Every human on earth is sinful against the one true God. Any sin must be punished, and therefore every person is deserving of hell (everlasting torture)! No matter what you do on your own, you can never become good enough to avoid this sure punishment.
However, God Himself (the creator of the whole universe) came to earth as a human (Jesus) while still being fully God, lived the perfect life that none of us could possibly live, and then willingly sacrificed Himself on the cross. He died on the cross, was dead and buried, but then defeated death itself and rose from the grave!
When we, by his grace, turn away from our own sinful works and put our trust in him, his blood pays for our sin in our place and we are saved from everlasting torment into everlasting life!
Here are some points that every true Christian must believe (the “essentials”):
- Every True Christian recognizes that God is the Sovereign Creator of the Universe. (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Ps. 103:19)
- Every True Christian recognizes that God is Holy. (Isaiah 6:3; James 1:13)
- Every True Christian recognizes that mankind is Sinful. (Exodus 20:1-17; 1 Kings 8:46; Romans 3:10-12; James 4:17)
- Every True Christian recognizes that sin demands a Penalty. (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23a)
- Every True Christian recognizes that Jesus is Lord and Savior. (Romans 10:9; 1 Peter 3:18; Romans 3:23, 26)
- Every True Christian recognizes that true faith is accompanied by repentance from sin and placing their saving faith in the saving faith found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Luke 13:3,5; 1 Thess. 1:9; 1 Cor. 15:1-4)
At Lighthouse Baptist Church, we strive to relate to one another according to the general sentiment expressed by the following statement commonly attributed to Chrysostom: “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, charity. In all things, Jesus Christ.”