God is our creator. As the one, true God who has eternally existed in three distinct, fully divine persons- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit- he is perfect, holy, and good and made us that we might glorify and enjoy him forever. As a result of our first parent's sin, however, every person is born guilty before God with a corrupt and sinful nature. Consequently, each one of us have loved and worshiped other things before God, broken his law, and lived for ourselves and is therefore under his just judgment and wrath.
The Gospel, however, is the good news about Jesus Christ and what God has done through Him to save sinners and reconcile them to himself. Without ever ceasing to be God, Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became a man, dwelt among us, and lived a perfect life in obedience to the Father, yet laid his life down on the cross as a substitute. In doing this Jesus bore the penalty for sin, receiving the just judgement of God in place of his people. As a result, God can justly forgive them of all their sin, crediting them with the perfect righteousness of Christ. Following his sacrifice, Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven where he now sits at the right hand of the Father until he returns to judge the world, make all things new, and establish the kingdom of God.
In response, the Bible says we must repent and believe the gospel. In other words, we must see our sin and self-righteousness, turn from it, and put our trust in Christ alone. Salvation is an unearned gift which God freely and graciously promises not to good people who trust in their own righteousness but to repentant sinners who put their trust in the perfect righteousness of Christ and rest in his finished work on the cross.
But the gospel not only forgives those who believe on the basis of grace, it also changes them- leading them to recognize and submit to the lordship of Christ. A Christian, therefore, is one who recognizes Christ as their master, following him in faith and obedience. If you already profess to be a Christian, does this describe you? The Bible says we must examine ourselves to see that we're in the faith, for Jesus himself warns that on the day of judgment there will be many who think they know him but actually don't (2 Cor. 13:5, Matt. 7:21-23)!
To learn more about what the Bible teaches, here are our beliefs. If you have questions or are in need of biblical counseling or prayer, we would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us.
