The good news

The heart of the Christian faith in five short steps.

  1. God made us, and loves us

    You aren’t an accident. The Bible begins with God making the world and calling it good, and making people in his own image, to know him and enjoy him for ever. That’s why we long for meaning, beauty and love: we were made for them.

    God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.

    Genesis 1:27

  2. We’ve turned away

    But we have all gone our own way. We’ve wanted life on our own terms, without God. The Bible calls this sin. It shows up in what we do, and in what we fail to do, and it breaks our relationship with God, with each other and with the world.

    All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

    Isaiah 53:6

  3. Jesus came for us

    God didn’t leave us. He came himself, in Jesus. Jesus lived the life we should have lived, and then died on a cross, taking the consequences of our sin on himself, so that we could be forgiven and brought back to God.

    For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

    John 3:16

  4. He is alive

    Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. Hundreds of people saw him. That means he is who he said he was, death is not the end, and he offers new life to anyone who comes to him.

    For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

    1 Corinthians 15:3–4

  5. The invitation

    Jesus calls us to turn around (the Bible word is “repent”) and to trust him. It isn’t about being good enough or cleaning yourself up first. It’s receiving a gift: forgiveness, a fresh start, the Holy Spirit living in you, and a place in God’s family for ever.

    and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.”

    Mark 1:15

Want to respond?

If this rings true, you can talk to God right now. There are no magic words; it’s the attitude of your heart that matters. You could pray something like this:

Lord Jesus, thank you that you love me. I’m sorry for going my own way and for the wrong I have done. Thank you for dying for me and rising again. I turn to you and put my trust in you. Please forgive me, come into my life by your Holy Spirit, and help me to follow you. Amen.

If you’ve prayed that, welcome to God’s family! Please tell someone, so we can celebrate with you and help you take your first steps.

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