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THE GOSPEL

The Gospel is the good news of God's salvation in Jesus Christ. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible points to the Gospel message. It is the same message that we are committed as a church to faithfully proclaim before our community and the world. 

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Many people wonder: "How can I know for sure what will happen to me when I die?" It's a natural question--we are created with a God-shaped void in our hearts and we seem to know intuitively that there is some sort of life beyond the grave.

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The Bible tells us in Genesis 1:27 that "God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him." In John 4:24 we read, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." From these passages, we understand that we were created as spiritual beings. Our bodies are an important part of who we are, but God created us as so much more than mere flesh and blood.

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What then is our spiritual state? The Bible is clear on this point: we stand guilty before a holy God on the basis of our own sin and the original sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 5:12, "By one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." And again in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Ephesians 2:1 is even more explicit, reminding us that we are "dead in trespasses and sins." Perhaps you honestly try to be a good, moral person and hope that your good works will outweigh your bad deeds when it comes to your own spiritual reckoning. But the Bible addresses you too: "For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10). 

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So what's the big deal? Are there any real consequences to our spiritual dead-ness? The Bible is equally clear on this point. Returning to Romans, we read, "For the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). We read also the ominous warning of Romans 1:18: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." What does this death, this wrath of God look like? To be sure, it is no mere physical death; the Bible tells us that those who die apart from Christ will be cast forever into the lake of fire, "where their worm dies not and the flame is not quenched" (Mark 9:44). The death merited by our broken spiritual condition is actually an eternal separation from God in a literal place called Hell.

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What we've seen so far paints a very dark picture of our spiritual condition, but the Gospel message doesn't stop there. Into our world of sin and death, God sent the only possible solution to our lost 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). 

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God is just and to simply ignore our sin would be a violation of His holy character. But rather than exact the due punishment for our sin upon us, He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, in the likeness of our sinful flesh and "made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Because the sinless Son of God bore our sins when He died on the cross, we can escape the punishment that our sin deserves. More than that, Christ rose from the grave three days later and guaranteed His ultimate victory over death and hell.
 

How can we obtain this great salvation and ensure that we live for all eternity with God in Heaven? The Bible says, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9). God calls us to believe in Jesus and His sacrificial death on the cross; repent from our sins; and share this Good News with all the nations of the earth. If you are ready to embrace these truths, we invite you to pray and ask the Lord to save you; there are no magic words to say, but it might sound something like this:

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  • Lord, I understand that I am a sinner, and I deserve your righteous judgment. Thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, to live a holy, sinless life and die for me on a cross 2,000 years ago. Thank you for the promise of eternal life guaranteed by His resurrection. Today, I repent of my sins, and I ask you to save me. Transform my life in Your image, and make me look more like your Son every day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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Saint Augustine once prayed, "Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee." If you are spiritually restless, it is our prayer that you would find peace in a relationship with God by His great salvation through Jesus Christ. If you just accepted Jesus as your Savior or want more information about the Gospel, we invite you to visit or contact our church. Any one of our members would be thrilled to celebrate the work of the Gospel in your life!

ABOUT US

Holden Baptist Temple is an independent, Bible-believing church located in rural Johnson County, Missouri.

ADDRESS

816-732-4673

 

605 North Lexington

P.O. Box 275
Holden, MO 64040

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