One of the most well known prayers of the Bible is known as The Lord’s Prayer, Luke 11:2. “And he[Jesus] said unto them, when ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come.” This is a prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. People often recite this today but I want to draw your attention to one point; His disciples were instructed to ask that God’s kingdom come.
The First Commandment
Jesus answered a scribe who asked Him, what the first commandment was. Mark 12:28-30
Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:4-5 which states. “Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
The love to God that was the most important commandment was to be shown by obedience to the statutes and judgments of God, an obedience that sprung from a heart that was totally devoted to God and that put God first. Deuteronomy 5:29 and 6:6. This is the essence of faith, a belief that obeys from the heart. A heart that only feels and does not obey, is not an active, living faith and does not love God totally.
Forgiveness of Sins
Sin separates God and man. Romans 3:23 states that all men have sinned. People are not born sinful but develop a sinful nature by choosing to sin when they are old enough to make that choice for themselves. All men and women, except Jesus, have chosen to sin but babies and children are innocent and pure before God. Matthew 19:14
Plan of Salvation
We, in the church of Christ, teach that people have to hear the Gospel of Jesus, believe in Him and His teachings,repent of our sins, confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, be baptized and be faithful until death in order to be saved.
Original Sin
The original sin was committed by Adam and Eve. God directly commanded Adam that he was not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Gen 2:17. The serpent deceived Eve by making her doubt God’s warning. She believed that this knowledge would be profitable so she persuaded her husband to eat with her. Gen 3:4-6. They now had the knowledge of good and evil. This knowledge brought with it guilt for they knew that they had done evil by disobeying God’s only law. Consequently God cast them out of the Garden of Eden so that they would not eat of the tree of life and live forever in their fallen, disobedient state. Gen 3:22-24
Many Mansions
John 14:2-5 "In my; Father's house are many mansions;if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself: that where I am, there ye may be also."
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."
John 14:23-24 ..."if a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me."
Matthew 28:19-20 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen"Faith Only?
Many denominations teach that a person is saved when he believes in Jesus, repents of his sins and asks Jesus into his heart. The most commonly used verse to prove this is John 3:16. Of course, faith in Jesus is the cornerstone of a Christian life, but we teach that belief is the beginning of the conversion process.
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