Welcome to the Lighthouse, a place where we focus on how we can have relationship with God through His son Jesus Christ.
We believe that salvation is the free gift of God obtained by grace through faith, plus nothing. We believe that a person must received this grace by placing their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
…and together we will examine what the New Testament says about faith and forgiveness by…
Examing how Jesus came to earth, lived a sinless life, then sacrificed that life for anyone who would trust in him, which in turn brings us forgiveness and relationship with God. Together we will explore the scripture to see exactly what the New Testament says concerning salvation ( Some key verses we will focus on are: Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
Everyone has a journey in life that leads them to wonder if God is real and if he is, how can we know him? Thankfully we have the New Testament which was written to help us find the answers for ourselves. You may be one of the many people in the world that are trying to determine if you have been forgiven by God or if you even need forgiveness from God. This is a normal thing to want to get answers for so we have decided to help you on the journey. For the next few moments we wish to share with you exactly how a person may be saved and receive forgiveness of sin and a restored relationship with God. Everything we teach and share is so that you can understand for yourself this journey to God. To start however, let me ask you a few questions. First, “Have you ever felt disconnected from God? Do you wonder about your eternal soul? Do you want to find peace so that you don’t have to be afraid of life anymore?”
Have you trusted Christ for Forgiveness and Salvation?
The goal here is to help point you to the clear statements made in the New Testament that explain the free gift of salvation. In the first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) we are given an explanation of Who God is and how much he cares for us. He actually cares so much about having a relationship with us that he performed a miracle and sacrificed something so very special to himself so that we could be forgiven. This is called God’s plan of salvation for people. I know that many people wonder about all the religions of the world and ask the question ‘which one is right?’. To answer that we have to first define what religion is. Taking a look for yourself, you would see that most definitions will show that it is ‘man’s attempt to secure forgiveness from God through his actions and efforts’. No matter what text book definition you read, it will inevitably focus on the attempts of mankind to reconcile with God. But that teaching is not found in the New Testament.
In the New Testament we see God reaching out to man to provide to Him forgiveness and redemption. This is called the gospel message, or the good news. I can sit here all day and try to convince you that you need a savior, and that he is the man Jesus Christ. But that is not my job. My job is simply to tell you that God loves you and has a special plan for your life and has outlined this plan in the New Testament. You might have wondered that every time I reference the Bible I say “New Testament”. This is because the New Testament was written specifically to share God’s plan of salvation for both the Jewish people and any other nation (the gentiles) that wants to know Him. The old testament is specifically given as a history of the creation of man, the calling out by God of a people for His name, and how those people interacted with God during life. The culmination of the old testament is brought to fullness in the New Testament as the apostles and disciples share the words that Jesus Christ gave to them while he walked on the Earth. In the end, the New Testament is all you need to fully understand and trust in the gospel plan of salvation.
Also, please don’t think that God has made it hard for you to restore your relationship with Him. On the contrary, the entire process is based on facts, faith, and fulfillment. God wants you to understand the truth about His love for you and what He did to restore your relationship with Him.
Facts: in the book of Romans we are told that all mankind has sinned and fall short of God’s glory. What this means is that each of us was born into sin. Each of us stands condemned before God, not because of what we have done, but because of a curse that sprung forth from the disobedience and disbelief of Adam and Eve, and that curse spreads to everyone as they are born.
In Romans chapter 3 verse 10-12 we read “10 There is none righteous, not even one; 11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; 12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”. These statements are not written to make you feel bad about yourself, but to show a glimpse of the facts of what actually happened because of the fall of man in the garden. This must have broken God’s heart to see his creation choose sin and wrong over Him.
Faith: Next we have to take a look at faith, but not from the standpoint of man, rather from the standpoint of God. God loves us and wants the best for our lives. He actually loves us so much that he was willing to give His very own son to purchase our forgiveness. The greatest example of this is from the book of John, chapter 3 verses 16-17, “16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” In these words from Jesus Christ himself you can see the love God has for humanity, for you. Read the verses again, but this time substitute your name every time you see the word ‘World’. That’s how personal God is with you. And Jesus loved you so much that he allowed himself to die the worst sort of death so that he could make a way for you to receive forgiveness from God the father.
Fulfillment: In the four books of the gospel there is a single story, from all four writers, that shares the exact way in which Jesus made his sacrifice for us. This sacrifice is called the gospel, or good news. In 1 Corinthians 5 verses 3-5 we read, “3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time…” One of the things that makes the gospel message a truly remarkable event is that after Jesus rose from the dead, he was seen by over 500 believers. This event has been passed down through the ages to show that God cares very much for people. This entire event was foretold in the old testament many thousands of years in the past. That’s what makes this event so amazing. And he did all of this for you and for me. This is truly the act of a loving God.
So by this time you may asking the question, “how can I receive this free gift of forgiveness from God?” Well we discussed earlier that God has made it so simple to not only understand His love for us, but also how to receive it for ourselves. The only thing you need to do to trust Christ is to understand and accept the facts that he died, he was buried, and that he rose again according ot the scripture to purchase your freedom. I have placed some verses below that help you realize God’s love and your responsibility in the process.
Ephesians 2:8-9; “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
You are saved simply through Faith as it is a free gift from God. There is no work you can do to receive it, but simply placing your faith in Jesus Christ, for what he has already done for you. That act provides forgiveness to you by God and places you within his family.
John 1:12; “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name“
Receiving Jesus’ forgiveness is as simple as believing in His name. If I hand you a gift, it becomes yours only once you take it.
The same is true with belief in Jesus. He forgives you once you accept his free gift of eternal life.
Ephesians 1:7; “In Him (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses (sins), according to the riches of His grace”
This means that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for you, so that you would not have to pay for your sin yourself.
He did the hard work and offers forgiveness and relationship to all who will place their faith and trust in him.
1 Peter 1:18-19; “18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ (Jesus).”
There is nothing in this world that can be done to redeem us (no good works, no going to church or being a member of a church, no being nice to people).
It is simply the sacrifice that Jesus made and our trusting/believing in that finished work, that is what provides us with forgiveness (redemption).
If you have not yet placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, I ask that you would do that today. There is no special prayer or ritual that you need to do in order to receive his forgiveness. All you must do is stop trusting in yourself, or in the church, or in any works to find forgiveness. Tell God that you realize that He made a great sacrifice in giving his son to repair the broken relationship between him and you. Tell him that today you are placing your faith and trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness. Thank him for saving you and giving you a new life.
If you have decided to trust him today, then please let us know by sending an email to: saved@lighthousechurchfl.org. We have some materials to share with you that will help you in your new walk with Jesus. If you have already placed your faith in Christ and wish to know how you can be closer to God, just send us an email and tell us about yourself. We have some materials that will help in your journey to becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ.
We thank you for taking the time to come here and learn more about Salvation through Jesus. Have a blessed day and may God richly bless you!