Good News: Questions About Sin and Salvation
The Good News page is part of the pastor’s series about sin, righteousness, and salvation through Jesus Christ. This message introduces the question of human goodness and directs readers to the next explanation, “So What Can I Do?”
Read the pastor’s text below, then follow the Good News reading sequence at the end of the page for the messages that follow.
1. What Does the Bible Say About Righteousness?
Word From the Pastor
Now your probably wondering why you, or that nice old lady down the street or anyone that you know is condemned. Your probably been thinking that you have been “pretty good”. Listen to what the Bible says about man’s goodness: Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Even the one who sins least in the world is considered unrighteous . Well, how about that little sweet old lady? Rom 3:10: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.”
2. How Does the Pastor Explain the Beginning?
Here is how it all started: In the beginning God made Adam and Eve. He made a beautiful garden for them and told them they could have all they wanted from the garden but concerning one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they could not eat of it.
God said in the day they ate of it they would die.
Now to learn everything about it you need to read the Bible but suffice it to say, they disobeyed God and ate of the tree and they died spiritually (separated from God that very day and they died physically, in the day of the Lord.
BUT WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ME?????????
EVERYTHING!
BECAUSE YOU WERE THERE WHEN ALL THIS HAPPENED!
If you know anything about DNA you know we were all there. Adam & Eve being our first parents puts the entire world right there a part of the first sinners and so we were all separated from God at that point.
3. Where Can I Read About Salvation?
CLICK ON “SO WHAT CAN I DO?”
Continue reading: So What Can I Do?
The Good News Reading Sequence
This page belongs to a sequence of messages. Read Good News for the pastor’s explanation of sin and righteousness, then open So What Can I Do? for the discussion of God’s love and Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. Continue to It Is Finished for the pastor’s message about receiving salvation and finding a Bible-believing church.
How should I read the Scripture quotations?
Good News quotes Isaiah 64:6 and Romans 3:10. Read those passages in their biblical setting as well as in the pastor’s explanation. BibleGateway’s King James Version is an external resource for locating the passages and reading the surrounding chapters.
Notice which words are direct quotations and which words are the pastor’s explanation. If a phrase is unfamiliar, write down the reference and your question. This creates a clear starting point for a conversation about the message.
Where can I find the church’s beliefs?
The Statement of Faith presents the church’s published teaching about the Bible, Jesus Christ, salvation, and other subjects. Consult that page alongside Good News when you want the broader doctrinal context. The reading guide here helps you find related pages; it does not replace the pastor’s explanation or the doctrinal statement.
How can I learn about the congregation?
Visit the Payatas Baptist Church homepage for an introduction to the congregation and its wider vision. The church schedule offers a starting point for planning a visit; confirm current arrangements directly with the church.
When discussing Good News, refer to the particular paragraph or Scripture reference that prompted your question. Read the linked messages in full so that a single heading or excerpt does not stand in for the complete explanation.