Confess and Believe

Ephesians 2:1 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

1 Corinthians 15:55 ESV

55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Death is not something to be feared for those who follow Jesus; we are living in a state of victory.

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Gospel isn't about making bad people good; it's about making dead people alive.

sin - to rebel against our Creator; to miss the mark

Ephesians 2:2-3 ESV

2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

If your desires and dreams were to be fulfilled, would it benefit more people than just yourself?

Our direction, desires and dreams reveal our state of death.

Ephesians 2:4 ESV

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

God's mercy is abundant because His love is powerful.

Ephesians 2:5 ESV

5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

When death is changed to life, we experience a change in our direction, desires and dreams.

baptism - an outward expression of an inner change

Through baptism, we are not claiming perfection; we are identifying priority.

Romans 10:9 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Requirement for Salvation:

B̶e̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶f̶e̶c̶t̶.̶

Confess and believe.

Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Faith is the door that, when opened, allows grace to come in and work.

Acts 8:36 ESV

36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”

Interested in baptism?

https://www.venturechurch.org/baptism