Where do we stand with God?

The living God made the heavens and the earth, and everything in it. Since He is the creator, He is the Lord of all. But each of us has rebelled against His law, and repeatedly offended against Him. This is known as “sin” and we are all guilty of it.

Because of this a day has been appointed in which God will judge the living and the dead by His ordained Judge. This is possible because the dead will be resurrected. The guilty will be sentenced to everlasting misery and torment with no prospect of relief.

The ordained Judge is the Man Jesus. He is the Son of God, which is to say, He is God who has put on human flesh.

Is there hope for us?

The good news is that because of God’s love for you, He has sent Jesus to also be the Saviour of those who believe on Him and can save you from the judgement you deserve. How is this possible?

The Old Testament scriptures, inspired by the Holy Spirit, promised that the Christ would be born a Man and anointed by God to hold three titles. He would be the King to rule as sovereign Lord, the Prophet to declare God’s word, and the Priest who would sacrifice himself to remove the guilt of His people. Only Jesus of Nazareth fulfils all of these promises.

Jesus died by crucifixion, fulfilling what was written of Him that He must suffer and die, and that He would be the first to rise from the dead. By His suffering and death He paid the penalty for all offences committed by those who believe in Him. And by His resurrection God the Father publicly assured all that he has accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.

What is Jesus doing now?

After Jesus was raised and was witnessed as being alive by many, He ascended to the right hand of God to be Lord and Saviour. He is now directing the work of His church and interceding for His people while waiting for the time when He will return to rule as King over the world.

Through Jesus’ intercession everyone who believes is declared by God to be in a right relationship with Him. There is no salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Whoever believes in Jesus now will receive forgiveness of all their sins. They will be given the Holy Spirit who lives within the believer, and will be delivered from judgment in order to enjoy eternal life with Jesus. They will further be adopted as children of God and enter into an inheritance as joint heirs with Jesus Himself.

What must I do to be saved?

God commands all men everywhere to repent; this means to be sorry for your sins and turn from them to obey Him. To reject Jesus Christ as Lord is to answer to him as Judge.

The promises are to you, if you believe with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. You must believe, in thought and action, that Jesus is your God and your Prophet, Priest and King.

This kind of faith means not only that you believe Jesus is who the Bible says He is, both in the Old and New Testaments. It means you will live for Him as your Lord from now on, trusting Jesus with your life that He will save and reward His followers as He has promised.

What should I do next?

If you believe on Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, His first instructions are clear; be baptised and join a local church of believers so that you can learn more about God and be equipped for the work Jesus has for you. You will be able to share in worshipping God with those whom He also loves, thanking Him that Jesus went from being your Judge to being your Saviour. In fact the Bible tells us that we will be praising Him for ever!

If you are a believer or want to find out more, we would love to hear from you and welcome you to visit us for one of our regular meetings.