Christ the Center (Hub)

2Cor. 5:17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

WHY DO WE NEED CHRIST?

We Are Sinners And Alienated From God.

Romans 3:10. As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:23. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Romans 5:12. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Ecclesiastes 7:20. For [there is] not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
Isaiah 59:2. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear.
Colossians 1:21. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in [your] mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.
Ephesians 4:18. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

NOTE: Sin means to miss the mark or fall short of the standard

Matthew 22:37. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Matthew 22:38. This is the first and great commandment.

As Sinners We Are Under Condemnation And Wrath Of A Holy God.

Ephesians 2:1. And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins:
Ephesians 2:2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Ephesians 2:3. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
John 3:36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 3:18. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Romans 2:8. But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Romans 2:9. Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
Romans 5:12. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Romans 6:23. For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Revelation 20:14. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

NOTE: The penalty of sin is not only physical death but spiritual death and ruin in the lake of fire if we die in our sins apart from Christ.

Matthew 10:28. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

God Is Our Creator And We Need Him To Make Us Complete And Whole.

NOTE: Life remains a mystery and mostly meaningless apart from Him.

Acts 17:26. And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
Acts 17:27. That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
Acts 17:28. For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
Acts 17:29. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
Job 33:4. The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
Genesis 1:27. So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 2:7. And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?

He Is God, The Eternal Creator.

John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:2. The same was in the beginning with God.
John 1:3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Colossians 1:16. For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Colossians 1:17. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Isaiah 9:6. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Ephesians 3:9. And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Hebrews 1:8. But unto the Son [he saith], Thy throne, O God, [is] for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness [is] the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Hebrews 1:9. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, [even] thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Hebrews 1:10. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
Hebrews 1:11. They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
Hebrews 1:12. And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

He Is The Son Of God.

John 20:31. But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

NOTE: This means He is of the same nature and order as God the Father and is therefore equal to the Father.

John 5:17. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
John 5:18. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
John 5:19. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
John 5:20. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
John 5:21. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth [them]; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
John 5:22. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
John 5:23. That all [men] should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

He Became Enfleshed For Us … He Was God In Flesh.

I Timothy 3:16. And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Matthew 1:23. Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Philippians 2:6. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Philippians 2:7. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Philippians 2:8. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Philippians 2:9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Philippians 2:10. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth;

He Is The Lord And Master Of All Things.

John 13:13. Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for [so] I am.
Matthew 28:18. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

He Is The Only Savior.

WHAT HAS CHRIST DONE FOR US?

He Died For Our Sins.

Romans 5:8. But God commendeth His love for us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
I Peter 2:24. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Colossians 1:20. And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, [I say], whether [they be] things in earth, or things in heaven.
Isaiah 53:6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He Rose From The Dead.

Romans 1:4. And declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
Romans 6:9. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
Romans 10:9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
I Corinthians 15:20. But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept.

NOTE: See I Corinthians 15:1-5 for a full declaration of the Gospel.

I Corinthians 15:1. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1 Corinthians 15:2. By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:3. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1 Corinthians 15:4. And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
1 Corinthians 15:5. And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

He Lives For Evermore To Save Those That Come To God By Him.

Hebrews 7:25. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
1 John 2:1. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1 John 2:2. And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world.

NOTE: In rising from the dead Christ proved that He really is the Son of God and that He really did die for our sins.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE RECEIVE CHRIST AS LORD AND SAVIOR?

We Are “Born Again”. We are born spiritually into God’s family and become His children.

I John 5:1. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
Galatians 3:26. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

We Are Forgiven Of All Our Sins And Pardoned From All Guilt.

Romans 5:1. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Romans 8:1. [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Acts 10:43. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Acts 13:38. Be it known unto you therefore, men [and] brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
Acts 13:39. And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Isaiah 55:6. Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Isaiah 55:7. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

We Are Given Eternal Life And Will Never Come Into Condemnation.

John 10:28. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.
1 John 5:11. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1 John 5:12. He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1 John 5:13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Ephesians 2:4. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Ephesians 2:5. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Ephesians 2:6. And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:
Ephesians 2:7. That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

The Holy Spirit Comes To Live Within Our Hearts.

NOTE: The Holy Spirit comes to live within our hearts and we become one spirit with the Lord.

1 Corinthians 6:17. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:18. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
1 Corinthians 6:19. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1 Corinthians 6:20. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Ephesians 1:13. In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Ephesians 1:14. Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

NOTE: Many other wonderful things happen when we are saved … but these are the main ones to show first to a new convert.

HOW DO WE RECEIVE CHRIST AS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR?

We Must Come To A Place Of Sincere Repentance And Faith.

Mark 1:15. And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Acts 3:19. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Acts 20:21. Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 2:4. Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
2 Peter 3:9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

NOTE: Repentance is a sincere change of mind and heart that results in faith in Christ. True repentance and faith are inseparable. In repentance, you see yourself as a lost sinner and Christ as the only Savior. You come into agreement with God about yourself and Christ.

We Place Our Faith-trust-confidence And Hope In Christ Alone For Salvation. We place our faith-trust-confidence and hope in Christ alone for salvation.

Acts 16:31. And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
John 3:16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:18. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
NOTE: Works of any sort play no part in our salvation.
Ephesians 2:8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Titus 3:5. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Romans 3:20. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law [is] the knowledge of sin.
Romans 10:4. For Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Romans 11:6. And if by grace, then [is it] no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if [it be] of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

NOTE: We must by faith trust who Christ is and what He has done for us and receive Him into our life as Lord and Savior.

John 1:12. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:
1 John 5:11. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1 John 5:12. He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1 John 5:13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

We Express This Initial Act Of Faith By Calling Upon The Lord. We express this initial act of faith by calling upon the Lord in prayer and confessing Him openly as our Lord.

Romans 10:9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:11. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Romans 10:12. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Romans 10:13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

NOTE: We are saved by faith but that faith expresses itself openly in confession of Christ. We confess to Him and to others that we are believing upon Him and receiving Him.

WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DO NOT RECEIVE CHRIST AS SAVIOR?

There Is No Other Way To Be Saved.

Acts 4:12. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
John 14:6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Proverbs 14:12. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [are] the ways of death.

You Will Die In Your Sins And Be Forever Lost.

John 8:24. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am [he], ye shall die in your sins.
John 3:18. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
1 John 5:11. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1 John 5:12. He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Revelation 20:14. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Mark 8:36. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Mark 8:37. Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Mark 8:38. Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.