The revelation of the Lord our God is given in the testimony of the Old and New Testament scriptures. From there, we learn that all creation was made by the Lord and declared to be very good. Humanity was created male and female and uniquely created in His image (Genesis 1:26-27, 31). However, the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, were given access to every tree of the Garden of Eden, but they were forbidden to eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil lest they die (Gen. 2:16-17). Despite this warning, Adam sinned against the Lord by eating the forbidden fruit. This plunged Adam and all whom he represented into sin. Now, mankind, to the last man, woman, and child, is born sinful, hating God and His commandments (Genesis 3:1-6, Roman 5:12, Psalm 51:5). The Lord is holy and just. He cannot overlook any sin. Therefore, He threatens physical death (the cessation of life), spiritual death (alienation from Him and every truly good thing), and eternal death (hell) as the punishment for our sins (Romans 6:23).
However, out of His unmerited kindness, His willingness to show mercy to rebels, and His love for sinners, the Lord ordained a single way that people may be saved from slavery to their sins and from the wrath of God (Romans 5:6-11). He sent Jesus Christ, His only Son, to be born of a virgin (Luke 1:27, 31, 35). As Jesus is uniquely both fully God and fully man (John 1:1, 14), He alone is able to be the Savior of fallen sinners. Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life before His Father in heaven (Hebrews 4:15) and died on the cross for the sins of all whom the Lord had elected to salvation in Him (Isaiah 53:5-6, Romans 5:15-19; Romans 8:30). On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead to new, glorified life (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Having conquered death itself, He is able to offer eternal life with Himself to all who believe in Him (1 Corinthians 15:56-57; Acts 16:31; Romans 5:15-19).
Good deeds cannot make up for sin, and anyone who tries to earn their place before God will fail. Salvation is entirely the result of God’s grace, and He offers forgiveness in Christ for all of one’s sins, no matter how many or how great (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Anyone who will truly confess that they have sinned against the Lord and believe that Christ paid the cost of their sins will receive eternal forgiveness (Romans 10:9). The Lord justifies that person, freeing them from the guilt of their sins and declaring them righteous in Christ (Romans 4:5-8; Romans 5:15-19). He adopts them and calls them His children in Christ (Ephesians 1:5). He sanctifies them, helping them to die to their sins and live righteously (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Galatians 5:24).
Forty days after His resurrection, Christ ascended to Heaven and now sits at the right hand of His Father. From there, He rules over the world and mediates for His church (Acts 1:9-11; Hebrews 7:25). At the time appointed by God the Father, Jesus will return to earth to judge both the living and the dead (Acts 1:11; John 5:22-23; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Those who reject the Gospel offer of Christ’s forgiveness will be cast forever into the lake of fire, while those who accept the free gift of salvation offered in Christ will live eternally in the presence of God (Matthew 25:46; Revelation 21:1-8).