My Gospel Story

I was a child when I first met Jesus. My parents had just moved the family from Long Beach, California to Scottsdale, Arizona for my dad’s new job in 1978. Although my mother grew up going to church, we had an agnostic household. We only went to church when we visited my grandparents on vacation.

Our new house was only a block away from my elementary school. One of my classmates invited me to the small church that met in the school on Sunday mornings. With my parents’ permission, I started attending Sunday school with my new friend. It was there that I first heard and understood that Jesus loved me.

First, I learned about sin. The Bible says we all have sinned.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
— Romans 3:23

All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him. — Isaiah 53:6

Even as a child, I understood. The Bible defines sin simply as knowing the right thing to do, but doing wrong anyway (James 4:17). It is missing the mark, failing to meet the standard set by God. Imagine trying to hit an impossible target with a bow and arrow. Nobody can make a perfect shot. Everyone misses. You. Me. Everybody.

The teacher explained to us that there is an unavoidable penalty for sin.

For the wages of sin is death, — Romans 6:23a

Death entered the world when Adam and Eve first sinned, but there is a second death that is far worse — to die without knowing Jesus as your Savior. The good news, or the "gospel" as it is commonly called, is that Jesus paid the price for your sins and mine. He died in our place.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. — Romans 5:8

Jesus did not stay dead for long. Three days later, He rose from the dead as proof that the payment for our sins had been accepted. He now offers forgiveness of sins and abundant eternal life to whoever will trust Him and accept what He has done.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. — Romans 6:23

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
— John 10:10b

When I first heard this news, I could hardly believe it. I thought, "Why didn’t anyone tell me this before? Jesus really loves me this much? I want to know Him the same way that the teacher knows Him!" She also taught us to memorize Bible verses. I still remember my first memory verse.

I will never leave you, nor forsake you. — Hebrews 13:5b

The comforting truth of those words sank deep into my heart. Knowing that God would never leave me or forsake me made me feel more secure than I had ever been before. On that Sunday morning, when she led us in a prayer to ask Jesus into our hearts, I silently followed along and asked Jesus to be my Savior. Even at such a young age, I knew my life was forever changed!

Within a few years, we moved to Flagstaff for another job transfer. I spent the remainder of my childhood there. My teenage years were full of spiritual peaks and valleys. I regularly attended a local church youth group. They helped me stay connected with a local church, but I still did not know how to live as a Christian. Nevertheless, it was a seminal time in my Christian journey. I made my first public declaration of faith there and was baptized at the age of fourteen.

When I graduated from high school and left for college in 1989, I entered another deep spiritual valley. I felt like I was on my own in the world. The freedom to do whatever I wanted was both intimidating and intoxicating! Even though I connected with other Christians on campus, I found myself crawling after my old sinful ways that I had experimented with as a teenager. It wasn't long before I dropped out of school and took a job so I could pay rent. I felt so empty and alone!

Then one night in 1991, when I was alone in my apartment, lightening struck! I was watching a comedy show on television that mocked Jesus. It offended me deeply. "But why," an accusing voice seemed to ask, "What do you care? You live like a sinner and then you're upset when someone mocks Christ? Hypocrite!" It cut me to the quick. I turned off the T.V. The room grew deathly silent. The air seemed heavy. I closed my eyes. I feared that if I opened them I would see Jesus Himself standing there. Then, a quiet voice in my mind reminded me of the memory verse I had learned as a boy.

I will never leave you, nor forsake you. — Hebrews 13:5b

My Father was calling me home. With my eyes still closed, I cried out to Him, admitted my sin and asked Him to forgive me. Such a weight lifted from my heart at that very moment. I knew that I was free in Christ, and my sins were forgiven. I have never doubted my salvation in Jesus again.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
— 1 John 1:9

What will you do?

I put my hand to the plow that day and have not looked back. I invite you to do the same! Will you place your trust in Jesus today? If you believe, I invite you to pray a prayer like this. You can use your own words if you like.

Father in heaven,

Thank you for sending Your Son Jesus to die in my place. I trust Him as my Savior. Thank you for saving me from my sin. Thank you for raising Jesus from the dead to give me new life. I will love You and serve You forever.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Your Eternal Security

If you have trusted Jesus, you need to know that you are secure in Him. He said,

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." — John 5:24

Remember these words. Memorize them. Let them be your first memory verse! They will serve you well if you ever doubt the decision you made today.

The Next Step

The next step for you is to grow in your new relationship with Jesus. Here are two things you will need:

• A Bible — Start reading one of the Gospels at the beginning of the New Testament. They are a perfect introduction to the life and work of Jesus.
  
• A church — Every Christian needs the fellowship of other believers and good teaching to grow. There are likely many good churches in your area. Ask me! I may be able to suggest one.

Lastly, if you decided to trust Jesus today, please let me know. I want to pray for you and help you grow in your relationship with Him. This is the most important decision you have ever made!

My Doctrinal Statement Concerning Scripture

"Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Thy law."
- Ps. 119:18

"And I shall delight in Thy commandments, which I love."
- Ps. 119:47

I believe that all Scripture is God-breathed, and thus inerrant.  The body of Holy Scripture is the accepted canons of the Old and New Testaments as given in the Protestant tradition; 39 books in the Old, 27 books in the New, 66 in total.  The Bible itself is revelation.  All that it affirms and teaches [1] is "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man [person] of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16b-17 [New American Standard Version, 1977]).

Inspiration

"All Scripture is inspired" (2 Tim. 3:16a).  The Apostle Paul used the Greek word transliterated "theopneustos" where our modern English translators used "inspired."  Unfortunately, "inspired" carries so much baggage of nuanced meaning that it must be explained.  "Theopneustos" may be accurately translated as "God-breathed."  God did not breathe life into the written words of man.  Rather, God breathed out the words themselves.  The very words in the original manuscripts (autographa) came from the mouth of God.  By "mouth of God," we use an anthropologic metaphor in an attempt to comprehend the mechanism by which the infinite God who is Spirit communicates His words to finite humankind.  This is not to say that God dictated the Scriptures to their human authors.  The Apostle Peter explains, "But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Pet. 1:20-21).  In His providence, God chose the human authors and superintended them to write His words without error.  The Holy Spirit moved them, using their individual personalities, cultures, life experiences, and writing styles to compose and record precisely the words He wanted to say, just as He wanted to say them [2].

Inerrancy

All Scripture is inerrant.  Inerrancy is a logical corollary of inspiration.  God is truth.  His Word is truth (John 17:17).  With Him, "there is no variation, or shifting shadow" (James 1:17).  When God speaks, His words are without error.  Their form and content are always perfect: precisely what He wanted to say and absolutely true.  God is incapable of error.  He cannot lie (Heb. 6:18).  This is not to say, however, that He guarantees the subsequent transmission of His words to be free from error.  Such errors are relatively easy to find in our copies of His Word today, but the content of the message remains intact.  Transmission errors and apparent discrepancies in the text, even those difficult to explain, do not detract from what the Bible affirms and teaches.  The "sacred writings" are still able to "give [us] the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 3:15).

Authority

Scripture is the Word of God.  Thus, it is invested with all divine authority.  There are no degrees of authority.  All that the Bible affirms and teaches is unqualifiedly authoritative in the life of every believer and nonbeliever alike.  It is the revelation of God whether one reads it or not.  For those that read it, believe its message of salvation in Jesus Christ and trust in His finished work, the result is eternal life that no power in heaven or earth can revoke.  For those that disbelieve its message, whether they have read it or not, a fate worse than death awaits that is equally sure.  The Lord knows all those who are His.  No one shall snatch them out of His hand (John 10:27-29).

Sufficiency

Scripture is enough.  It is wholly sufficient "for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:17).  The "sacred writings" are able to "give [us] the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."  Leading us to salvation in Jesus is its primary good work.  For the believer, its sufficiency continues in its profitability "for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:17) [3].  This not to say that there is no truth or revelation outside the Bible, for the Bible itself declares that there is.  See Psalm 19 and Romans 1:18-22 for example.  God Himself is truth, and He exists apart from His Word.  We come to the written Word of God to meet the Author, and it is perfectly suited to the task.

Canonicity

The canon is a closed question.  We have the Scriptures today precisely as God intended.  The details by which the canon was determined and assembled by the leaders of the early Christian church are outside the scope of this personal doctrinal statement.  I trust the providence of God and the established tradition of the church that delivered to me the Bible that I hold in my hands today.  I have read all its contents and, by God’s grace, have sought to apply everything it affirms and teaches to my life.  It has changed my life the way no other written word has.  My personal experience bears witness with innumerable other Christians today and through the ages.  This is no ordinary book.  It is the Book of God.  To question its canonicity would cast doubt on all of the other doctrines subsequent to inspiration in this statement.

[1] Throughout this doctrinal statement, the phrase "all that the Bible affirms and teaches" assumes that a proper hermeneutic (interpretive technique) is applied.

[2] For the record, I agree categorically with the content of C. Henry’s "The Authority and Inspiration of the Bible" article in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, 1:3-35.

[3] The Bible is not sufficient for every good work we can think of;  e.g., it will not help me mow my lawn or fix my car.  Rather, it is sufficient for every good work it affirms and teaches.  It is sufficient "for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness."