Good News
We are an evangelical church - a church that preaches the good news from the Bible.
The Bible tells us that although God created a perfect world, things are clearly not perfect any more. There’s one reason for that – us. The real question isn’t “What’s wrong with the world?” The real question is “What’s wrong with us?”
The Bible teaches us that God created the whole universe and that he cares deeply about what goes on in this world. Although he created a perfect world, he also created men and women with the ability to choose for themselves and, tragically, much of the time we choose the wrong things. There are obvious ‘sins’ like murder and rape, but the Bible teaches us not to point the finger at other people but to look at ourselves. Even though we may not be as bad as some, every one of us is far worse than we should be, and none of us is perfect. As a result, not one of us can go to heaven because heaven is a perfect place.
Thankfully, when God created us, he knew that we would need saving from ourselves. So he planned an amazing rescue. He knew that sin would need to be punished – you just can’t brush it under the carpet and pretend it hasn't happened. He also knew that we could never bear the punishment for our own sin. Our sins are too many and too serious for that. So God sent his only son, the Lord Jesus Christ, down to this earth. He lived an absolutely perfect life. He never did, thought or said anything that was wrong but, despite that, he was executed as if he were a criminal.
The Bible explains the reason for that. Jesus didn’t die because of the wrong things HE had done, but because of the wrong things WE have done. He died in our place. That is, he paid the penalty for the sin of all those who put their trust in him. Because Jesus has been punished in my place, there is now no longer any punishment for me, even though I deserve it. When I die, I’m able to live for ever in Heaven, because of Jesus’ death. Three days after he died, Jesus rose from the dead. He conquered death – and is now in Heaven.
That’s what a Christian is – someone who realises that they have offended God, and do not deserve to live with Him in Heaven, and yet has trusted in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.