This document provides an overview of a class on the gospel and what it means to be a Christian. It discusses: - The gospel is the good news about God's salvation through Jesus Christ. It tells the story of God's kingdom and how Jesus redeems humanity. - All people are sinners deserving of God's judgment, but Jesus lived a perfect life and died for sins so all who believe in him can be forgiven and saved. - To become a Christian, one must admit they are a sinner, believe in Jesus as savior, consider fully committing their life to him, and trust in him alone for salvation rather than any good works. - Being a Christian means having a

2. Welcome!
“Every church is
different. Every
true church is a
thing of beauty in
its own unique
way.”

3. Class Material Available Online
• INSTRUCTIONS:
– Go online. Password is “grace4you”
– Go to www.christourhopechurch.com
– In Search bar, type & enter “connecting”
– Click on “Continue Reading”
– Each session is listed & downloadable
– HINT: At the back of each lesson, there is
an Answer Key for all fill-in-blanks.

4. Overview
• #1- Jesus & The
Church
• #2- The Gospel &
The Christian
• #3- Beliefs &
Doctrinal
Distinctives
• #4- Roots,
Relationships &
Rule
• #5- Mission &
Ministries
• #6- Church
Membership

5. Session #2:
The Gospel & The Christian
The Gospel is a
divine
message about
salvation.
 “I am not ashamed of the
gospel, for it is the power of
God for salvation to
everyone who believes…”
(Romans 1.16)
 “In Him, you also, when you
heart the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation,
and believed in Him, were
sealed with the promised
Holy Spirit.”
(Ephesians 1.13)

6. The Gospel & The Christian
The Gospel is a
divine
movement that
ensures the
world’s
redemption.
 “Of this you have heard
before in the word of truth,
the gospel, which has come
to you, as indeed in the
whole world it is bearing
fruit and growing- as it also
does among you, since the
day you heard it and
understood the grace of
God in truth.”
(Colossians 1.5b-6)

7. God’s Big Story
The Gospel The “Gospel of
The Kingdom”• The Christian Gospel tells
the true story of a “lost-
and-found” Kingdom.
• The Christian Gospel is the
“good news” about the
Kingdom of God.
• The Christian Gospel
explains our experience of
the world.
• And that is, that God will
save Planet Earth and make
it His Eternal kingdom.
• “Pray then like this:… ‘Your
kingdom come… on earth as
it is in heaven.’”
(Matthew 6.10)
• “And this gospel of the
kingdom will be proclaimed
throughout the whole world
as a testimony to all nations,
and then the end will come.”
(Matthew 24.14)

8. God’s Big Story
The Gospel of the Kingdom
• The Gospel is God’s Big
Story
• The Gospel is God’s Big
Story about “the Kingdom
of God”.
• And this Big Story- “the
Kingdom of God”- unfolds
in 4 dramatic epochs.
God’s Divine Drama:
• ACT 1-
“Paradise Created”
• ACT 2-
“Paradise Lost”
• ACT 3-
“Paradise Redeemed”
• ACT 4-
“Paradise Restored”

9. God’s Big Story
ACT 1: Paradise Created Our world is BEAUTIFUL because…
God created it “good.”
• “In the beginning,”
Paradise was experienced
as:
– Peace with God
– Peace within
– Peace & love among others
– Peace in the world
– Peace and harmony in
nature

10. God’s Big Story
ACT 2: Paradise Lost
Our world is BROKEN because…
in our selfishness, we initiated
and injected “evil” into the world.
• Because of sin, Paradise
Lost is experienced as:
– Alienation with God
– Anxiety within
– Adverse relationships
– Antagonism btwn nations
– “Acts of God” in nature

11. God’s Big Story
ACT 3:
Paradise Redeemed
While broken, our world has
INFINITE HOPE because…
Jesus conquered death and “evil”.• Because of Jesus, Paradise
Redeemed has only just
begun.
• Believers experience this as :
– New Life & Start with God
– Acceptance of Self
– New Love for Others
– New Motivation for Justice
– Motivation for Gospel
Mission

12. God’s Big Story
ACT 4: Paradise Restored
One Day, Some Day…
Jesus will return to our world to claim
His kingdom AND make all wrong right.• “He will wipe away every tear from
their eyes, and death shall be no
more, neither shall there be mourn-ing,
nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the
former things have passed away.”
(Revelation 21.4)
• Eternal Life will be experienced as:
– Eternal Joy in God
– Eternal Peace with Self
– Eternal Love for Others
– Eternal Harmony in the Cosmos
• “And he who was seated on the throne
said, ‘Behold, I am making all things
new.’” (Revelation 21.5)

13. The Gospel Message:
Q: What is GOD like?...
• God is HOLY.
– “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD
Almighty.” (Isaiah 6.3)
• God is JUST.
– “He will judge the world in
righteousness.” (Psalm 9.8)
– “The LORD will not leave the guilty
unpunished.” (Nahum 1.3)
• God is LOVING.
– “God is love.” (1 John 4.16)
• God is GRACIOUS.
– “Yet the LORD longs to be gracious
to you; He rises to show you
compassion.” (Isaiah 30.18)
Q: What is MAN’s situation?...
• We are SINNERS. We have each
sinned.
– “all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God.” (Romans 3.23)
• Because of this, we (& the
planet) are experiencing God’s
JUDGMENT.
– “the whole world lies in the power
of the evil one.” (1 John 5.19)
– “The wrath of God is being
revealed from heaven against all
the… wickedness…” (Rom. 1.18)
• As a result, we are SPIRITUALLY
DEAD and under God’s righteous
penalty.
– “For the wages of sin is death.”
(Rom. 6.23)

14. The Gospel’s Message:
The Good News About Jesus
Q: Who is JESUS?...
• Jesus is GOD.
– “I am the way, the truth and the
life.” (John 14.6)
• Jesus is a SAVIOR for sinners.
– “You shall call His Name Jesus, for
He will save His people from their
sins.” (Matthew 1.21)
• Jesus is God’s SUBSTITUTE
SACRIFICE for believers.
– “He is the propitiation (i.e. atoning
sacrifice) for our sins.” (1 John 2.2)
• Jesus is the ONLY PROVISION
for our greatest need.
– “There is salvation in no one else.”
(Acts 4.12)
Q: Why does it MATTER?...
• Jesus came to DESTROY EVIL.
– “The reason the Son of God
appeared was to destroy the
works of the devil.” (1 John 3.8)
• Jesus came to PROVIDE LIFE.
– “I came that they may have life
and have it abundantly.”
(John 10.10)
• Jesus came to FORGIVE SIN.
– “… through this Man, forgiveness
of sins is proclaimed to you.”
(Acts 13.38)
– “In [Christ] we have redemption,
the forgiveness of sins.”
(Colossians 1.14)

15. The Gospel’s Hope:
The Cross of Jesus means… • “God did not send His Son
into the world to condemn
the world, but in order that
the world might be saved
through Him.” (John 3.17)
• “God made him who had no
sin to be sin for us, so that
in him we might become the
righteousness of God.”
(2 Corinthians 5:21)

16. The Gospel Says:
“We can all be saved and forgiven…
Because of all Jesus did, is
doing and will do for us…
• Jesus LIVED the perfectly
righteous life we should
have all lived.
• And Jesus SUFFERED the
punishment and death we
all deserved.
• Jesus died and ROSE from
the dead for us!
And NOT because of any-
thing we do, or ever will do.
• Because of His holiness, we
could never be so good that
God would accept us.
– Being good, going to church,
working hard and being
successful is not enough.
• But because of His love, we
could never be so bad that
Jesus would not want us.
– “But if [salvation] is by grace, it
is no longer on the basis of
works; otherwise, grace would
no longer be grace.
(Romans 11.6)

17. Q: So how can a sinful person be
united with the One True God?

18. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth,
whoever hears my word and
believes him who sent me has
eternal life and will not be
condemned; he has crossed
over from death to life.”
(John 5.24)

19. A: Through faith- faith alone in
Jesus alone by grace alone.

20. So What is a Christian?...
• A Christian is someone
who believes God.
• A Christian is someone
who has believed the
Gospel.
• A Christian is simply a
sinner who has trusted in
Jesus for salvation.
• Only a Christian can truly
“know God”.
“A Christian is someone who
moves from knowing about
God in a distant way to
knowing God in a deeply
intimate and satisfying way.
No one is ever born a Christian.
Rather, you become a Christian
by accepting the truth of the
gospel message for yourself.
Through placing your personal
trust and hope for change in
Jesus, you become a new
person with a transformed
heart. An intense ‘once-for-all-
time’ transaction has taken
place between you and God.”
– Tim Keller

21. “Being a Christian is not an acquired skill
or discipline like diving or ice skating. It
is a living, vital relationship with the God
of the universe, a relationship that begins
when a person becomes a new creation in
Him and receives Jesus as Lord by faith.”
- R.C. Sproul

22. What We All Must Do:
• We must all RECOGNIZE
our sinfulness.
• We must all RECEIVE
Jesus by faith- by
believing the Gospel.
• We must all REPENT of
our sins and our sinful
lifestyles.
• Because TRUE SAVING
FAITH must include…
• Factual KNOWLEDGE &
Personal TRUST
– “If you confess with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord and believe in
your heart that God raised Him
from the dead, you will be
saved.” (Romans 10.9)
• True CONFESSION &
Sincere COMMITMENT
– “Have mercy on me, O God… and
cleanse me from my sin!.. Create
in me a clean heart… Then I will
teach transgressors your ways
and sinners will return to You.”
(Psalm 51.1, 2, 10, 13)

23. “The New Testament word for repentance
means changing one’s mind so that one’s
views, values, goals and ways are changed
and one’s whole life is lived differently. The
change is radical, both inwardly and out-
wardly; mind and judgment, will and affect-
ions, behavior and life-style, motives and
purposes, are all involved. Repenting means
starting to live a new life.”
– J.I. Packer, Concise Theology:
A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs

24. It’s as Simple as A-B-C-D:
“There is something to…”
• ADMIT- that you are a
sinner in need of help.
• BELIEVE- God and His
Gospel about Jesus the
Substitute-Savior
• CONSIDER- the cost of
this lifelong commit-
ment.
• DO- Trust in Jesus for the
forgiveness of all your
sins and for eternal life.

25. Next time:
SESSION # 3-
Beliefs & Doctrinal
Distinctives