God's Power for Salvation

For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith: as it is written,
"But the righteous shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16-17).

Most people in our world recognize that there is someone greater than themselves, one who may exist in another dimension of reality that we cannot perceive. We normally call this person God. Nevertheless, many wonder where God is and what God expects, if anything, out of that which He has created.

Humans have come up with all kinds of answers, but all such answers are based in human thinking and do not reflect God's true revelation (Romans 1:18-32, Colossians 2:1-11). We have the testimony throughout the generations that God has indeed revealed Himself to mankind, and we can find that revelation within the pages of the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21).

In the pages of the Bible, God has revealed the story of mankind. Ever since the beginning, man has sinned and rebelled against God (Genesis 3, Romans 5:12-19). Man's sinfulness led God to wish that He had never created man, and He destroyed all but eight human beings in a large flood (Genesis 6-9). He soon chose one man-- Abraham-- and made a covenant, or agreement, with him, promising him all kinds of blessings (Genesis 12-24). God then made a covenant with Abraham's descendants, the Israelites, and gave to them the land of Israel, just as God had promised (Exodus-Joshua).

God also gave Israel a Law which He expected them to follow. Israel did not prove up to the task, and they constantly fell away from God and did not seek after Him (2 Kings 17). What did God intend to do about man's constant sinfulness? The Bible reveals that God always had a plan in His Son, Jesus Christ, who came and fulfilled the Law given to Israel (Ephesians 3:11, Matthew 5:17-18, John 19:30). It was through His death that all mankind could receive the forgiveness of their sins and enjoy a restored relationship with God (Hebrews 9, 1 John 1:1-7). What Israel could not do, God did through His Son, and God then established a new chosen people. These people are all those who would obey His Son Jesus Christ and those who will receive the salvation ready to be revealed on the last day (Romans 11, 1 Peter 1:1-9).

God demonstrated His power by raising Jesus Christ from the dead on the third day, and His resurrection is the promise we have that He will return again to judge the living and the dead (Acts 17:30-31). Until that moment, God is patient toward mankind, not wishing that any would perish but that all would repent and turn to Him (2 Peter 3:9).

God could have chosen any number of ways through which He could save humans, but this is the vehicle He chose: the Gospel, or good news, of Jesus Christ. This is the good news that we have proclaimed to you today. Consider it well, and join us as we strive to serve Him!

Ethan R. Longhenry
evangelist@norwalkchurch.org

What Then?

What happens when you recognize that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and that salvation only comes through His name (Matthew 16:16, John 14:26)?

This was the realization that came over the first Jews who heard the Gospel preached on the day of Pentecost. They asked the Apostles regarding what they should do (Acts 2:37):

And Peter said unto them, "Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).

Paul indicates in Romans 10:9-10 that confession that Jesus is the Son of God must be made orally in order to receive salvation. If you recognize that Jesus is the Son of God, we would encourage you to confess as much, to repent of your sin, and to be immersed in water for the remission of your sin. We stand ready to assist you in your walk with God. Contact us today!

Ethan R. Longhenry
evangelist@norwalkchurch.org

The church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio

Thank you for reading the electronic version of our bulletin, Good News for Norwalk. If you live in Norwalk or happen to be traveling in the Norwalk area, we would certainly love to have you visit one of our assemblies!

Our location:

386 North Edgewood Drive (just off US 250 just north of Norwalk's city limits)
Norwalk, Ohio 44857

Our assemblies:

Sunday morning assembly: 10:30am
Sunday evening assembly: 6:00pm

Our Bible studies:

Sunday morning Bible study: 9:30am
Wednesday evening Bible study: 7:00pm

For More Information

If you have any questions or comments about anything you have read here, or desire more information, please contact our evangelist, Ethan Longhenry, at evangelist@norwalkchurch.org.

Please click here to return to the 2008 archive of Good News for Norwalk, or click here to return to the main page of Good News for Norwalk. Thanks!