Question: From Paul’s delineation of the gospel, one need only believe that “Christ died for our ...

Question: The Bible makes it very simple as to what one must believe in order to be saved. The Ethiopian eunuch merely said, “I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (Acts:8:37And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
See All...). Upon that confession, he was baptized. Romans:10:9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
See All... says, “if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” From Paul’s delineation of the gospel, one need only believe that “Christ died for our sins...was buried, and rose again” (1 Cor:15:1-4 [1] Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; [2] By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. [3] For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; [4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
See All...). Yet I have heard you say that to be saved one must believe in His virgin birth, His deity, His sinlessness, etc. How can you justify this?

Answer: I believe this is a serious matter. Let me explain why. That the virgin birth, deity of Christ, etc., are not mentioned every time the gospel is briefly summarized in Scripture doesn’t mean that they are not essential elements which anyone who is to be saved must believe. Every detail need not be specifically mentioned, because each would be understood from having been stated elsewhere.

Paul’s declaration in 1 Corinthians:15:1-4 [1] Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; [2] By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. [3] For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; [4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
See All... is only a summary, and not the full gospel that he preached to the Philippian jailor, or which Jesus explained to Nicodemus, to the woman at the well, or to others. Surely, to “preach Christ” necessarily means more than merely saying that someone called Jesus Christ died in our place, without explaining who He is!

The very scripture upon which you rely (1 Cor:15:1-4 [1] Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; [2] By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. [3] For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; [4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
See All...) contains the vital phrase “according to the scriptures”—which surely includes all that the scriptures have to say relating to the gospel. Surely Paul and Silas preached the full gospel in “the word of the Lord” (Acts:16:32And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
See All...; 1 Pt 1:25). How can we ask someone to believe in Jesus without explaining fully who the biblical Jesus is? Would not this be “another Jesus” and “another gospel” (2 Cor:11:4For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
See All...; Gal:1:6I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
See All...) against which Paul warns?

You suggest that if someone believes in an undefined “Jesus Christ,” he is saved and will eventually discover that the Jesus he believed in was virgin born, was truly God come as a man, lived a sinless, perfect life, paid the full penalty for our sins upon the cross, etc. Suppose this person, upon being told that truth, doesn’t believe it! Jesus himself said very clearly, “if ye believe not that I AM,ye shall die in your sins” (Jn:8:24I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
See All...). Or suppose that this “convert” dies before he learns that Jesus is God?!

We are making false converts by not clearly preaching the full gospel according to the scriptures. This is a serious matter, because “the gospel...is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Rom:1:16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
See All...). This statement itself means that if someone believes something less than, or more than, or otherwise contrary to, the gospel, he is not saved.

Yes, many come to Christ with an imperfect understanding. Yes, God who knows whether the heart is sincere and who wants all to be saved will reveal Himself to earnest seekers, but that is no excuse for being vague or inaccurate in our presentation of the gospel.