one | GOD
There is one God, the Creator, Sustainer, and King of all that exists (Gen. 1:1; Ps. 47:7; Col. 1:16–17), and he deserves all glory, worship, and honour (Ps. 148:1–5; Rev. 4:11). The Bible teaches that God is holy, good, loving, and just.
God is Holy
God is completely distinct, unlike anything in creation. He is wholly other and unique, for there is no one like God (Exod. 15:11; Ps. 89:6). Moreover, he cannot sin, nor can he tolerate or allow sin in his presence (Ps. 5:4; Hab. 1:13; Jas. 1:13).
God is Good
God is morally perfect, and he is thus the standard of goodness (1 John 1:5; Ps. 11:7). All that he does is good, and he does not struggle at all to tell right from wrong (Deut. 32:4; Ps. 9:7–8).
God is Love
God is that standard of what love is. He is unchanging in his generosity and mercy toward his creation, and so he gives to it various benefits (Ps. 103:8; Jas. 1:17). He causes the sun to rise and the rain to fall for the good of all humanity (Matt. 5:45), but he also demonstrated a particular love, throughout all of history, by choosing a people from every nation to whom and through whom he would extend his blessing, presence, and deliverance (Gen. 3:14–15; 12:1–3; Luke 2:29–32; Acts 1:8).
God is Just
God is the Lawgiver and Judge over all creation (Isa. 33:22; Ps. 9:7–8). He governs with perfect justice, rewarding those who live according to his law, and punishing those who break it (Ps. 37:28–29; John 5:28–29).
two | HUMANITY
God created humanity in his image, unique among his creation (Gen. 1:26–27). Human beings thus uniquely reflect God’s character, able to resonate with concepts like goodness, love, and justice. Moreover, humanity is to represent God on the earth according to his will.
Originally, humanity was created good and without any corruption (Eccl. 7:29). By virtue of our wilful rebellion against God, however, we have become totally corrupted. Though God is the standard of goodness, humanity has rejected this standard. This is lawlessness, and the Bible calls it sin (1 John 3:4). The Bible teaches that, due to this, all human beings are sinful to the core (Jer. 17:9), spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1–3), and enslaved by sin (John 8:34). Our total corruption is manifested in both our hatred of God and our love of sin.
Hatred of God
We have no fear of God in our hearts (Rom. 3:18), and we do not (indeed, we cannot) obey God as he deserves and commands (Rom. 8:7).
Love of Sin
We love our evil deeds (John 3:19), being swift to sin to great depths and breadths (Gal. 5:19–21).
In our own ways, we have all committed crimes against the holy, good, loving, and just God, and that makes us guilty before him (Isa. 53:6). The Bible says that the penalty for sin is death (Rom. 6:23), and that we deserve God’s eternal wrath (Mark 9:47–48; Rom. 1:18). Since he is a good Judge, God cannot allow evil to go unpunished (Ps. 89:14), for, even by human standards, overlooking evil would be unfair and unjust (Prov. 17:15; 18:5). All humanity, therefore, stands condemned.
three | SAVIOUR
The reality of our sin and corrupted nature before a holy, good, and perfectly just God poses a significant problem, whether we believe it or not: "How can we be right with God? How can we avoid God's judgment against us?"
The answers to these questions cannot be found in us (Rom. 7:24–25), for we are unable to change our corrupted nature (Jer. 13:23), and we cannot do anything to cancel the penalty of our sin and escape God's wrath (Isa. 64:6).
But God, who is love, came to seek and save the lost by sending Jesus Christ to receive the penalty for our sins (Matt. 1:21; Luke 19:10; John 3:16–17). Jesus, being truly God, entered into his creation in true human form by means of being born of a virgin (Luke 1:31–33). Thus, he is truly God and truly man (Phil. 2:5–7; Col. 2:9). He lived, died, and rose again from the dead.
Life
Like the rest of humanity, Jesus experienced the scope of what it is to be human. He was like us in every way, including being tempted to sin, but he did not share in our corrupt nature, and he never sinned (Heb. 2:17–18; 4:15). Rather, he perfectly obeyed God as the standard of goodness (Matt. 3:15). He is thus the only human being in existence who is innocent before God.
Death
Jesus willingly went to the cross, experienced the full measure of the wrath of God, and died for his people (Jer. 25:15; Mark 14:36). He did not deserve this, but gave himself up as a sacrifice for sins that he never committed (Isa. 53:4–5; Rom. 5:6–8). Since Jesus is innocent before God, he is the perfect substitute for the guilty, receiving the full penalty for the sins of his people (Mark 10:45). In exchange, his people are judged based on Jesus' righteousness, and not on their own sin (Rom. 3:23–26; 2 Cor. 5:21).
Resurrection
On the third day after he died and was buried, Jesus rose from the dead. This displays his authority over death (John 2:18–19), but most of all, it demonstrates that Jesus truly accomplished salvation on the cross, for God had accepted Jesus' death as the full payment of sins once and for all (1 Cor. 15:55–57; Heb. 10:12).
four | SALVATION
This is the gospel, the good news of Christianity. Throughout history, this good news has caused people to ask, "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 2:37; 16:30). Jesus Christ, who now reigns as Lord and King over all creation (Phil. 2:5–11; Col. 1:15–20), gives the answer: "Repent, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:14–15).
Repent
Have you recognised and confessed your sin? Then turn from them, and strive to live a life of obedience to Jesus and his commandments.
Believe
Do you believe that Jesus is who he says he is? Then trust him, the perfect Saviour of sinners, that he alone is able to save you from the consequences of all your sins – past, present, and future (Ps. 103:12).
If you believe in him, Jesus now calls you to "follow" him (Matt. 16:24–26). To learn more about what that means and looks like, we encourage you to find and become a part of a Bible-believing and Bible-preaching church.
You are always welcome to visit Strong Tower Church in Balwyn! We would be more than happy to chat with you, pray for you, and try to answer any questions that you may have.