A Christian is a follower of Christ. More specifically, a Christian
is someone who believes that God sent His Son, Jesus (the Christ),
to die in our place. This is good news. The following is adapted
from 9Marks.
Whenever we talk about the Gospel, it is helpful and important to
remember the four essentials: God, Man, Jesus, Response.
God is both our sovereign Creator and our
righteous Judge.
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You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, the heaven
of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and
the heavenly host bows down before You (Neh 9:6).
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Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing
together for joy before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the
earth; He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples
with equity (Ps 98:9).
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God therefore has the right of ownership over us by virtue of
creating us, and He has the right to punish or reward us by virtue
of His royal, judicial office. And because God is both our Creator
and Judge, we are doubly accountable to Him for all our behavior -
words, thoughts, and deeds.
Man was created by God, in God's image, to
glorify God and enjoy Him forever. But man sinned against God by
disobeying His holy law. Man therefore separated himself from God's
holy and satisfying presence, and incurred His wrathful
displeasure.
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God created man in His own image, in the image of God He
created him; male and female He created them (Gen
1:27).
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For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom
3:23).
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For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in
unrighteousness (Rom 1:18).
Jesus death was the substitute payment for
the penalty that we deserved for our sin. His death is God's only
provision for the forgiveness of man's sin and the appeasement of
God's wrath against him.
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All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to
his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall
on Him (Isa 53:6).
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He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does
not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on
him (John 3:36).
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And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other
name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be
saved (Acts 4:12).
We are called to respond to this good news in
repentance and belief - turning away from our sin and
self-sufficiency toward God, and trusting in the shed blood of
Jesus Christ as the substitute penalty that we deserved for our
sin.
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The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15).
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Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again
from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of
sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning
from Jerusalem (Luke 24:46-47).
What is your response? What next?
Pick up the Bible and read the book of John!
Find a strong church, centered on the Bible!
Let the Pastor of that church know about your response!
Attend church regularly!
Share it with the World!
