Haven Baptist Church, Madison
The God of the Bible is not silent and He is not subject to our demands. He reveals Himself through His Word and the Word of God reminds us that His words are true, flawless and profitable (Prov. 30:5, 2 Tim. 3:16). His words are profitable in that they point us to Him, teach us of His promises and reveal His plan.
When I was a missionary in Canada, one of our students, Eric, constantly asked questions about Christianity. It was so foreign to him since he grew up in Communist China. After studying much of the Bible and seeing God’s beauty in creation Eric came to Christ. He recognized his sin and rejoiced in the fact that he could be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. He understood that humanity has a sin nature and that at the core we are corrupted, deceitful and sick. One of Eric’s favorite Bible passages became Psalm 90:1–2 which reminds us of our Creator and His power.
The power of God is revealed in His gospel. The gospel teaches us that we are sinners and are in need of a Savior. Many of the religions of the world offer salvation whether it is through an eightfold path (Buddhism), a philosophical system (Hinduism) or through the Quran (Islam). Through Christianity we can know God through the God-man, Jesus Christ. God became a man in Jesus, who was perfect, and then took my sin on the cross. He took the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever turn and trust in Him. By His death we are forgiven. By His resurrection we live and find victory. This is good news, but to know God we must turn and trust in Him.
In order to know God we must follow God. If we are to follow Him we must obey Him. The Bible is clear that we must repent and believe. Repentance is not perfection; repentance is not merely a change in our behavior, it is a change in our beliefs. We believe in the authority of Jesus and submit to Him. It is only by God’s grace, through faith, in Christ alone, we are saved. That is good news!
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