What does God do for the believer who trusts in Christ?
For the believer who trusts in Christ, God does everything needed for salvation: He imputes righteousness, forgives, cleanses, baptizes into the body, and completes all that needs to be done. This is known by faith, not feeling or sight, because Scripture says so.
Les explains from Romans 1:16 that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, not church membership, baptism, or a work. He emphasizes that “salvation” is the all-inclusive word implying everything God does on behalf of the believer who cries out, “I’m a sinner, I’m in need of salvation, I believe that Christ died for me.” God then does everything else: He imputes righteousness, forgives, cleanses, baptizes the believer into the body, and does everything that needs to be done. The believer knows this by faith, not by feeling or sight, because the book says so. Les also directs us to 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 for the Gospel, noting John 3:16 by itself is not the Gospel.