​

  WHO IS GOD?

​

There was a time when only God existed in a place called heaven. There were no angels, no human beings, and no animals. During that period, there was nothing in the world. God had not laid the foundation of the world or created anything, and everything we see now did not exist.

​

Who is this God, how does He look, and how does He act? God is eternal, meaning He had no beginning and His existence will never end. God is immutable, meaning He is unchanging; this, in turn, means that God is absolutely reliable and trustworthy. He will remain incorruptible and cannot lie. God is incomparable; there is no one like Him in works or being.

​

God is omnipotent, meaning He is all-powerful and can do anything that pleases Him. God is omnipresent, meaning He is present everywhere at the same time. God is omniscient, meaning He knows the past, present, and future, including what we are thinking at any given moment. God is righteous and holy, meaning that God cannot and will not pass over wrongdoing. He always punishes sin. God sees all evil, and it angers Him. God is gracious, and His grace includes His goodness, kindness, mercy, and love.

​

God is sovereign, meaning He is supreme; no one or anything can stop His purpose or plan for anybody or the world. God is a spirit, meaning He is invisible; you cannot see Him like we can see each other. God is a Trinity. Every human is one being, but God is three beings in one. The three beings that form one God have names, and they are: THE FATHER, THE SON (JESUS CHRIST), and THE HOLY SPIRIT. All three beings have the same power.

​

  CREATION

 

• Creation of Angels

​

God first created the angels to be with Him in heaven before He created any of the things we see in the world today. The Bible also calls the angels the morning stars or the sons of God. Angels are personal spiritual beings who have intelligence, emotions, and will. Although they do not have true physical bodies, they can occasionally take on physical bodies. The angels have functions they perform for God. One of their functions is to worship God around His throne in heaven. They are also used by God to serve His children in different ways.

​

One of the angels was called Lucifer, but later he was called Satan or the Devil in the Bible. Satan was described as the highest of all angels and the most beautiful of all of God’s creations. Because they are created beings, their knowledge is limited. This means they do not know all things as God does. They do seem to have greater knowledge than humans.

​

• Creation of the World and Human Beings

​

The next thing God did was to create the world we see now. God’s word is powerful, so He used His word to create almost all of the things in the world. The Bible tells us in the Book of Job that the angels were happy as God created the world and worshiped Him. The Bible tells us that God created the world in 6 days, and after each day, He declared what He had created to be good. God stopped creating anything else on the seventh day because creation is complete.

​

Creation Day 1

God creates the physical universe beyond the Earth's atmosphere and the Earth itself. He then created the day and night.

​

Creation Day 2

God creates the sky.

​

Creation Day 3

God creates dry land and all plant life.

​

Creation Day 4

God creates all the stars, the sun, the moon, and heavenly bodies. The movement of the sun and moon helps us distinguish day from night.

​

Creation Day 5

God creates all life that lives in the water, such as the fish. God also makes all the birds.

​

Creation Day 6

God creates all the creatures that live on dry land. God also created the first man named Adam, and later, from him, He made the woman named Eve, both in His image.

​

When God was creating man, God made mankind in His own image, and thus mankind is special above all other creatures. He makes them male and female and places them in authority over the earth and over all the other creatures.

 

God placed them in a garden called Eden. God blesses them and commands them to reproduce, fill the earth, and bring the earth under the rightful stewardship as authorized by God. Human beings are called by God to be caretakers of His world. Everything God created was good.

​

  SIN IN HEAVEN

​

After God had completed His creation, one of the angels, called Lucifer and later called Satan, rebelled against God in heaven because of pride. He wanted to be God. He desired to be God, not to be a servant of God. He was not content in his position and desired to take over the rule of the universe from God. God therefore cast him out of heaven because heaven is no place for the wicked one. Some of the angels joined Satan in his rebellion, and they were also cast down from heaven to the earth.

 

Satan’s end has been declared by God, and his evil actions will not continue forever. In the future, God will put Satan and all the angels who rebelled with him in hell. These fallen angels are called unclean spirits or demons in the Bible. The name Satan means the adversary, and the name Devil means the slanderer. So Satan is both an adversary and a slanderer.

​

  SIN IN THE WORLD

​

God did not create sin. He created all the angels, including Satan, good. He created all the animals, trees, and human beings good. But He created the angels and human beings with free will, who can sin. Sin is a failure to fully obey God’s law and live the way He wants.

​

In addition to caring for the world, we were made to remain in communion with God, trusting His ways and obeying Him. This is the choice God gave Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden: “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die’” (Genesis 2:16).

​

God gave Adam and Eve a choice: would they trust in God’s definition of right and wrong, or would they prefer to set their own definitions? Would they continue to depend on God, or would they declare themselves independent of Him? Satan, who had already rebelled against God, convinced Adam and Eve to doubt God’s wisdom and desire to be free from God. How did they sin?

 

Satan came to the garden like a serpent and deceived Eve, and she ate the fruit God had asked them not to. After she had sinned against God, her husband Adam willfully followed her actions, and he also ate the fruit. Both Eve and Adam rebelled against God just like Satan did. Satan tempted humanity to sin, and he has continued that practice ever since.

​

  WHAT HAPPENED AFTER ADAM AND EVE SINNED?

​

Before Adam and Eve sinned, God had told them in the garden that they would die if they ate from the tree He had asked them not to. After they had sinned, the consequences followed swiftly. Because of their disobedience, they became separated from God. The communion they had with God was broken. Every human being who has lived in this world in the past, presently, and in the future came from Adam and Eve. They are the first parents of Asians, Africans, Europeans, Whites, Blacks, Latinos, and any other groups of people. Since Adam and Eve sinned, all humans who came from them have inherited their corruption and have been born with a sin nature and an ability to sin. We also inherited the curse God has placed on them.

​

Every human being is naturally inclined to sin. You don’t teach children how to sin; they are born with that sinful nature. Children start telling lies, disobeying parents, hitting people, and saying no to good advice from childhood. Women now suffer pain during childbirth, relationships between people turned to conflict, and the entire creation came under God’s curse. Death entered the world. All the wars in this world, betrayals of people, conflicts in marriages, murder, suicide, diseases, pain, etc., are all the result of the sin of Adam and Eve.

​

  HUMAN PROBLEM

​

When some of the angels sinned with Satan, God cast them out of heaven because no sinner can be there. God is holy, so He will always punish sin. Because of Adam, all human beings have become sinners, not some, but everyone born into this world. Everyone who came to this world by birth sins because we were born with the nature to sin. Sadly, sin is the only thing that can break a relationship with God. Every human being, therefore, has a broken relationship with God. In the Old Testament, God gave the people of Israel His standard for living, His Law, which we call the Ten Commandments. The requirement of the Law is so stringent that no human being could possibly follow it perfectly. Even today, we are not able to keep God’s Ten Commandments perfectly; we are not able to do the good things God wants us to do, but unfortunately, we do love to do the bad things God hates. We think of bad things, and love to support evil things.

​

Despite all the good things so many people try to do, we have all sinned, and the punishment for sin is separation from God, which is also called eternal death or hell. In order for us to go to heaven, God’s dwelling place, rather than hell, sin must be somehow removed or paid for. God’s Law however established the fact that cleansing from sin can only happen through the bloody sacrifice of an innocent life, according to Hebrews 9:22. If you don’t get an innocent life to sacrifice his blood to remove your sins or pay for them, then you have to pay for them yourself by going to hell, a place of eternal suffering, a place of eternal regret, a place where Satan and the fallen angels will be forever.

​

How and where do we get an innocent life to sacrifice his or her blood for us to remove our sins or pay for them? Is there anyone in the world who is sinless and innocent to sacrifice his or her blood to pay for our sins? No, there is none. Everyone in the world is a sinner; we all sin because we all came from Adam and Eve by birth. This is the problem of every human being. We do not know how our sins can be removed so that we can escape hell and go to heaven.

​

  WHAT HAVE HUMAN BEINGS DONE ABOUT THEIR PROBLEM WITH SIN?

​

In the Old Testament, the Law allowed animal sacrifices to be offered year after year to remove the sins of the people of Israel, but none of the bulls and goats they sacrificed could permanently pay for their sins. We read from Hebrews 10:4, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

Throughout human history, people have tried several other means to pay for their sins, have their sins removed, and reestablish the broken relationship between God and human beings, but none have worked. Some people have tried to do good things with the hope that God would accept them and not send them to hell, but good deeds are not enough to pay for sins or save anyone from hell.

​

Some have practiced kindness and compassion towards others, but they are not enough to pay for sins or send anyone to heaven. Some have engaged in regular prayer to build a personal relationship with God, but it doesn’t work either. Some participate in community service to help those in need, but it doesn’t save anyone from hell.

​

Some have tried other religious activities such as baptism, holy communion, going to church regularly, and becoming missionaries, but none of these things can remove their sins or save anyone from hell.

This means there is nothing anyone can do to go to heaven, there is nothing anyone can do to pay for his or her sins, and we are all on our way to hell if we continue trying to save ourselves. This is bad news for every human being.

​

  WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR MANKIND.

​

When we were desperate, realizing that none of our efforts could remove our sins or pay for them, God revealed to us His good news. We call this good news the gospel. Out of love, God provided a way for men and women to pay for our sins, to remove all of our sins, and be saved from hell. God Himself provided an innocent life to sacrifice His blood to remove our sins or pay for our sins so that we can be with Him in heaven and escape hell.

​

The innocent life God provided is His own Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus came down from heaven, took on a human body like us, lived a normal life like us, but He never sinned. He did not commit any of the many sins we are engaged in. This makes Him qualified to be the innocent life to sacrifice His blood to pay for our sins. How did He sacrifice His blood to remove our sins?

​

FIRST. JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR US.

​

There was an exchange. Our sins were exchanged for His righteousness. Our past sins, present sins, and future sins were placed on Jesus, who had no sins, and His righteousness was placed on us. Father God made His Son, who had no sin, to become sin so that we might become the righteousness of God. Your sins, my sins were placed on Jesus, all of our sins were transferred on Jesus, and instead of us dying for our sins, Jesus died for those sins, and we now have His righteousness placed on us. His righteousness has been transferred to us just as our sins were transferred to Him. God will no longer condemn those who have Jesus’ righteousness to hell because all of their sins have been removed and placed on Jesus.

 

SECOND. JESUS CHRIST RESURRECTED FOR US.

​

Jesus not only died for sinners, but He also resurrected after 3 days in the tomb. There was an empty tomb after His burial. The raising of Christ literally from the dead was the assurance of Father God that our punishment, our sins, have been paid in full and that Jesus blood sacrifice has been accepted. We no longer have to pay for our sins by going to hell since they have been paid in full, and God has accepted the payment. Jesus Christ was raised again from the dead to assure us that God was satisfied with His work in paying off all of our sins – past, present, and future.

​

THIRD. JESUS CHRIST ASCENDED TO HEAVEN FOR US.

​

Jesus Christ not only died for sinners but was raised to life; and not only that, but He also ascended to heaven to Father God. He is seated now at the right hand of Father God. After His sacrifice, He ascended to God and sat down because the work of removing all of our sins is finished, no more sacrifices are needed for payment of our sins, and sin has been fully dealt with, nothing left to offer. Our forgiveness is complete.

​

God no longer wants anything from us as payment for our sins. Christians are not standing before God, striving to be accepted by their obedience to the Law, church attendance, nationality, sacraments, or any other good works. Christians are resting in what Christ accomplished for them. This is what the Bible says to the Christians, “Their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12.

​

FOURTH. JESUS CHRIST IS INTERCEDING FOR US.

​

Even though Jesus' work for our salvation has been completed, He continues to work for us from heaven. Suffering is part of being a Christian. God uses suffering in so many ways to help Christians become faithful to God. Christ knows from experience the sufferings in this world, and He is actively praying for us to endure every suffering directed towards us. Jesus is praying for us from heaven so that our faith does not fail and we become strong Christians.

​

  WHAT MUST YOU DO TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN? The "KAT" Acronym.

​

Nothing. You don’t need to do any good works to pay for your sins. You already have an innocent life, Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His blood to pay for your sins, to remove your sins, and to take you to heaven. Going to heaven is a gift from God; no one worked for it. Jesus Christ is in heaven now because He has paid for all of your past, present, and future sins. All you have to do is repent of your sins and believe in who Jesus Christ is and what He has done to pay for your sins. It was sin that destroyed your relationship with God, it was sin that brought death and suffering into this world, it was sin that takes people to hell, and for you to have a relationship with God, you must stop sinning. You must begin to hate your sins. You must understand that there is no benefit in continuing to disobey God and live as you please. You must desire to live God’s way as written in the Bible. This is what the Bible calls repentance.

​

Then you must believe that Jesus Christ is the innocent life who sacrificed His blood to pay for your sins. Jesus Christ's death, resurrection, ascension, and intercession are the only way God has chosen for paying for your sins and saving you from hell.

​

People continue to sin and reject the work of Christ for their salvation because Satan has closed their eyes and ears to the truth, and they are spiritually dead, even though physically they seem to be alive. Immediately, you repent of your sins and believe in what Jesus has done to pay for them, you will begin to notice the transformation God brings to your life. You will become a new person, as if you were born again. Even when you sin again after you have become a Christian, Christ's death for you has already paid for that sin. You will therefore immediately confess that sin to God in prayer and repent from doing that again.

​

You will also notice that you are no longer self-confident because you know the truth about yourself, that you were a sinner. Your only confidence will be in the finished work of your Lord Jesus Christ, whose work removed all of your sins.

​

In summary, to become a Christian, this acronym KAT must be true of you.

​

K, which stands for KNOWLEDGE of who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for sinners to give them access to heaven.

​

A, which stands for AGREEMENT with who Jesus Christ says He is, believe in what He has done to remove our sins, believe in all His promises for Christians, and believe that He will judge the world in the future.

​

T, which stands for TRUST in Jesus Christ as your Lord or master of your life. You do so by repenting of your sins, living according to His standards as written in the Bible, persistently waging a radical war against your sins, and being persistent in obeying Him all the days of your life.