Jesus Changes Everything
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.”
John 3:16
What Is the Gospel?
The word “Gospel” simply means good news.
But to fully appreciate the good news, we first have to understand the bad news.
The Bad News: We Have All Sinned
From the very beginning, humanity has been broken by sin.
Sin is anything that separates us from a holy God. Even what we might consider
a “small” sin still falls short of God’s perfect standard. Because of sin, we
are separated from our Creator and unable to fix that separation on our own.
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:23
The Bible tells us that the consequence of sin is
death—spiritual separation from God.
“For the wages of sin is death…”
Romans 6:23a
The Good News: God Loves You and Sent Jesus
God did not leave us in our brokenness. Even though we could
never earn our way back to Him, God came to us.
Jesus Christ-God’s Son-as born of a virgin, lived a perfect
and sinless life, willingly died on the cross for our sins, and rose again on
the third day. The penalty we deserved, Jesus took upon Himself. Through Him,
forgiveness is available, new life is possible, and a restored relationship
with God can begin-right now.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8
“Christ died for our sins… He was buried, and He was
raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
1 Corinthians 15:3–4
Salvation is not something we achieve; it is something we receive.
“For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves: it is the gift of God—not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Ephesians 2:8–9
How Do I Receive Eternal Life?
The Bible gives us a clear and simple response to the Gospel:
Repent
To repent means to turn-to make a spiritual U-turn. With the
help of the Holy Spirit, you turn away from sin and turn toward God. It doesn’t
mean you’ll be perfect, but it does mean your heart has changed direction.
“Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Luke 13:3
Believe
Trust that Jesus paid the full price for your sin and that
He rose from the dead to give you eternal life.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be
saved.”
Acts 16:31
Receive
Invite Jesus Christ into your life as your Lord and Savior.
When you receive Him by faith, He makes you new.
“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”
John 1:12
A Prayer to Receive Christ
If you are ready to place your faith in Jesus, you can pray something like this:
“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner. I turn from my
sin and turn to You. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and rose
again. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. I give my life to You. In Jesus’
name, amen.”
If you have sincerely repented, trusted in Christ, and
called on Him to save you, the Bible says you are now a follower of Jesus. The
old has passed away, new life has begun, and the Spirit of God now lives within you.
Welcome to the family of God.
The Bible tells us that heaven rejoices when someone comes
to faith-and so do we. If you prayed to receive Christ, we would love to
celebrate with you, pray for you, and help you take your next steps. Please let
us know-we would be honored to walk with you as you begin this new life in Christ.
Welcome home.