COMMUNITY
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH
Fair Grove, Missouri
THIS IS
GOOD NEWS
Because of who God is and because of what we are. God is holy (distinct from us and without sin) and just (He requires holiness and righteousness from anyone who desires to be in a right relationship with Him), and we are unholy (sinners by nature and by choice) and deserving of God’s righteous anger (1 Peter 1; Romans 1-3). This means that, apart from Christ, every person is separated from God due to their sin (Isaiah 59:2) and will pay the price for their sin: death (Romans 6:23). Further, none of us are able to earn or achieve a right relationship with God (Galatians 2; Ephesians 2).
Thankfully, Jesus Christ intervened on our behalf. Jesus, who is God, left heaven and came to earth to pay the death penalty for sin. He lived a sinless life and offered Himself as a perfect substitute, dying for our sins and in our place so that we might be forgiven of our sins and receive eternal life. His death satisfied the righteous demands of God and made it possible for sinners to be declared righteous and enter into a right relationship with God. Three days after His death, Jesus rose from the grave in victory over sin, death, and Satan. His resurrection assures His followers that they too will triumph over sin, death, and Satan!
RESPOND
First, we must repent. To repent means to change the way you think about God, sin, and yourself. It means to change the way you think about God, moving from open rebellion to humble submission. It means to change the way you think about sin, moving from viewing sin as something to be desired to viewing sin as something that destroys your relationship with God and with others. It means to change the way you think about yourself, moving from seeking to control your life to willingly surrendering your life to Jesus Christ.
Second, we must exercise faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Genuine faith includes knowledge (an understanding of the facts), assent (believing the facts are true), and trust (resolving to rely on the truth for life). Exercising saving faith means knowing the facts of Jesus Christ (He is God, He died for our sins, He rose from the dead, and He offers forgiveness, a transformed life, and eternal life to those who trust Him), believing those facts are true, and trusting in Jesus Christ and Him alone for forgiveness, change, and eternal life.
CAN I BECOME A FOLLOWER?
Yes - To Receive God’s Plan:
1) Admit your problem: being separated from God by sin.
Recognize that you have sinned, know the need for God’s solution, confess and repent.
2) Believe Jesus Christ died for your sins and on the cross, was buried and rose from the dead.
3) Receive Him now as your personal Lord, God and Savior of your life.
In Romans 10:9 and 13, the Bible tells us, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved…Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. “