God is Holy
God is perfectly good and there is no evil in Him. God cannot approve of evil.
“There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:2)
“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” (1 John 1:5-6)
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given unto Me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18)
People are sinners.
All people are sinners. We are born into sin. Some common sins are lying, lust, stealing, using God’s name as a curse word, unbelief in God, etc. Sin is also defined as failure to do what is good. For example, failing to love God and others are sins.
“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12)
“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4)
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
Sin separates us from God.
Because God is holy, our sin separates us from Him. Our primary problem is that we are, indeed, enemies of a good and holy God.
“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)
“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18)
God must punish sin.
God’s perfect goodness demands that He punish evil…including our sin. He will not allow sin to go unpunished. All who reject the Gospel of Jesus will suffer in a real place called Hell forever.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power…” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
Jesus Christ died in our place.
The punishment of death that we deserve for our sin was taken by Jesus on our behalf. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life (being fully God and fully man), and He literally died on the cross and came back to life. By rising from the dead, Jesus proved that He is God and has power to forgive sins.
“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit.” (1 Peter 3:18)
“Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15: 3-4)
“The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins…” (Matthew 9:6)
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
We are saved by turning to Jesus Christ in faith.
We are only saved by turning away from sin (repenting) and trusting (putting our faith in) Jesus Christ. The Bible makes it clear that this is the only way to be saved. We cannot be saved by our good works, our religious efforts, or any sort of ritual. God saves people when they turn away from sin and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord.
“For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
“The kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)
“Jesus said unto him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.’” (John 14:6)
The Gospel is not about what we do.
The Gospel is about what God has already done.
I have trusted Jesus. What next?
Jesus made it clear what steps new believers are supposed to take.
Be baptized.
Learn the teachings of Jesus and obey them.
These things are designed to happen within a Bible-believing church.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
-Matthew 28:19-20
The church is not man-made.
Jesus began the church.
A church is simply a group of people who are following Jesus, have been baptized, and are living according to the Bible.
A Bible-believing church is the place where you can grow as a new believer, worship God, and build relationships with other Christians.
“And he (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” -Colossians 1:18
“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised; And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another…” -Hebrews 10:23-25
The basic steps to grow in your relationship with God:
1. Read the Bible.
Some great books to begin with are John, Mark, 1 John, James, Ephesians, Romans, Galatians.
2. Pray
Prayer is simply talking to God. You can talk to God about anything.
3. Become part of a Bible-believing church.
God does not want us to be isolated. He has given us local churches to join.
Want To Learn More?
If you would like to have any questions answered about salvation in general or about your own salvation, please feel free to contact us. We would love to speak with you about the most important decision you could ever make!