The first created man disobeyed God, which had consequences for the rest of humanity. Since then man has sought the good for himself rather than the Good which God provides. A consequence of sin is broken fellowship with God. Furthermore, this rebellion against man’s created purpose is the evil we see in the world and the cause of all our suffering. Because God is good, He will not allow evil to go unpunished. If a man remains in his sin, he cannot have fellowship with God and he will receive the punishment for his sin.
Jesus is God the Son, who always was and always will be. Because of God’s great love for us, the Son became a man: Jesus. Jesus lived in accordance with man’s created purpose, perfectly serving and worshipping the Father in unbroken fellowship. His specific purpose was to save man from his sin. To accomplish this, He offered himself sacrificially on the cross to bear the punishment for all mankind. Having completed His purpose, God physically raised Him from the dead three days later. After appearing to His disciples and many others, He returned to the Father where He is preparing a home until He returns for those who trust in Him.
God the Spirit always was and always will be. Because of His goodness, He makes men aware of their sin, so that they might trust in Jesus. He empowers those who trust in Jesus to live the good life by serving and worshipping God in unbroken fellowship.
Because of God’s goodness, He brings these people together in fellowship with one another to be a source of spiritual healing and refreshment. This is the church. The church acts as a witness to the world of God’s goodness through their love for one another. The church remains as a witness to the world until Jesus comes to take them home.
When Jesus comes to take His church home, He will return to end the rebellion of mankind and establish his kingdom. Evil will be punished, and those who have chosen the good for themselves, rather than trust in Jesus, will continue in broken fellowship forever. Those who have trusted in Jesus will enjoy His fellowship and presence forever. Sin and suffering will be no more.
We believe this message, the Gospel, to be true because this is the message given by God in the sixty-six books of the Bible. These books are without error in what they teach and are alone inspired by God. They are the only source of knowledge of the Gospel and are authoritative in matters of Christian faith and practice.