Sin
Romans 3:23 says, "...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The world is filled with sin. Each of us has sin in our lives, and we can see sin in the world all around us. Yet there is a steep cost for our sin: sin causes pain, despair, depression, anger, suffering. Sin causes us to be separated from God, unworthy and unacceptable in his sight.

The Price For Sin
But God's love for humanity, for each of us, is far bigger and far more amazing than we could ever fathom (1 John 3:1). More than anything, God desires for us to be reconciled with him, to live in relationship with him. But in order for that to happen, a price had to be paid to redeem the cost of our sin.

The Price Has Been Paid
God sent his only son, Jesus, the promised and prophesied Messiah, to become a man...to walk this earth in human skin...to show us how to live sinless lives in relationship with God. Yet the very people that Jesus came to save rejected him and killed him, crucifying him on a cross...one of the most excruciating and shameful ways to die.

Jesus could have saved himself; could have chosen not to go to the cross and die. But he chose to die in order to pay the price for our sin! Jesus paid the ultimate penalty for us, dying in our place, taking the punishment for our sin. He sacrificed himself so that we might be reconciled with God.

Death...and Sin...Conquered
When Jesus died, it was the darkest day humanity has ever seen. His followers were anguished and devastated with the thought that Jesus was dead. Yet three days later, Jesus walked among them again! He had risen from the dead, proving that he was, indeed, the Son of God, and that he had the authority and the ability to forgive our sins. Jesus died with the weight of humanity's sins on his shoulders, and when he rose again, he showed that he had conquered death...and, in so doing, conquered sin.

Salvation
All that we need to do to gain salvation and eternal life is acknowledge (admit) and repent of (reject; turn away from) our sin; accept Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God; and enter into relationship with the living God.

Unconditional Love
God loves us unconditionally, with no strings attached. No matter what we've done or how "bad" we feel that we are, God's love offers us forgiveness. We are welcomed back into fellowship with him because the penalty...the punishment...for our sins was paid by Jesus on the cross.

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Rom. 10:13)

A Free Gift?
Because of God's unconditional love for us, he offers us salvation as a free gift. Salvation was not free...there was a tremendous price for all of our sin. But Jesus has already paid the price! Salvation is free for us because it was not free for Jesus.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 6:23)

A Fresh Start
Entering into relationship with God is like getting a fresh start in life; a clean slate. Nothing that has come before matters. Any guilt or shame that we may have over our past deeds, attitudes, or actions, is completely wiped away. Jesus told his followers that it was like being born again, but in a spiritual sense rather than a physical one:

Jesus answered him, 'Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.' Nicodemus said to him, 'How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?' Jesus answered, 'Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.' (John 3:3-6)

God desires to offer us a fresh start in life. It doesn't matter what we've done, where we've been, or how far away from God we think we are. It's only one step back to him.

New Life
Once we choose to accept the fresh start that God offers us, once we accept Jesus and enter into relationship with God, is that it? No! Becoming a Christian doesn't mean all of our problems will magically go away, or even that our sin will suddenly stop. We are still humans...sinful creations...living in a world with sin all around us. But God's desire is to transform us into the people that he wants us to be.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Rom. 12:2)

Jesus set an example for us, as the only sinless human being that ever lived. Once we enter into a relationship with God, we set Jesus as our example, our standard.

"All of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image..." (2 Cor. 3:18)

Baptists take our name and our practice of immersion from the act of baptism that Jesus commanded (Mk 16:16), and received himself (Mt. 3:13-17). But baptism, as Jesus taught the disciples, is an outward reflection, or symbol, of our inner faith. Being immersed into the water symbolizes Christ's death; being raised up from the water symbolizes Christ's resurrection from the dead and, more importantly, the new life that we have as followers of Jesus.

Baptism, then, is a reflection of the new life, the new creation we become when we enter into relationship with Jesus. God wants to transform us from our former, sinful selves, and into new creations in Christ. We leave behind our old selves, our old lives of sin, and we become new people...people who

"So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Re-new-ed Life
Although there is tremendous peace and overwhelming joy that comes from new life in Christ, living as a follower of Jesus is not easy. It means acting in ways that are contrary to what our world teaches, promotes, and expects. It's not easy to make the right choices, to act in ways that honor God and live up to Jesus' teachings and commandments. But when we ground our faith in God's word and in prayer, we discover that God always gives us the strength that we need to face each day and to live as his people.

"So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day." (2 Cor. 4:16)

Jesus also promises us that, in the midst of life's challenges and trials, we only need to go to him to find rest:

"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Mt. 11:28-30)

Abundant Life
God's promise is that, when we enter into a relationship with him through our faith in Jesus, we will experience life more abundantly than we can imagine.

"I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)

God's Word
The basis and foundation for all understanding of God's will and plan for all humanity (including each of us!) is the Holy Bible. The Bible is God's revealed word to humankind, and is sufficient for all matters of life and faith.