The Gospel
In the beginning, God, (God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit),
created the heavens and the earth and everything in it, including the first
man, Adam and the first woman, Eve. God created humans to live in relationship
with Him, but gave them free will to either obey Him or be disobedient. Satan,
the devil, whom the Bible identifies as a fallen angel, tempted Eve to sin by
disobeying God and she in turn tempted Adam to also disobey God. For their
disobedience Adam and Eve were cursed and through them, every living human is
born sinful.
Yet throughout history there have been men and women who
sought after God. Humanity became so depraved that God destroyed the earth with
a global flood, but saved Noah and his family. Through Abraham and his
descendents, God established the nation of Israel, who would be God’s favoured
people. Moses led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and received the Ten
Commandments and many laws of conduct. Because of the sinful nature of man,
these laws were not kept, and a system of animal sacrifices was instituted to
make atonement for their sins. However, the people both individually and as a
nation continued in a cycle of falling away from God and returning to Him.
During the history of the nation of Israel there were prophets who
foretold that a Saviour would be born, to save humanity from its sinfulness.
Their prophecies were fulfilled when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. Jesus is the Son of God, the third
person of the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit).
He was sent to this earth and lived amongst us as a human, without losing His
divine nature. In all things Jesus honoured and obeyed His Father, God. During
His ministry on earth, Jesus performed many miracles and taught us regarding
God’s nature and way of living. He was tempted by Satan but was without sin. He
travelled with a group of disciples who were the foundation of the church –
God’s people on earth.
In the same way that animals had been sacrificed to make
atonement for man’s sin, it was the purpose of God to send Jesus to earth to
become a total sacrifice, once and for all time, for fallen humanity. As was
His destiny, Jesus was arrested, tried for heresy and crucified on a hill
outside Jerusalem called Calvary.
At the time of Christ’s death the curtain in the Jewish temple was torn apart,
symbolising that the old system of God only being able to be approached by
certain people and in certain places, was finished.
Now all could come into right relationship with God through
the shed blood of Jesus, by committing their lives to him in repentance and
faith.
The Bible tells us that Jesus descended into hell and has
total dominion over Satan and evil. On the third day Christ rose from the dead
and appeared to his disciples and many others on earth. He gave his disciples
the “great commission” to go into all nations and preach the gospel. Forty days
after his resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven.
After Jesus ascended to heaven, God sent the third member of
the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to the earth at Pentecost (ten days after Jesus’ ascension).
The Holy Spirit is not only alive in the world, but indwells in those who have
committed themselves wholly to God and gives such attributes as comfort,
counsel, power and discernment.
The Bible tells of spiritual battles between good and evil
in both earthly and heavenly realms. It includes indications of great
tribulation yet to come. We are told that Christ will return to this earth, the
second coming, when He will defeat the evil forces raging in the world and will
judge the living and the dead.
We who have committed our lives to Christ still struggle in
our humanity with temptation to sin, and must choose daily to live in obedience
to His will. We grow in our faith through prayer, study and reflection of God’s
word, the Bible; and by meeting regularly in fellowship with other Christians.
How do I become a Christian?
The Bible tells us that there is only one way to
relationship with God and that is through Jesus Christ:
“Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are
going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and
the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. John
14:5-6
To become a Christian, you need to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died on the cross to honour God and
for the forgiveness of sin and that He rose again and ascended to His Father
God.
You also need to admit
or confess that you are a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness through Christ.
You then need to receive
Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Just as a wedding ceremony begins a
marriage, so a prayer of confession and faith can begin, but is just the
beginning, of a relationship with God. An ongoing relationship includes
learning about God through Bible study; conversations with God through prayer,
and encouragement through Christian fellowship in a caring church.
The following is a prayer which could be used to begin this
relationship. You may wish to pray it alone, personally, or you may wish to
discuss your decision with a Christian friend or pastor first to fully
understand:
Dear Heavenly Father
God,
I come before You
acknowledging You as the only one God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thank You
for revealing Yourself to me. Thank You, Father God, for sending Your only Son,
Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, honouring You and making a way for sinful
people to come back into relationship with You. I acknowledge that I am a
sinner. Please forgive my sin and cleanse me I pray. I receive Jesus Christ
into my life to be my Lord and Saviour for the rest of my days. May You give me
strength through the power of the Holy Spirit to live my life as a Christian. I
ask this in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour. Amen
May God bless you with an ever-increasing knowledge of His
wonderful presence and endless love as you continue to seek and serve Him.