November 7, 2021
I'M A NEW BELIEVER
"For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." -Romans 10:13
So...why am I here?
You have heard that you are here for a purpose, that God created you with a plan in mind. God cares for you and wants you to follow his ways. But, how do we know this to be the truth? We know this because we have the Bible, and we know what the Bible says.
We believe that the Bible is the true, inerrant, inspired Word of God for several reasons.
1. THE BIBLE CLAIMS IT IS FROM GOD. This alone is not enough to convince most people, as it should not be, but consider the opposite: what if the Bible didn't say it was the Word of God? People surely would ask why we believed in a book that didn't even claim it was from God.
2. THE PRESERVATION OF THE TEXT. The Bible is, by far, the most well preserved book in the world. We have more copies of original manuscripts than any other book. We have great reason to beleive that the Bible has not changed over time.
3.ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE. The Bible consistently proves itself by verifying archaeological evidence. Even to this day, the Bible is still verifying evidence.
4. DIVERSITY OF AUTHORSHIP. The Bible was written by at least forty different authors. In addition, it was authored in many different places, languages, time periods, styles and circumstances. Astonishingly, these 66 books are in complete harmony from start to finish describing God's plan for mankind.
So then, what does the Bible say?
Since we believe the Bible is true, then logically we can read it and know God's plan for our salvation and His gift of eternal life.
1. WE ALL NEED GOD'S SALVATION.
Romans 3:23 says that "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Keyword: all.
2. THE RESULT OF SIN.
Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus." God has given us a ticket to eternal life if we accept it.
3. WHY GOD GIVES US SALVATION.
Romans 5:8 says "But God demonstrates His own love towards us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Much like a parent, God loves us and wants the best for us, but we, as children, must be willing to accept that God knows best for us.
4. HOW WE GET SAVLATION. Romans 10:9 says that "If you confess with your mouth, the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God rasied Him from the dead, you will be saved." and again in John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." Eternal life is as easy as accepting that Jesus died for your sins.
