The Gospel

What It Means to Be a Christian

Being a Christian is more than identifying yourself with a religion or church. Being a Christian means you have come to God His way. You believe what He says about himself, your sin, and His way of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.

God Is Sovereign Creator

The Bible says we were created by God to love, serve, and enjoy endless fellowship with Him. The New Testament teaches us it was Jesus Himself who created everything (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Therefore, as creator He also owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). Whether we accept this or not, He is Lord. This means He has authority over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship.

God Is Holy

God is holy (Isaiah 6:3); therefore He cannot commit or approve of evil (James 1:13). God requires holiness of us as well. First Peter 1:16 says, “you shall be holy, for I am holy”.

We are Sinful

God requires holiness of us, yet we are completely incapable of this standard on our own. God’s Word tells us that everyone is guilty of sin: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It’s not merely the fact that I have sinned, our identity before God is that we are sinners (Ephesians 2:1-5). We are utterly incapable of understanding, loving, or pleasing God on our own (Romans 3:10-12).

Sin Demands a Penalty

God’s holiness demands that the just payment for sin is death (Romans 6:23). That’s why simply changing our patterns of behavior can’t solve our sin problem or eliminate its consequences.

Jesus Is Lord and Savior

Romans 10:9 says, “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved”. Even though God’s justice demands death for sin, His love has provided a Savior who was our substitute and paid the penalty for sin and died for us (1 Peter 3:18). Christ’s death satisfied the demands of God’s justice, and Christ’s perfect life satisfied the demands of God’s holiness (2 Corinthians 5:21), thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Christ (Romans 3:26).

Saving Faith

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that salvation can never be earned by man, rather it is received as a free gift through simply believing/trusting (Ephesians 2:8-9) in what Jesus has accomplished on your behalf in His sinless life, death on the cross, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).