What is Salvation?
The Bible teaches in Romans 1:16 that, the Gospel is power of God for salvation. Salvation happens the moment we surrender and truly believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
What is the Gospel?
We believe that the Gospel is the central truth of the Bible, the foundation of our faith, and the fuel for the Christian life. The Gospel is the good news that while we were dead in our sin, God sent his son Jesus to live a perfect life on our behalf, die a substitutionary death to pay the penalty for our sin, and rise again from the grave to offer us new life in his Spirit.
We believe we can understand the Gospel best in these 4 components.
God is Holy.
The Bible teaches that God is holy and set apart from everything and everyone (1 Samuel 2:2) and He is perfectly just and righteous in all His ways (Psalm 145:17, Deuteronomy 32:4).
In 1 Peter 1:16 we are commanded to "be holy as God is holy". Matthew 5:48 also commands us saying that "we must be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect." God's holiness and perfection is the standard for our lives. We now know that God is holy and perfect. The question is, are we?
We are Sinners.
God views sin in a legal manner (Colossians 2:14) the way the judicial system views guilt. God is the judge, and we are either guilty (sinful), or not guilty (sinless). The truth is that we all are guilty of sin and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The Bible teaches us that we are all born sinful by nature (Ephesians 2:1-2, Romans 3:10-12). Because we are sinful both by nature and choice, justice for our crimes (sin) is necessary to fulfill God's holiness. This justice, or penalty of sin, is death. Without a way to pay that penalty, we are left eternally separated from God. But there is hope in Jesus!
Christ is Sufficient.
God, in His grace, love, and mercy, has made a way for salvation. God sent his only son (John 3:16) to die for us, paying the penalty of sin on our behalf and reconciling us back to a Holy God. This sacrifice that Jesus paid for us is complete. It never has to be redone.
Our Response.
The Gospel always requires a response. Not responding, is a response. The Bible teaches that if we confess our sin before God, repent (to turn away) of that sin, and believe in (put our trust in) Christ, will be saved (Romans 10:9, Acts 2:38-39).
That's good news!!
What Now?
At the moment we confess and repent of our sin and put our trust in Jesus, scripture teaches us that two things happen:
1.) We have been made new (2 Corinthians 5:17)
2.) We have been given a new heart with new desires. (Ezekiel 36:26)
Salvation doesn’t end with a confession.
God promises that His Holy Spirit will complete the process of Salvation in our lives as we daily surrender our will to His and follow Him.
Your next step = Baptism.
If you have never committed your life to Christ and want to, please contact us at info@connection-rincon.com.
We would love to pray with you and for you.