all true Christians have a basic understanding that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. But many misunderstand the nature of saving faith. Contrary to the assertions of some, saving faith does not involve turning from sin. To suggest so is to confuse salvation with sanctification. Furthermore, if salvation involved turning from sin, then man, at least in part, would be responsible for his salvation. And that would be heresy. Man has no part in the salvation process. Rather, salvation is entirely a work of God's grace. So our message to the unsaved is not "Trust Christ and surrender your life to Him." That would be front-loading the gospel. It is putting requirements on the unsaved that saved people have a hard time fulfilling. It is also quite evident that no Christian (still living) is totally surrendered to Christ. This, in fact, is why we have the repeated call for holiness throughout the Word of God. So, instead, our message to the unsaved is "Trust Christ" (Sola Fide). Those who do will progressively surrender their lives to Him, because the process of santification inevitably begins at the point of justification.