gospel

Saving faith goes farther. It is a personal trust in Jesus to rescue us from our evil selves and the punishment we deserve from God.

Who is "the Lord Jesus Christ"? Jesus is the Lord God, Maker of the Universe. He came to earth and took a real human nature into His personality. His name "Jesus" means "Jehovah-our-savior". He is the "Christ", or Annointed One. That means that God the Father chose Him to be the Savior of believers.

What must we "be saved" from? Jesus did not come to save us from drugs or crime. He is not a therapist only for extreme cases. Jesus is the Savior from SIN. Sin is lawlessness - it is the breaking of God's rules. His rules are perfect and we are all wicked. We think, speak and act in ways that do not make God happy. We swear, cheat, lie, speak evil of others, and lust after things we can't or shouldn't have. A perfect God cannot tolerate sin. The Bible says that He will pay us for our sins - the payment for sin is DEATH.

Death means seperation from God. When we sin, we cut our selves off from God. If we don't change, He will cast us away from Himself into hell forever. Hell is a place of terrible, endless pain. And we can't change to please God by our own power.

Jesus lived and died for His people. Jesus never sinned. Only He was a perfect man. By His holy life he earned salvation for His people. Then He died to pay the penalty for their sins. Three days later, He rose from the dead to be reunited with God the Father. His true followers will also rise to heaven.

What must you do to be saved? If you think God loves and saves everyone, you are fatally mistaken. If you trust in your own goodness, Church or sacraments, you will be disappointed. Only those who face their sin and cry
out to God for forgiveness can be saved. You must REPENT of your sins. That means that you must admit your guilt, ask God to forgive you, and honestly turn away, desiring to do right. You also must BELIEVE in Jesus Alone. He is God, so his death had infinite value; He is a man, so He could die in place of other men. You must trust Him as your only hope of forgiveness and salvation.

Salvation is just the beginning. Although our own goodness cannot save us, we must strive to be good. Without God, we are helpless. But as Christians, we must study the Bible, pray, worship with other believers, and trust God the Holy Spirit to make us more like perfect Jesus every day.

Beware of compromised churches. Sadly, there are few to no faithful churches these days.