By Steve Murrell
[Paper copies of this booklet are available at church too]
Getting Started
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Mark 1:17
These five steps will get you off to the right START, as you follow Christ.
Stop trusting in yourself and your own good works and start trusting in Christ alone for salvation.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith ---- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God --- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast" Ephesians 2:8,9
Turn away from everything the Bible calls sin.
"Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." 2 Timothy 2:19
Attend a small group for personal discipleship and weekly worship services.
"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another --- and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:25
Read and obey your Bible every day.
"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." Joshua 1:8
Tell others about your new relationship with Christ.
"Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed." Mark 5: 19-20
Session One: Salvation
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
A new creation. A fresh start. For all of us who have ever wished we could start over, this is good news. However, before we can really appreciate this good news, we need to understand exactly why we need to start over. Why do we need to become a "new creation?" Why do we need salvation?
The Problem: Separation Because of Our Sin
There is an immeasurable gap separating God and man. The cause of this eternal separation between God and man is sin. Have you ever felt distant from God? We all have. Feeling far from God is very common. Many who sense this vast separation suppose that if they meditate harder, learn more about their religion, or just step into a religious sanctuary, they would be closer to God.
But since our separation from God is not physical or intellectual, neither meditation nor knowledge can bring us any closer to God. What causes the separation between God and man?
"Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." Isaiah 59:1-2
The separation between God and man is a moral separation. God is holy; man is not. God is good; man is not. God is just; man is not. All men have sinned; therefore, all are eternally separated from God. All will suffer the consequences of sin, which is eternal death.
"... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ... "Romans 3:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
The Solution: God's Sacrifice and Substitution
The justice of God demands a sacrifice for man's sin. Jesus Christ became that sacrifice and paid the penalty for our sin at the cross.
Since God is holy, righteous, and just, He could not allow sin to go unpunished. Since He is loving and compassionate, He did not want all of mankind to be eternally separated from Him. The divine solution to this problem was for Jesus, God's only Son, to become the sacrifice for sin.
"Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Hebrews 9: 26-28
What exactly happened on the cross? Through His death on the cross, Jesus took our place and our punishment. He exchanged His righteousness for our sin. He took our curse and gave us His blessings. Because of His sinless life, Jesus was the only one qualified to pay the penalty for man's sin and to bridge the gap between God and man.
"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21
" Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.'" Galatians 3:13
The Result: Our Salvation and Reconciliation
Christ died on the cross so that we could receive forgiveness of our sins, be reconciled to God, and have eternal life.
We have all sinned against a holy and righteous God. The penalty for sin is eternal separation from God in hell. God is just and must punish sin. He is also loving and does not want us to go to hell forever. Therefore, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for sin by dying on the cross. Because of His sinless life, death could not hold Jesus. He was raised from the dead on the third day. In Christ, we experience forgiveness for our sins and eternal life. In Him we are restored to right standing before God and given a new life as His children.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3: 16
"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace ..." Ephesians 1:7
"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ." Ephesians 2: 13
The Response: Receive God's Gift by Faith
We receive salvation when we stop trusting in ourselves and put our trust in what Christ did for us.
Our salvation is a result of God's grace. It is based on what Jesus did for us on the cross. It has nothing to do with what we do for Him. We cannot save ourselves or earn God's approval through the good works we do. We are saved by God's grace when we realize our need for a Savior, turn from sin, and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, putting our trust in Him alone for salvation.
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. '10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-10
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-9not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
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