The Gospel of Jesus Christ
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.
The following is a short presentation of the gospel. It is normal to have many questions. The pastor would be happy to meet with you to answer questions.
G
GOD created us to be with Him.
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
O
OUR sins separate us from God.
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
S
SINS cannot be removed by good deeds.
Ephesians 2:8, 9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
P
PAYING the price for sin, JESUS died and rose again.
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation [eternal separation] for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
E
EVERYONE who trusts in JESUS alone has eternal life.
Romans 10:13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:9 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
L
LIFE with JESUS starts now and lasts forever.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
So What Do I Do Next To Be Saved?
I want to take the next step...
Salvation starts by talking with God, called ‘prayer.’ Whether out-loud, or in your head, clearly speaking these thoughts.
1.
Admit you are a sinner and acknowledge your sins.
“Dear Lord, I am a sinner. I am not the person I want to be. Help me change my life.”
2.
Ask for forgiveness.
“I am sorry for the selfishness and wrong I’ve done. Teach me Your ways.”
3.
Ask Jesus to be Lord of your life from this day forward.
“Please meet me where I am and help me to change. Be the Lord of my life from this day forward. Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice and for eternal life. Amen.”
4.
Pursue your relationship with Jesus Christ.
1) Get a Bible if you don’t have one. Begin reading it every day. Start in the New Testament.
2) Spend time in prayer. Prayer is ‘talking time’ with God. You can speak normally and He hears you.
3) Find a church. Find one that professes a) Jesus as fully God and is our way to salvation. b) The Bible is complete, fully true, and written by inspiration through God.
There’s more to it, but this will get you going
1 John 3:4 says, “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” That means ‘sin’ is breaking the laws of God. Jesus talks about them in Mark 10:19, “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ “
Grace is defined as ‘unmerited favor;’ Mercy when we don’t deserve it. John 1:16 says “And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” It is offered. What we must do is ask.
Jesus said in John 10:14, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by my own.” That means some will hear and believe, and some will not. Ultimately, God speaks for Himself.
Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they [all humanity] are without excuse,
“Wages” are what is due to you for the work you do. If what you do is ‘sin,’ then the wages are death. First, due to original sin, we all must go through a physical death. But without Jesus Christ, there is a second death, which is eternal separation (damnation) from God.
When people think about ‘living forever,’ they are often thinking about life in the physical body. John 4:24 quotes Jesus when He says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” There is life after physical death, either with God or apart from Him (Hell).
If we have all sinned, and all fallen short of the glory of God (as Romans 3:23 says), then either we are all lost, or there has to be someone innocent of all sin that dies in our place. That is what Jesus did. Romans 5:8,9 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His [Jesus] blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. This is why Jesus said of Himself in John 14:6, “”I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
It is historical and documented. That may never be enough for some. The Bible says that as many as 500 people physically saw him after his death and resurrection. Acts 1:3 these witnesses “many infallible proofs.”
Hebrews 9:27, 28 says “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. Rejecting Jesus is rejecting the ONLY offering of grace. For those who do reject, Jesus says in John 12:48, “There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.” This condemnation is eternity apart from God, in hell.
Proverbs is a book that provides wisdom to those who will listen. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding.” What we ‘think’ or ‘believe’ may not be what is right or true. If God is real; his Word is true, then judgement and sentencing are true. Proverbs 18:2 puts it bluntly, “A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart.”
We have all sinned. God is bigger than our record of wrongs. 1 John 1:8 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” But it goes on to say in verse 9, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” He ‘will’ forgive regardless of our pasts. Further He promises in Psalm 103:12 “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
