The GOSPEL
good news
Because God has set a day for judgment on which He will remove all wickedness from the earth, He has lovingly acted to make a way for us to be saved from experiencing His wrath on the final day. On this final day of judgment, Jesus is appointed Judge of all the earth. We He returns, Jesus will cast all who reject Him as Lord into hell for eternity. However, He will raise all who have submitted to Him as Savior and Lord to live with Him eternally in Heaven.
Jesus died on the cross so we may be forgiven of our sin. Jesus rose from the grave proving that God is able and willing to save us from the punishment of sin. Jesus promises to return on a final day of judgment and calls all people in every generation until His return to REPENT and be saved from the coming judgment.
For more detailed explanation of the gospel, check out HE LOVES US!
In order to be saved from the coming judgment, we must REPENT. When we repent, we are changing our thinking. We begin by changing our thinking about Jesus. He is who He says He is. He is God. He died, was raised, and will return. He is both Lord and Savior.
Believe
When we repent, we are also agreeing with Jesus about our sin. All people have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. In agreeing that our sin deserves the punishment of eternal death in hell, we ask Jesus to forgive us. The great promise of the Bible is this: All who call on the name of the Lord (Jesus) will be saved.
Agree
When we repent, we also commit to spend the rest of our lives learning to obey Jesus. Jesus is SAVIOR--only through His shed blood on the cross can we be saved. Jesus is LORD--He is the ruler over our lives.
Commit
Jesus is God. He died on the cross so we may be forgiven of sin. He rose from the grave on the third day, and will return as JUDGE of a final JUDGMENT DAY. On this day, Jesus will remove all wickedness from the earth and reward those who submit to Him by faith with eternal life.
REPENT
When we respond to the gospel by faith, submitting to Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are saved from coming judgment. The Holy Spirit BAPTIZES (SUBMERGES) us in Himself. We are in Him and He is in and surrounding us. When the Holy Spirit BAPTIZES a new believer, He transforms the believer into a new creation. He seals the believer with the seal of the King for redemption. He remains with the believer forever, helping the believer conform to the image of Jesus.
Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Because we are not always aware of the Holy Spirit's presence, and we don't always feel the Holy Spirit's dwelling, Jesus commanded that all new believers participate in a covenant ceremony--BAPTISM IN WATER. The word baptize means to submerge. The new believer is submerged in water so they may understand exactly what the Holy Spirit has done when they believed.
WATER BAPTISM is a physical picture of what the Holy Spirit has accomplished in the new believer. It is the perfect picture of our redemption.
Baptism in water
baptism
Jesus established the CHURCH (the congregation) on Peter's confession that Jesus is both Lord and Savior. When a new believer repents by faith and submits to Jesus, they are grafted into membership of the church. They are now a member of those who present themselves before the Lord to worship (serve) Him.
The local church
the church
the church covenant
Becoming a member
Over the course of time, those who follow Jesus have disagreed about how the Bible should be interpreted and applied. Groups of similar belief form DENOMINATIONS. Because most communities have several local churches of differing denominations, it is important for a new believer to enter into covenant with a local church that interprets and applies the Bible in such a way that the new believer agrees.
When a new believer joins the local church, they are entering into covenant with the rest of the believers in that congregation. This covenant is very simple at SLAYDEN BAPTIST CHURCH. We covenant together to help each other follow Jesus. Each of us recognizes that we need help from others to grow in our faith. We also recognize our responsibility to help those around us grow in their faith.
If you have submitted to Jesus as Lord and Savior, repenting by faith, you are already a member of the body of Christ (the church). Because you need help to grow in your faith, you need to enter into covenant with a local church. If you would like to join SLAYDEN BAPTIST CHURCH, please let our pastoral staff know by sending us an email!