What is a Christian?

Maybe such a question has lead you to our website. Well, the heart of all that we believe is the gospel.

The gospel is the ‘good news’ of God’s gracious salvation of sinners through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is the central message of the entire Bible.

“We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” — 1 John 4:14

However, we must understand our need before we can receive the good news. So we begin with…

Man’s Great Problem

It’s obvious from all that we witness around us that this world is not how it ought to be. Something is wrong. But what is man’s problem? The answer is found in Romans:

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” — Romans 3:23

James Smith wrote:

‘We are created for His glory, but we sinned and came short of it. We came short of the glory of His law, in not obeying it; we came short of the glory of His image, in not resembling it; we came short of the glory of His favour, not desiring it; and we came short of the glory of His presence, not seeking it.’

(James Smith, The Believer’s Daily Remembrancer, p. 119)

We have broken God’s law, as summarised in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). Man was created to know and enjoy God, but our offence has severed us from God. This is our miserable condition. We are "without Christ… having no hope, and without God in the world" **(Ephesians 2:12).

Notice how universal this problem is… “ALL have sinned”. The whole human race is in a state of sin and enmity against God. This includes you as much as it includes me.

Maybe, now, you might be tempted to ask…

Why does it matter?

Should the fact that you have sinned against God concern you? God’s Word says…

“It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” — Hebrews 9:27

No one likes to think about death. But, death is a certainty for us all. It is the wages of our sin. We have justly earned death by our rebellion against God.

Far from being the end, after death we will face… “Judgment”.

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" **(2 Corinthians 5:10).

In our sinful nature we love to judge ourselves. The trouble is we often weigh ourselves on the wrong set of scales. We judge by comparison, comparing our lives with the lives of others, and, in doing so we may seem to be pretty good people. But, Jesus will judge us, not by comparison, but by the law of God which we have all broken, without exception.

There can only be one verdict… guilty!

And being guilty, we are obliged to face the punishment. We will be banished from the gracious presence of God, into the everlasting punishment of hell.

What has God done?

Here is the good news: God, in His mercy, has done something about our miserable condition…

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” — John 3:16

Because God is just, He must punish sin. Because God is merciful, He desires to forgive. But, how can God do both?

The answer is, He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to die on the cross as man’s Substitute. Jesus can take our place. If we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, then all our sins are transferred to His account. He suffers the full weight of the punishment that we have earned, so that we may go free. And Christ’s perfect Holiness is transferred to our account, so that we are justified before God, and appear Holy in His sight.

Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, the eternal punishment which we deserve is changed for everlasting life, with Christ, in heaven.

Now comes a very important question: "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30)

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” — Acts 16:31

Trust in Him and Him alone for the salvation of your soul. Pray to the Lord and ask Him to save you from your sins by His sacrifice on the cross.

And here’s a glorious promise, Jesus Christ will never turn any away who come to Him for salvation.

“...him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” — John 6:36

It doesn’t matter who you are, how old you are, where you’re from, or what you’ve done. You may be saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

So why wait? Seek the Lord in faith and repentance, trust in Him with your entire soul and you shall be saved.

If you would like to learn more about this good news, we warmly invite you to come to our Worship Services, or watch the live-stream online. There are also further resources available in our online church library, and you can apply for a free copy of the Bible on our website.

Feel free to get in touch if you would have questions or would like to discuss this further.