What is the gospel? How can I be saved?
In its simplest form the gospel is found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,"
Salvation is also simple. You must believe 1 Corinthians 15:3 & 4 to be true. Romans 10:9-10 says, "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."
We see that Jesus lived, died, and rose again. His rising from the dead is proof that He is God. Salvation is dependent on you believing this and trusting it to be true. You must believe that Jesus died in your place, that He took your penalty for your sins, and that He rose from the dead. It really is that simple.
True belief and trusting in Christ should result in repentance. You've accepted the truth that Jesus died for your sins. Now you need to turn away from your sins; leave them behind. That's what repentance is, turning from your old life and turning to a new life in Christ. Acts 3:19 says, "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,"
Review and fuller explanation: Our sin separates us from God. We all do wrong things. But God reached out to us by sending Jesus to live a sinless life. Because He lived a perfect and sinless life He could die on the cross and pay the penalty for our sins. He died for the sins we committed which are punishable by God. After His death He rose from the grave to indicate that He is God and that He's taken care of the punishment that we should have suffered because of our sins. His resurrection celebrates that He accomplished what He came to do!
Because Jesus is God He can give us new life if we'll trust Him. He then simply asks us to follow Him. To turn from our old life and to turn towards Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." When we trust Christ and turn to Him we become new creations. We're not the same after we trust in all that Christ has done for us. If you trust and believe then this is true for you.
You can and should talk to God about what has happened. Here's a sample prayer you can pray. It's not the prayer that saves you though. Only what Christ has done saves you. Prayer is simply talking to God. Talk to Him about your decision and what has happened. Again, this prayer is just a guide. It doesn't have to be complicated. Just talk to Him!
Jesus, I know I've done wrong things. I know that You died for me and that You rose from the dead proving that You are God and capable of forgiving me. I no longer trust in my goodness or what I can do. I'm placing my full trust in what You did for me on the cross.
The exciting thing is that if you truly believe that He died for you then you are now a child of God!!! John 1:12 says, "But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God,"
What next? Come see us at Antioch Church. We'd love to help you learn more about this new relationship with Christ and to help you understand how much God loves you. You should start reading your Bible. It's God's love letter to you. We can help you with this as well. If you need a Bible we can get you one.
Come see us and tell us all about it. We'd love to see you on Sunday morning or you can stop in to see us during the week if you just can't wait until then.
(All scriptures are from the English Standard Version [ESV] of the Bible.)
