We do. But we believe in more than just an impersonal "higher power" or capricious super-human who rolls the dice to determine what happens each day. The order in the universe, the complex patterns within the natural world, the evidence found in ancient historical documents, all point us to the Truth written in God's Word, the Bible that certain truths are central to a genuine Christian life and witness. If you are a skeptic, please read the Scriptures below for yourself, and be sure that you know what you are arguing against. You can find the Bible online at www.blueletterbible.org, or you can contact us and ask for your own copy of the Bible. Among these truths about the identity of God are…
There is one God, who is infinitely perfect, existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 5:48, Matthew 28:19).
Jesus Christ is true God and true man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust, as a substitutionary sacrifice, and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures. He is now at the right hand of the Majesty on high as our great High Priest. He will come again to establish His Kingdom of righteousness and peace (Philippians 2:6-11, Luke 1:36-38, 1 Peter 3:18, Hebrews 2:9, Romans 5:9, Acts 2:23,24, Hebrews 8:1, Matthew 26:64).
The Holy Spirit is a divine Person, sent to indwell, guide, teach, empower the believer, and convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (John 14:15-18, John 16:13, Acts 1:8, John 16:7-11).
Do you believe in sin?
There seem to be a lot of questions about the existence of sin in this world. Oddly enough, most cultures in the world have similar standards for what is right or wrong; it could be said, for instance, that all people are in agreement that one person deliberately taking the life of another person (murder) is wrong. You could make similar statements about greed, lying, uncontrolled anger, ignoring parental instructions...the list goes on and on. Most people are familiar with the contents of the Ten Commandments, even if they don't agree with the source, and most people would agree with the principles they teach. But most people would also argue that they don't do the sins listed in the Ten Commandments, therefore, they are not sinful. So when the Bible says that "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" in Romans 3:23, it seems presumptuous, even accusatory. But the Bible also says...
The desire to or the thought of committing any of the activities that break the Law of God is considered as sinful as actually committing the sin. Jesus Himself, fully God and fully man, said so. (
You know what you have done, and what you have wanted to do, and when. Even if you can't admit it to anyone else, we urge you to be truthful with yourself. You know that you've done something that God would find displeasing. And that one thing is enough to keep you from being holy enough to go to Heaven when you die. Sin is ugly enough to die for, and we should die, because we sin. This death is not just physical death; all people's hearts and brains will stop. The death spoken of in the Bible is permanent separation from the presence of God.(Romans 6:23)
Do you believe in Jesus?
When you can admit that you've been wrong, even once in your life, if you are sorry for thinking or doing that, and tell Jesus, your sins are forgiven. (1 John 1:9) "Repentance" is the official church name for this, and it leads you to...
Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who recognize and are sorry for their sins, and believe that Jesus is who He said, that He is God, are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God (Titus 3:4-7).
God loves each of the people He has created more than we can possibly understand. He showed us by sending Jesus to Earth to die for us. Jesus did not sin. He is the only human who ever lived a life completely pleasing to God. When He died on the cross, His blood paid for our mistakes, our self-centeredness, and everything we did or wanted to do, or pretended to do that defies the Laws of God. And now our sin is gone. Washed away. Never to be seen again. (John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:21)
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life-no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). If we live our lives focused on pleasing God, in a relationship with Jesus, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, others will see Him clearly, and be drawn to Him. Without God, our lives are empty, meaningless, hopeless.(John 15:5).
So what does this mean to me?
So if you believe what you've just read, simply speak to God. There are no rules, there is no special formula that you must say in order to receive salvation. You simply must acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, and that he provides the only way to be forgiven of your sins. You can't earn it, you can't pay for it, you can't believe that there is any other way to have your sins forgiven and to be right before God. You have to agree that you have some attitudes and actions that God finds displeasing, and you have to be sorry for them. You need to agree that they need to stop. You don't have to stop them before you speak to God, and you don't have to stop them on your own. God wants nothing more than to help you change bad habits or thoughts. Ask Him for help. Chances are between slim and none that you can do it without Him anyway!
It's best that you tell someone else that you have decided to follow Jesus. Following His teachings and his attitudes is hard, and you will get discouraged. Besides, if you truly want to make those changes, your heart and mind will be made new (2 Corinthians 5:17), and people will begin to notice anyway. Start attending a local church; they are a building filled with people all trying to let God change their hearts and lives, and who want to do it with others who are trying to do it, too. There are no perfect people in church, just people doing their best to let God get rid of all the ugly, sinful stuff in their life before they die and can go to Heaven. (Hebrews 12:2) You will continue to want to sin, and to be tempted to do it. Even Jesus was tempted. (Matthew 4:1-11) When you have fellow believers in your life, you can count on them to encourage and pray for you.
If you have any questions about the information you've read today, or if you want to share your recent decision to live for Christ with someone, please feel free to call us at Southside Alliance Church. The phone number is (920) 458-7075. If we are unable to come to the phone, please feel free to leave a message. You can also use the "Contact Us" button on this website to email us. We hope that you have found the information on this page helpful and thought-provoking.
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