We believe Jesus, the eternal God, became man, died and rose again for sinful mankind. Therefore, we will trust Him and take this good news to the world.
Jesus, the eternal God: Jesus is the Greek version of the Jewish name Yeshua (in modern terms, Joshua). Sometimes the Bible refers to Him as Jesus Christ. Christ is not Jesus’ last name; it’s His title, it means (Messiah) Savior. So why is He a Savior? He is a Savior because God is perfect and people are not. Jesus is God. This is a hard concept to grasp. However, on many occasions, Jesus claimed to be God. The Bible says Jesus is “before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).
God wants a relationship with people, but His perfection cannot abide the presence of imperfection.
You might ask, then, “Why did God create imperfect people who cannot be in His presence?” The answer is that He did not create people in a state of imperfection. We became imperfect through disobedience, what the Bible often refers to as sin. As the Bible says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Throughout history people have attempted to bridge the gap between themselves and God through doing good works or through ceremonies. But all these attempts were based on human efforts. However, right after the very first sin (you’ve probably heard of Adam and Eve’s disobedience), God promised He would correct the problem. He said He would send “the seed of the woman” (a human) to crush the seed of the serpent (the devil). Theologians refer to this promise as the first reference to the coming of a savior.
… became man: In order to save humans, this savior had to be a human. But he couldn’t be just any human; he had to be without sin. From the time of the original sin, the sin nature had been passed down through the generations (hence “all have sinned”), so this savior would have to be born supernaturally. The Bible says he was born of a virgin—that is, God supernaturally impregnated a young virgin woman so that the child born to her would be fully human but also fully free of the sin nature.
It seems that throughout his first 30 years Jesus lived a simple and normal life. At about age 30 he started openly serving and ministering to the needs of others. Not long after that he chose 12 men to serve as disciples (students). For three years he taught these disciples how to live, but more importantly about who He is and why He came—to be the promised Savior.
His claim to be the Savior angered the religious and political leaders who then called for His death.
… died and rose again: Jesus was put on trial by the religious and political leaders for claiming to be God. This trial involved testimony from folks who had witnessed Jesus’ teaching and ended with Jesus’ outright agreement that He was King of the Jews. Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion. This was a popular method of capital punishment which involved nailing the hands and feet into a cross and hanging until the person died from exhaustion, blood loss, or asphyxiation. It was incredibly painful and could last from a few hours to days. After Jesus died, He was placed for three days in a sealed tomb that was guarded by Roman soldiers.
Two women went to the tomb to complete the burial process by anointing Jesus’ body with oil, they discovered that the tomb had been opened and Jesus was no longer there, even though the burial clothes were present. They ran back to tell His disciples.
When the disciples came to verify the story, they were met by an Angel of God who told them that Jesus had risen, He was alive!
… for sinful mankind: Jesus’ death was necessary because humans are less than perfect and could not pay their own price for their sin against a perfect God.
Nothing you do can earn you right standing before God.
If you believe this to be true, now is the time to confess your sin to God and ask for the free gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
If you are at a loss for words, that is okay, just talk to God and let Him know what you are thinking. If you would like some help, pray this, but pray it only if you mean it:
“Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Right now, I invite you into my life. I need you to be my Savior andcleanse me from my sin. I want you to be my Lord and change me into the person you want me to be. Thank you! Amen.”
If you prayed this, we would like to hear from you. You have just begun an amazing journey. You do not have to go it alone.
Therefore, we will trust Him: You may have just trusted God with your salvation. The whole Christian life is trusting Him day-by-day, in every situation.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.”
… and take this good news: This truly is good news (also known as “The Gospel”), because belief in Jesus Christ is the only way to forgiveness and eternal life. No other religion, religious leader, teaching, or belief system leads to God.
This should create a sense of urgency to tell everyone we know and see about Jesus.
… to the world: After being raised from the dead, Jesus told His disciples (and therefore us):
“‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:18-20)
Jesus, the eternal God: Jesus is the Greek version of the Jewish name Yeshua (in modern terms, Joshua). Sometimes the Bible refers to Him as Jesus Christ. Christ is not Jesus’ last name; it’s His title, it means (Messiah) Savior. So why is He a Savior? He is a Savior because God is perfect and people are not. Jesus is God. This is a hard concept to grasp. However, on many occasions, Jesus claimed to be God. The Bible says Jesus is “before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).
God wants a relationship with people, but His perfection cannot abide the presence of imperfection.
You might ask, then, “Why did God create imperfect people who cannot be in His presence?” The answer is that He did not create people in a state of imperfection. We became imperfect through disobedience, what the Bible often refers to as sin. As the Bible says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Throughout history people have attempted to bridge the gap between themselves and God through doing good works or through ceremonies. But all these attempts were based on human efforts. However, right after the very first sin (you’ve probably heard of Adam and Eve’s disobedience), God promised He would correct the problem. He said He would send “the seed of the woman” (a human) to crush the seed of the serpent (the devil). Theologians refer to this promise as the first reference to the coming of a savior.
… became man: In order to save humans, this savior had to be a human. But he couldn’t be just any human; he had to be without sin. From the time of the original sin, the sin nature had been passed down through the generations (hence “all have sinned”), so this savior would have to be born supernaturally. The Bible says he was born of a virgin—that is, God supernaturally impregnated a young virgin woman so that the child born to her would be fully human but also fully free of the sin nature.
It seems that throughout his first 30 years Jesus lived a simple and normal life. At about age 30 he started openly serving and ministering to the needs of others. Not long after that he chose 12 men to serve as disciples (students). For three years he taught these disciples how to live, but more importantly about who He is and why He came—to be the promised Savior.
His claim to be the Savior angered the religious and political leaders who then called for His death.
… died and rose again: Jesus was put on trial by the religious and political leaders for claiming to be God. This trial involved testimony from folks who had witnessed Jesus’ teaching and ended with Jesus’ outright agreement that He was King of the Jews. Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion. This was a popular method of capital punishment which involved nailing the hands and feet into a cross and hanging until the person died from exhaustion, blood loss, or asphyxiation. It was incredibly painful and could last from a few hours to days. After Jesus died, He was placed for three days in a sealed tomb that was guarded by Roman soldiers.
Two women went to the tomb to complete the burial process by anointing Jesus’ body with oil, they discovered that the tomb had been opened and Jesus was no longer there, even though the burial clothes were present. They ran back to tell His disciples.
When the disciples came to verify the story, they were met by an Angel of God who told them that Jesus had risen, He was alive!
… for sinful mankind: Jesus’ death was necessary because humans are less than perfect and could not pay their own price for their sin against a perfect God.
Nothing you do can earn you right standing before God.
If you believe this to be true, now is the time to confess your sin to God and ask for the free gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
If you are at a loss for words, that is okay, just talk to God and let Him know what you are thinking. If you would like some help, pray this, but pray it only if you mean it:
“Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Right now, I invite you into my life. I need you to be my Savior andcleanse me from my sin. I want you to be my Lord and change me into the person you want me to be. Thank you! Amen.”
If you prayed this, we would like to hear from you. You have just begun an amazing journey. You do not have to go it alone.
Therefore, we will trust Him: You may have just trusted God with your salvation. The whole Christian life is trusting Him day-by-day, in every situation.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.”
… and take this good news: This truly is good news (also known as “The Gospel”), because belief in Jesus Christ is the only way to forgiveness and eternal life. No other religion, religious leader, teaching, or belief system leads to God.
This should create a sense of urgency to tell everyone we know and see about Jesus.
… to the world: After being raised from the dead, Jesus told His disciples (and therefore us):
“‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:18-20)