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Objective: FEED
THE NEW BELIEVER!
What is the Bible?
The Bible is a collection of 66 books written by about 40 authors, in three different
languages, on three different continents, over approximately 1600 years. The Bible claims to be inspired and inerrant. This
means that the Bible claims to be from God and that it is without error in everything it addresses.
The Bible contains
many different styles of writing such as poetry, narration, fiction, history, law, and prophecy and must be interpreted in
context of those styles. It is the source of the Christian religion in that the Bible contains the words of God and how the
Christian is to apply the words of God to his life.
Basically, the Bible describes the origin of man in the Garden of Eden
along with his fall into sin and out of fellowship with God. It then describes how God called out a special people to Himself,
the Israelites. He promised the Israelites a future Messiah who would restore mankind's relationship with God. The Bible is
the account of the work of God in history bringing to fruition His prophetic declarations concerning Jesus. Jesus was born
of the Virgin, died on the cross, and paid for sins, just as the Bible prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the
New. In short, the Bible points to Jesus, "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them
you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me," (John 5:39).
Furthermore, the Bible teaches us that forgiveness of sins is found in Jesus alone, "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).
Some say that the Bible is nothing more than fairy tales. But this cannot be for it contains great
wisdom and truth and it has been verified throughout history as being accurate. Its historical accounts are flawlessly accurate.
In fact, archaeology routinely demonstrates the accuracy of the biblical records concerning locations and events recorded
in the Bible. The Old Testament Books written by the prophets such as Moses, David, Isaiah, etc.
Pentateuch - 5 books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Historical Books - 12 books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First Samuel, Second Samuel,
First Kings, Second Kings, First Chronicles, Second Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
Poetical - 5 books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
Prophetical - 17 books: Major Prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations,
Ezekiel, Daniel; Minor Prophets - Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah,
Malachi
The New Testament Books written by those who knew Jesus or were under the guidance of
those who did
Historical Books - 5 books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
Pauline Epistles - 13 books: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians,
Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians. 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
Non-Pauline Epistles - 9 books: Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2
John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation
Note: Some authors attribute Hebrews to Paul.
Who is Jesus?
Jesus is the central figure of Christianity. He said, "I
am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me," (John 14:6). Also, Jesus claimed to be God in flesh. If you compare
what God said to Moses in Exodus 3:14 ("And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”) with what
Jesus said in John 8:58 (Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say
to you, before Abraham was born, I am,"), then you quickly see that Jesus was claiming to be God. In fact,
others testified that He was divine as well:
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John 20:28, "Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'"
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Col. 2:9, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form."
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Heb. 1:8, "But of the Son He says, “Thy throne, O God, is forever
and ever..."
Jesus is the second person of
the Trinity. He is the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us. "In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God...And the Word
became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and
truth," (John 1:1-2,14). Because the word was with God and was God and became flesh, we then
state that Jesus has two natures: divine and human. Therefore, Christianity teaches that Jesus is both God and man at the
same time. The reason that he is God in flesh is because only God can atone for our sins; we can't do it on our own because
we are finite, sinful beings and we cannot please an infinitely holy God. Jesus had to be a man to be able to die for
humanity. This means that Jesus took our place on the cross; that is, He took our place and suffered the wrath of God
the Father. If you trust in what Christ has done, then you will be saved from the righteous judgment of God. More
on that next.
God is infinitely holy, sinless, and just. When we sin, when we do something contrary
to God's will, then we have offended God. Since He is infinite, our offense against Him takes on an infinite quality -- because
of who we have offended: an infinite God. Since no person can please an infinite God (because we are finite and sinners)
then the only one left to remove our sins is God Himself. Therefore, Jesus is God in flesh, the one who died on the cross,
bore our sin in his body (1 Pet. 2:24), and physically rose from the dead.
Right
now, in heaven, Jesus is still in the form of a man: "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus," (1 Tim. 2:5). Jesus rose from the dead in the same body he died in: "Jesus answered
and said to them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' 20 The
Jews therefore said, 'It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?' 21
But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered
that He said this; and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had spoken," (John 2:19-21). Also, He retained the wounds of His crucifixion after He rose
from the dead: "Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach
here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing,” (John 20:25). Forty days after His resurrection He ascended into heaven bodily:
"And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their
sight," (Acts 1:9). He will return again from the heavens, and will judge the world and
all people: "This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched
Him go into heaven," (Acts 1:11). Yet, at the same time, He is still divine, "For in Him all
the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form," (Col. 2:9).
Jesus never did anything wrong. He performed
many miracles such as healing, casting out demons, walking on water, calming a storm with the command, raising people from
the dead, and rising from the dead himself. Though there have been many great teachers throughout history, none of them have
performed such miracles and claimed to be divine as Jesus claimed. This is why we can believe Him when He says, "I
am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me," (John 14:6).
We trust what Jesus said. Therefore...
What is salvation?
Salvation is being saved from the
righteous judgment of God upon the sinner.
A lot of people think that salvation means
being saved from yourself or the devil. But that is not accurate. All who have sinned against God are under the judgment of God. This judgment is known as damnation where
God condemns to eternal hell all those who have offended Him by breaking His Law.
This
does not mean that God is unfair. It shows that God is holy. God must punish the sinner. But, He has provided
a way of escape so that people will not face His righteous judgment. This means that God is both holy and loving.
He must manifest each quality equally. So, being saved from the wrath of God is called salvation.
Salvation is found in Jesus, and only in Jesus, who is God in flesh (John 1:1,14), and who died for our sins and rose from the dead. 1 Cor. 15:1-4 says...
"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached
to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word
which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also
received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was
raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,"
This is how salvation works: All
of us have sinned against God and deserve judgment. But Jesus never sinned (1 Pet. 2:22). He lived the Law of God perfectly. In this He has a perfectly
righteous standing before God. When the corrupt Jewish leaders forced Rome's hand into crucifying Jesus, God used this
crucifixion as the means to place the sins of the world upon Jesus (1 Pet. 2:24; 1 John 2:2). This is when Jesus became sin on our behalf. 2 Cor. 5:21 says,
"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that
we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
The crucifixion became the place where
Jesus bore our sins in His body and suffered in our place. "But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed
for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed," (Isaiah 53:5). Remember, no sinner could please God perfectly and no sinner could offer
a perfect sacrifice to God. Only God in flesh, Jesus, could do that.
So, since there
is nothing we can do that is righteous before God (Isaiah 64:6 says our righteous deeds are filthy rags), then we cannot please an infinitely
holy and righteous God by anything we do. But, Jesus who is perfectly righteous before God the Father, died in our place.
What we could not do, He did.
If you want to escape the righteous judgment of God, then you need
to trust in the sacrifice of God. You need to be made right before God, by God. This righteousness of Christ is given
to you if you accept him, trust in Him, and believe in what Jesus did. This is why the Bible says that we are saved
by grace through faith. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift
of God," (Eph. 2:8).
When you trust in what Christ has done on the
cross, and in no works of your own (since they aren't good enough anyway), then the righteousness of Christ is given to you
-- even as your sins were "given" to Jesus. Its like a trade. He gets your sin. You get His righteousness.
Once
you have trusted in what Christ has done, then you possess eternal life and you will never face the judgment of God.
“My sheep hear My voice,
and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one
shall snatch them out of My hand," (John 10:27-28).
How do I become a Christian?
How do you become a Christian?
First of all, you don't become a Christian by joining a church, adopting a creed, or by believing in God. There are
lots of false churches, false creeds, and even the devil believes in God. Becoming a Christian means you need to understand
what the real issues are. Let's take a look.
Jesus
Hopefully, you've already read
the page on Jesus. But by way of review, Jesus is the most important figure in all of human history. He is God
in flesh (John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9), physically risen from the dead, Lord (Luke 24:34; John 2:19-21) and Savior (Acts 5:30-32). He came to die for sinners (Rom. 5:8) to deliver people from the righteous wrath of God upon us.
Are you a sinner?
I ask you, are you a sinner?
Have you ever lied, stolen, lusted, coveted, or been angry with someone unjustly? If so, then you have broken the Law
of God. God has said "You shall not steal; You shall not lie; You shall have no other gods before Me; You shall not
murder, etc.," (Exodus 20). He has given the standard of righteousness and if you have broken
any of God's commandments then you have fallen short of that standard and are under the inevitable judgment of God.
When you die you will face Him and on the Day of Judgment He will punish all sinners.
If you do
not like this teaching, then throw away your Bible and turn from Christ, for this is the message of God's word -- that Jesus
came to die for sinners and to save them from the wrath to come. God is holy and righteous and He must deal with those
who sin against Him.
Jesus is the One you need. He alone. Not your works (Rom. 3:10-12; Isaiah 64:6). Not your sincerity. Not your goodness. You have
nothing to offer God except your sinfulness. It is only by the love and grace of God found in Jesus and His sacrifice
that you can be delivered from the righteous wrath of God upon all who have broken His law. Jesus saves you from God.
God's wrath on the Day of Judgment is upon sinners
On the Day of Judgment God will
judge all people for their sins against Him. He will judge all who have lied, stolen, cheated, lusted, dishonored their
parents, etc. He will do this because He is holy and righteous. God must punish the sinner. God cannot and
will not ignore the person who has broken His righteous law. The Law is a reflection of the character of God.
Therefore, to break God's law is to offend God and deny the holiness of His character. He will be vindicated.
He will judge.
The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). That means that your sins have caused a separation between you
and God (Isaiah 59:2) and the result is death (Rom. 6:23) and wrath (Eph. 2:3). The only way to be saved from the wrath of God, is to be saved
from it by faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 5:1). You must trust in what Jesus did on the cross to forgive you
of your sins and not trust anything else, not even your own sincerity or works. It is Jesus and only Jesus who can turn
away the righteous judgment of God upon the sinner.
The Gospel
The gospel is that Jesus died
for sinners on the cross, was buried, and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4). His death was a sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God (1 John 2:2). This is the only way to be saved.
Jesus is the one who died for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). He is the only way to the God the Father (John 14;6). He alone reveals God (Matt. 11:27). He has all authority in heaven and earth (Matt. 28:18). It is only through Him that you can be saved from God's wrath
(Eph. 2:3). He can forgive you of your sin (Luke 5:20; Matt. 9:2). He can remove the guilt that is upon your soul. Jesus
can set you free from the bondage of sin that blinds your eyes, weakens your soul, and brings you to despair. He can
do this because He bore sin in His body on the cross (1 Peter. 2:24) that those who trust in Him would be saved.
If you are not a Christian, and want to be delivered from the righteous judgment of God upon you due to your sin against Him,
then come to the One who died for the sins of the world. Come to the One who died for sinners (Matt. 11:28). Turn from your sins. Believe and trust in Jesus.
Receive Jesus, who is God in flesh, who died and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4) as your Lord and Savior. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins.
Receive Christ (John 1:12). Only He can wash you clean from your sins and only Jesus can
deliver you from the righteous judgment of a holy and infinite God. Pray to Jesus. Seek Him. Ask Him to
save you.
He will.
Here is a sample prayer you can offer to
Jesus. It does not have to be exact, but you will get the idea.
Lord Jesus, I know that I have
sinned against you. I know that I am not perfect and that I cannot please you through my own efforts. I know that
I deserve to be judged according to my sins. And, I know that I have nothing to offer you.
Lord Jesus, I ask you to forgive me of my sins. Please cleanse me and make me right before you. I trust in what
you have done on the cross. I do not rely on myself but only on you and I receive you as Lord of my life and as savior
of my soul. Lord Jesus, save me. I look to you alone.
I would like to note, that the Jesus
of Mormonism (the brother of the devil), the Jesus of the Jehovah's Witnesses (an angel made into a man), the Jesus of the
New Age (a man in tune with the divine consciousness), etc., cannot save you from your sins. Faith is only as good as
who you put it in. Only the Jesus of the Bible can do that. Jesus is God in flesh, the creator. God is a
trinity and Jesus is the second person of the trinity.
If you have prayed and asked
Jesus to deliver you from your sins and save you from God's wrath, then please email us at CARM and let us know.
Why should I go to church?
The
Bible says that we should not forsake "our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another;
and all the more, as you see the day drawing near," (Heb. 10:25). It is wise to go to church because that is where we can go to
hear the word of God preached and to experience the friendship of other believers.
It is very
important that we hear the word of God. The Bible says, "So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth. It shall not
return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it," (Isa. 55:11). Also, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than
any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge
the thoughts and intentions of the heart," (Heb. 4:12). The word of God, when it is preached, presents to us the truth that
the Lord wants us to know. We need to hear the word of God presented to us, analyzed, and applied to our lives so that we
can live better, accomplish what God desires for us, and can bring glory and honor to Him.
The
other very good reason mentioned above for going to church is to experience friendship with other Christians. We need friends
in order to be well balanced and healthy. Also, in church we discover opportunities to serve and be served. Therefore,
we learn to apply what is taught out of God's word and then we learn to extend it to others outside the church.
Also, in church we share in the successes and failures of others and learn how the Lord has worked in the lives of other people.
In this we are encouraged. Remember, God did not make us to be alone. We need the friendship of other believers.
So, you should go to church because that is where you can hear the word of God explained and
applied to your life, see how God works in people's lives, and experience the friendship of others.
What can I expect if I become a Christian?
Like
anything you do, you should count the cost before you commit to something. You should know what to expect if you become a
Christian. It isn't always easy. The Lord calls us to integrity, honesty, faithfulness, truthfulness, etc. In a world of moral
relativism such absolute qualities do not fit well. It can cost you.
Also, if you become a Christian
and then continue to live in sinful ways, the Holy Spirit will gently and convincingly prod your heart and bring you to a
place of repentance. He is persistent. He won't give up and sometimes that repentance can be difficult, especially if
He brings you to confess your sins to others and make things right.
You must understand that if
you become a Christian you are no longer your own. You have given yourself to the Lord and He takes that commitment very seriously.
He will not leave you in your sins. He will work in you and gradually bring you to a new place in your life. He will work
bad habits and bad things out of you over the rest of your life. Of course, this does not mean that you will become perfect.
It means that God will work in your heart to make you more like Jesus. You can expect this, because God is living in the heart
of all who have received Christ (John 1:12; 14:23). This is because Christians experience the very presence of God and
God is holy.
Being saved is easy. You just trust in what the Lord Christ has done, receive Him
as savior, ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and trust in nothing else (including your own "good works") for your place
in heaven. Getting saved is easy. The hard part is what follows after you become a Christian when the Lord comes
to live in you and then begins to work change in you -- for the better. Sometimes it is quite difficult but other times
it is very rewarding.
God will accept you just as you are, but He will not leave you as you are.
So, if you want to become a Christian, expect your life to change. Expect that you will end up with different friends
and be prepared to find that many of your old habits and desires will also change. This is what you can expect, but it is
worth it.
One last thing
There is one final expectation
that you should be aware of if you become a Christian: salvation. In other words, you'll escape the righteous judgment of
God. Eternal hell is what awaits those who fail to trust in what Christ has done on the cross. Being a Christian means that
you have escaped that judgment. This, of course, is the greatest benefit for you.
SAy these words!
Dear Heavenly Father,
I come to You, confessing that I
have sinned and broken Your laws. I am sorry for my sin, and believe that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for me and my
sin. Please forgive me. I invite you into my life, and give Jesus Christ the right to control the rest of my life. Please
help me to be what You want me to be. Thank you for saving me and accepting me. I pray this in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Welcome
into God's Family!
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