Good News
Wondering about God?
Do you have spiritual questions? Wanting to connect with God? Not even sure if God exists?
* Please see the bottom of the page for an important resource!
Everybody is at different places spiritually. However, wherever you may be, there are some basic Bible truths that serve as God’s “good news” to us.
- We were made by and for God. "Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth... whom I created for my glory" (Isaiah 43:6-7). If this is true, then we belong to God and should live for him.
- But we have all turned away from God. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Instead of delighting in dependence on God and desiring to live for God, we have treasured other things above God. We live self-directed, self-reliant lives.
- There are tragic consequences to our rejection of God. "The wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23). God is just to punish our rebellion by condemning us to eternal separation from his presence. This is the bad news of the Bible, and our condition would be hopeless if this was the end of the story. But against this dark backdrop, the light of God’s good news shines even brighter
- Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, came to rescue us from our sinful rebellion. "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..." (1 Timothy 1:15). The good news is that Jesus died for sinners, and paid the penalty for our sins. And he rose again from the dead to prove the sufficiency of his death to deliver us from the power of sin and death. By his death, he is able to bring us to God.
- We can have a relationship with God through faith in Jesus. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). There is no other name than the name of Jesus that we can call on to be saved. There is no other way to call on the name of Jesus than by faith. We cannot work to merit the gift of salvation; we can only receive it by faith. Faith means to turn from the deception of sin and put your trust in Christ.
More Questions?
If you’re searching for answers about God and Jesus, we encourage you to read the Bible (perhaps you might want to start with the Gospel of John). Also write down questions you may have about what you read, then ask a knowledgeable Christian, who may be able to point you to answers.
We hope that you will discover what countless others have found: that life really begins when you put your trust in Jesus Christ and treasure him as the greatest treasure of all. If we can be of help, please contact us.
Links
- Quest For Joy - www.desiringgod.org
- Seeking God - www.christianity.ca
- After "The Passion" - www.afterthepassion.com
- Power to Change - www.powertochange.org
The Gospel According to Isaiah
This message was delivered by Pastor Dan Smith just after arriving at Riverside, on February 11, 2007. It looks at the "good news" from God that the prophet Isaiah announced to his people and to us:
God loves us despite our failures. He wants us to turn to Him and be forgiven!
You can click on the download links to read (PDF) or listen (MP3) to God's message to you.
 The Gospel According to Isaiah (audio) | downloads: 384 | type: mp3 | size: 12 MB |
 The Gospel According to Isaiah (text) | downloads: 489 | type: pdf | size: 237 kB |