The Message of the Gospel
The foundation of the Christian life is our faith in the good news of God’s grace. The living and true God is a God of justice and of mercy. Every person, while made in the image of God and for fellowship with God, bears the guilt of sinful rebellion against God and is separated by that sin from a relationship with Him.
God’s holy justice requires punishment for human sin which is death and hell. But, out of His love and mercy He sent His Son Jesus Christ to become our Savior. Christ became a man to fulfill the righteous requirements of God’s Law on our behalf and to willingly take the punishment of the sins of human beings on Himself through His death on Calvary’s cross, so that we can be forgiven and adopted into God’s eternal family. Jesus also has been raised from the dead to reign forever as King, and He shares eternal life with all who come to him in faith.
Contrary to much of popular belief, we cannot earn the forgiveness of God by being good enough to merit these blessings. The Bible teaches that, as sinners, we can never be good enough on our own to deserve a welcome into the presence of the Holy God. But God offers us salvation, forgiveness and eternal life as a free gift, purchased in love by the holy life and the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.
We accept this gift by placing our faith in Jesus, repenting of our sins, and trusting in His death and life as the means of our forgiveness and acceptance by God, receiving Him as our Savior and Lord. You may express this by praying a prayer in faith like the one that follows:
Dear Father, I believe that Jesus Christ is Your only begotten Son and that He became a human being, shed His blood, and died on the cross to pay the penalty and clean away the sin that has separated me from You. I believe that He rose bodily from the dead to conquer death and to give me new life.
Lord Jesus, I receive you as Lord, Master, Savior, and King of my life. I confess my sins and grieve for them, and actually hate them, because they displease you. I ask You to forgive me. I rest in You as my Savior and Lord. I desire to turn away from my sins and grow to be more pleasing to you, and pray that Your Holy Spirit will help me follow Your way each day. I claim your promise that when we confess our sins, You are faithful to forgive us, and that when we believe in You as the world’s only Savior, we will not perish but have everlasting life. Thank You, Lord. In Your Name, I pray. Amen.
If you acknowledged Jesus as your Savior and Lord today, please contact our church office at 276-409-5338 or spcsecretary1930@gmail.com. We would love to help you grow as a Christian and as a part of Christ's Church.
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