At Risen King, we strive to be gospel-centered.
What is the gospel?
The word "gospel" means "good news" and points us to the announcement clearly made in the Bible that Jesus Christ came to earth to save his people from their sins.
Who is Jesus Christ?
Truly and eternally the Son of God, Jesus became truly human and lived among his people. As a human, he lived a life of perfect obedience to God's law and died on the cross as a Substitute & Sacrifice for the sins of his people. Three days later, he rose from the dead in victory over sin and death!
Who are we?
The Bible clearly teaches that every human being is born a sinner—we break God's law and rebel against his good and just authority. Because we are guilty and God is a just Judge, we will certainly receive the punishment that our sins deserve—eternal separation from God, suffering in what the Bible calls "the lake of fire."
How can we be delivered from this punishment?
Every religion but Christianity answers this question with some form of "Do better": give more money, pray more, read more, come to more services, obey more rules. But none of these things can change our sinful natures or make up for the sins we've already committed. On our own, we can do nothing to escape the punishment we deserve.
But God is merciful! He sent his Son Jesus to be punished in our place. Since Jesus never sinned and always obeyed God's law, he could stand in our place as a Substitute and be punished for our sins as a Sacrifice. This is exactly what he did when he died on the cross—he made the complete payment of our debt; he suffered the complete sentence for our crimes. And when God raised Jesus from the dead three days later, it showed that the payment had been accepted. The sentence had been carried out. Divine justice was satisfied. His resurrection to a new, glorified life guarantees the promise of new life for all who trust in him.
The good news—the gospel—is that anyone who trusts in Jesus alone receives forgiveness of sins, a righteous standing before God, a new spiritual nature, adoption into God's family, and the promise of eternal life. These unthinkably wonderful benefits cannot be earned. They can only be received as the gift of a gracious God who delights in showing unfailing love.
Will you receive this gift?
When Jesus was on Earth, he preached "Repent and believe the good news!" Are you willing to acknowledge your sin and guilt before God and turn away from that sin? Do you see that you can't save yourself and that you must be rescued? Trust in Jesus alone—his life, death, and resurrection—and you will be saved!
What does it mean to be gospel-centered?
We believe that the gospel as explained above is not just something to be understood and embraced in order to become a Christian. Instead, the gospel is truth that saturates our entire lives as Christians. So we think about the gospel, read about the gospel, sing about the gospel, talk about the gospel, fellowship around the gospel—all in grateful worship to Jesus our Savior for the gospel.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us or come join us at our worship gathering this Sunday morning!