The Gospel of Jesus Christ
The Bible tells us that God created people, along with the rest of creation, good, in the first two chapters of Genesis. Good means perfect, without sin. Genesis chapter 3 says that the first man and woman who were created disobeyed God, and therefore sin entered into their lives. From that time on everyone has been born with a sin nature and sins. “For as through the one man’s disobedience” (referring to the first man Adam) “the many were made sinners” (Romans 5:19 NASB). Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The Bible is clear that no one is able to enter into the presence of God with sin because God is completely holy. Somehow sin must be removed to enable us to be in a right relationship with God and enter into His presence in Heaven after death.
It is impossible for anyone to do any good works to remove his or her sins. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Jesus, who is God, just as God the Father is God, came to earth to be born and to die for our sins so that we would not be condemned to eternal punishment. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). The Bible clearly says that it is only through Jesus Christ that we receive salvation. “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).
Whoever humbly comes to Christ, believing that Jesus died for him or her, confesses that he or she has sinned, repents (turns away from sin), and asks Christ to take away his or her sins will have eternal life with Him. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Praying to Christ for salvation means a person sincerely believes from the heart that he or she is unable to come to God by himself or herself. He or she trusts in Christ for salvation and desires to follow Him afterward. Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”