Victory Gospel Church | Bringing Hope Helping and Healing | Southampton's Local Church| Spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ

Salvation is getting right with God. Every person needs to get right
with God and He has made it so easy because he desperately loves you.
As you take time to read through this simple course you will learn
what it means to be saved and you will be given the opportunity to
get right with God.

1. Why do I need to be saved?
2. What is sin?
3. Why Christ died
4. The power of the cross
5. Becoming a child of God
6. The benefits of a new life
7. A prayer for salvation
8. What now?

WHY DO I NEED TO BE SAVED?

When God creatged man, he created a sinless and perfect being, made
in the very likeness of God Himself. He gave man a freee will to
choose between right and wrong.

We were created to live in a relationship of love and unity with Father
God. But man chose to disobey God's laws. At the creatgion, when
Adam sinned, his disobedience caused sin to enter the world.

Romans 5 v 12
"Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered uinto the world, and
death by sin; and so death passed upon all men. for that all have
sinned."

WHAT IS "SIN"?

Originally, the word 'sin' was used by archers when their arrows failed
to hit the bulls eye on the the target. In other words, they 'missed
the mark'. When we sin, we miss the mark of all that God intended
for our lives.

The Bible tells us in Roimans 3 v 23, "all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God".

We all share the inheritance of a sinful nature at birth. We cannot
help but express that sinful nature, because our minds, wills and
emotions are centred on self, rather than God.

Everyone is born into this world as a sinner, in opposition to God's
purposes and in need of forgiveness. In this conditionm, we are unacceptable
to God. Without a new birth and a new nature we will remain unacceptable.

John 3 v 3 "Jesus said: Except a man be born again, he cannot enter
the Kingdom of God."

WHY CHRIST DIED

We cannot forgive our own sin. We cannot make ourselves acceptable
to God by what we do.

God loves YOU. Whoever you are, whatever situation you may be in,
God desires to forgive you and to bring you into a relationship of love and fellowship with Himself. We do not deserve

His forgiveness but God is Love. That love caused Him to give up His own Son, His most precious possession, in order to

save you.

John 3 v 16 "For God so loved tghe world, that He gave His only Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life."
Sin causes man to be separated from God; alienated from the Father.
Only through the shedding of blood is forgiveness of sin possible.

Only a perfect sacrifice of a sinless, holy and righteous life could
be a worthy and acceptable offering for sin. Only the Blood of Jesus
could be shed as payment for our sins.

God has proved His love for you. Jesus took your place. He paid
the price so that your life could be redeemed. So that you could
be set free.

THE POWER OF THE CROSS

Jesus' death on the cross was a completed work. The full punishment
for our sin and sinful nature was dealt with when Jesus became sin
for us. (2 Corinthians 5 v 21)

When Jesus cried out "It is finished" (John 19 v 30), it was not a
cry of defeat, but of victory. The debt had been paid. He had released
the power of God's forgiveness, grace and healing to anyone who would
ask for it. He had restored fellowship between God and man. The
gap had been bridged.

Jesus not only destroyed the power of sin on the cross, but He also
destroyed the power of death. On the third day, Christ arose, triumphant
over death, hell and satan.

John 5 v 24 "He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent
me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but
is passed from death unto life."

We have been saved from eternal destruction through the resurrection
of Christ. It is possible for you to have this eternal life now;
your new life with Jesus can begin this very moment through an act
of faith.

BECOMING A CHILD OF GOD
Becoming a Christian involves a simple act of faith which will change
your life forall eternity. You will need to ask God's forgiveness - to turn away
from the sin in your life, and ask God to save you and set you free.

Then you must believe - faith is not something "superspiritual"; it
is a decision, an action - something that you must choose to do.
You have a free will - the choice is yours alone.