Question: What is the Gospel?
Answer:
The Gospel is the good news of what Jesus Christ has done on our behalf. But why would Jesus need to do something on our behalf?
The Bible tells us that God is holy and created us in his image. He created us to be in close relationship with him and to know him well. (Gen. 1:26-28)
The problem is that we have sinned against God. Because God is holy, sinful beings cannot be near him so we cut ourselves off from him through our sin. (Gen. 3; Rom. 3:23) Not only did we cut ourselves off, but we also were then due a spiritual and physical death because of our sin. (Rom. 6:23).
The good news or Gospel, is that because of God’s great love for us, he sent His Son live a perfect life, die on the cross for our sins, then conquer death by raising from the dead. Because Jesus died for our sins on the cross and conquered death in the grave, we can now avoid spiritual death (Acts 2:24;Rom 4:25).
All that God asks from us is that we turn from our sins and trust in Jesus alone for forgiveness of sins (Acts 17:30;John 1:12). Jesus died for our sins in order to pay for our forgiveness, so that we would not have to! All he asks now is that we turn from our sins and trust in him so that we can have eternal life and live with him again (John 3:16)
Question: Who gets baptized?
Answer:
Baptism is an outward expression of the inward change in our lives. When a person accepts Jesus’ sacrificial work on our part (See What is the Gospel?), turns from their sin, and trust in him for forgiveness of sins, that person is now a part of the family of God. They are saved from their sin. Baptism is the public expression of this change. Baptism is the symbolic work of Christ; his death, burial, and resurrection from the grave. As one is immersed in water, they are symbolically saying that they are dying to sin, and being raised to new life in Christ (Rom. 6:3-4)
If you accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ, baptism would be your next step. Baptism was always the next step after believing (Acts 2:41;Acts 8:12;Acts 18:8). If you were baptized as a child or before you placed your faith in Jesus Christ, we would love to talk with you about your faith and if you should be rebaptized. Baptism is a matter of obedience to a command of Jesus (Matt. 28:19-20). Do you need to follow in obedience and be baptized?
