The Gospel
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16)
The reason this site exists, and the reason the church exists at all, is the good news that God forgives sinners through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the message Scripture calls of first importance, the one truth the apostle Paul was determined to keep central above everything else.1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (ESV); 1 Corinthians 2:2 (ESV) Everything else is downstream of that. Before we test any teacher or weigh any movement, we have to be clear about the message that all of it is measured against, for Scripture warns that even an angel who preaches a different gospel stands condemned.Galatians 1:8-9 (ESV) So here it is, plainly.
You may have spent years trying to earn God’s approval by keeping rules, showing up to services, or simply trying to be a decent person. None of that can save you. Scripture is clear that no one is justified before God by his own works, and that even our best righteousness falls short of His holiness.Galatians 2:16 (ESV); Isaiah 64:6 (ESV) A right standing with God, and an eternity with Him, comes only through Jesus Christ, for there is salvation in no one else.Acts 4:12 (ESV) Here is what Scripture says about how that happens.
God Loves You
God made you, and He made you for relationship with Him. He is not distant or indifferent. His desire is that you would know Him and walk with Him without anything broken between you.John 3:16 (ESV); Ephesians 2:4-5 (ESV)
We Have All Sinned
Every one of us has gone our own way instead of God’s. That is what sin is at its root: choosing self over our Maker, deciding for ourselves what is right rather than submitting to Him. This is not a problem with a few bad people. It is the condition of all of us.Isaiah 53:6 (ESV); Romans 3:10-12 (ESV); Romans 3:23 (ESV)
Sin Separates Us From God
God is holy, and our sin builds a wall between us and Him. We cannot have fellowship with a holy God while we remain in rebellion against Him. Left unresolved, that separation does not end at death. Scripture is sober and honest about this: the wages of sin is death, and apart from Christ we face a real and eternal judgment.Isaiah 59:2 (ESV); Romans 6:23 (ESV)
We Cannot Save Ourselves
It is natural to think we can fix this ourselves, that enough good works or sincere effort will tip the scales back in our favor. It will not. There is nothing you can do to earn your way back to God or to repay a debt this size. Salvation is not a wage we work for. It is a gift.Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV); Titus 3:5 (ESV); Romans 4:4-5 (ESV)
God Sent His Son
What we could never do for ourselves, God did for us. Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, lived the sinless life we could not live and then died on the cross in our place, bearing the punishment our sin deserved. He was buried, and on the third day He rose again, proving that His sacrifice was accepted and that death itself is defeated. On the cross the sinless One took the place of sinners so that sinners could be made right with God.Romans 5:8 (ESV); 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV); 1 Peter 2:24 (ESV); 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (ESV)
Receiving Christ by Faith
This gift is received by faith. Faith is not a vague hopefulness, and it is not confidence in your own efforts. It is trusting in what Jesus has done, resting your whole standing before God on Him rather than on yourself. True faith comes hand in hand with repentance: a genuine grief over your sin and a turning away from it to follow Christ as both Savior and Lord.John 14:6 (ESV); Acts 16:31 (ESV); Romans 10:9-10 (ESV); Acts 3:19 (ESV); 2 Corinthians 7:10 (ESV)
How to Respond
If God is working in your heart, you can turn to Him right now. There is nothing magic about a particular set of words. What matters is the response of a heart that means it. You can simply tell God, honestly:
That you know you are a sinner and cannot save yourself. That you are sorry for your sin and want to turn from it. That you believe Jesus died and rose again to save you. That you are trusting in Him alone, receiving Him as your Savior and Lord, and committing your life to follow Him.
If that is the cry of your heart, Scripture promises that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.Romans 10:13 (ESV)
What Comes Next
Coming to Christ is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of a new life, and you were never meant to walk it alone. The next steps are to be baptized in obedience to Christ, to get rooted in a faithful, Bible-teaching local church, and to begin reading and obeying God’s Word for yourself.Acts 2:41-42 (ESV); Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV) The same gospel that saves you is the foundation you will stand on for the rest of your life. Everything on this site is meant to help you stand there firmly.