There is only one true God who has always existed—He had no beginning and He has no end. He created all things and continues to hold His creation together by His power. He has made Himself known to men in three distinct but united persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is in control of all things. He is holy and worthy of complete devotion as One who is perfect in goodness and righteousness. He never changes. He has unlimited authority. He has complete knowledge and understanding of all things. He is present in all places at all times.
After God created man and woman in His own image, he placed them in the Garden of Eden. The "right" of their unique creation was the gift of ruling over all created things on the land and in the seas as well as the skies above. All creation was put under their stewardship with one qualification—they were not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was a test of their obedience. Adam and Eve made a deliberate choice to disobey God and reject His authority when they took of the fruit of that tree. They chose their actions but they could not foresee or understand the consequences. Through Adam, sin came into the world. Because of this, all people have received the sin nature of our first father Adam. However, God began immediately to redeem what seemed like a hopeless situation.
He began by reintroducing men to Himself and His character through His Law, His prophets, His promises, and His people, Israel. This is recorded in the Old Testament Scriptures. In the New Testament, He fulfilled that Law, approved the message of the prophets, made good on His promises, and sent to His people and to the entire world His only Son, Jesus Christ. Just as by one man (Adam) sin entered the world and has affected every person, so by one Man (Jesus) the power of sin is cancelled. Through acceptance of Christ's sacrifice (the death that He died in our place), all persons can be set free from their spiritual prison of death and the penalty of sin. God continues to show us Himself by His Holy Spirit through the Bible, His church, and prayer.
Jesus Christ was a real historical person who was born in Bethlehem and reared in Nazareth in the country of Israel. As God foretold, He caused a virgin named Mary to conceive and give birth to a son. This son was the only Son of God. This was necessary. The Christ, the perfect sacrifice, must be conceived without the "human inborn nature" of sin. By faith, we accept the Bible's teaching that He was completely God and completely man. His life was truly a miracle.
The Bad News is that all people are sinners and do sin. We are all guilty of breaking the Holy Law of God, and it is by that Law that our deeds will be judged—we will be held accountable for our actions and for the lives that we have lived. One must evaluate his life in the light of God's Law asking himself the following questions:
• Have I ever "lusted" for another person? God considers this to be adultery of the heart.
• Have I ever hated? If so, the Bible says that I have committed murder in my heart.
• Have I bowed to or served a god that I formed with my own hands, purchased with my own money or conceived in my own mind? This is idolatry.
• Have I used God's name in vain? Have I carelessly used or cursed God and His Son Jesus Christ? Then I am a blasphemer.
• Have I always honored my parents, been completely honest in every situation, always put God first?
The obvious conclusion to such an evaluation (if it is an honest one) is that we all stand guilty before God. We deserve our sentence of spiritual death, which is separation from God forever in a real place called Hell after our physical death. One may wonder why God's law is so harsh or so impossible for any person to obey. The Bible tells us that the Law is our teacher—a teacher that will lead us to grace. God knows and considers our weakness. By learning His Law we become aware of our inability to live according to such a standard, and this discovery causes us to recognize and receive the Good News with gladness when we hear it.
The Good News is that God loves us and does not want any person to die and go to Hell. He takes no pleasure in the person who dies without having their sins forgiven. In fact, God has an inheritance waiting for those who accept the gift of everlasting life—that gift is offered through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and did not sin. Because He lived this perfect life, He became the perfect substitute, taking on the death penalty that we deserved—paying the sin debt man owned to God through His own physical and undeserved death on a cross. By this, He gained the victory over death once and for all. He proved this by rising bodily from His grave after three days. Many witnesses saw Him at that time and afterward. Forty days later He returned to Heaven.
The Gospel message in its simplest form is this: We have sinned. Our sin has a price. The price is death. Jesus Christ died in our place so that our relationship with God could be restored. Jesus took our place on the cross—the Innocent died for the guilty. Because of Him, everyone can be saved from the eternal punishment of sin so that the one who accepts Christ can say with confidence, "Jesus paid the price for MY sin. He served MY death sentence." This is a personal salvation and is also called "being born again" or "saved." Apart from Jesus we cannot be saved. This salvation is a free gift available to all people who believe—placing their personal faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whose death on the cross of Calvary paid their sin debt in full.
On the cross, Jesus Christ said, "It is finished." Salvation is perfect and complete in Him alone. Men cannot add to it or subtract from it. Men cannot earn their salvation by good works. The Bible says that our good works compared to God's holiness are like filthy rags. We cannot choose how we want to be saved or make up our own way, rather, we accept The Way, which God has provided through His Son Jesus Christ, which is by grace through faith alone.
At the moment we believe, God's own presence in the Person of the Holy Spirit begins to live in us as a Guide Who teaches us to understand the Bible, giving us a special ability to live a life that pleases Him in a way that we could not do before we believed. For this reason, we are unable to "clean up" our lives or change our inner character (which results in changed behavior) before we believe. It is to be expected that someone who has not believed will not desire a changed life in Christ or even think it possible. It is God Himself who gives us the ability to obey His Word. His Presence that gives us comfort and assures us of His promise is the guarantee of our salvation. Salvation can never be lost because it does not depend on men. Rather, salvation depends on God alone Who never changes and the work of Christ which is finished.
Because of the finished work of Christ, the Christian does not fear death. However, unbelievers greatly fear death because for them it is unknown. There is an appointed time for everyone to die and there are no second chances after death. Our lifetime is the opportunity to accept Christ and follow Him. The Bible strongly encourages us that NOW, today, is the acceptable time for salvation for we do not know the day or hour when our life will end or when Christ will return according to His promise.
At BIMI our hope is to share this Good News with all who will listen. We encourage those who may be reading this online—if you have not trusted Christ alone for your salvation, will you do so now? If so, you can talk to God about your decision through prayer. Agree with God about your sinful condition. Tell Him you have chosen to accept the gift of His forgiveness and eternal life that He has promised and provided through His only Son Jesus Christ. Accept Jesus as your Savior. Your journey of faith can begin now.
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