We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture. Given this fundamental belief that Scripture is God's revealed word to man, it is apparent that we must look here to find the answers to life's most basic questions: the nature of God, the nature of man, and the meaning of life itself.  The Bible teaches: I.  All men are sinners For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.   Death came to all men, because all have sinned. The fact that all men die is the proof that all men sin. No one needs to be persuaded of the reality of sin.   We need look no further than our televisions, our newspapers, the Internet, and our own lives to understand the universality of sin. The Bible adds yet another proof: the reality of death. II.  The penalty for sin is death The wages of sin is death.  The death spoken of here is spiritual death, the death of the soul and spirit, for the Bible teaches two deaths: this is the second death, the lake of fire. (Rev 21:14) The penalty for universal sin in this life is the pain, heartache, suffering, and anguish of that sin that all have experienced, but it doesn't end there. The eternal penalty for sin is alienation from God and suffering too horrible to contemplate. III.  Christ paid this penalty on the cross in our behalf. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God's holiness and justice required a verdict of guilty and a mandatory sentence of eternal punishment. God's love and grace provided a means, the only means by which we might be spared: He took our place! IV.  Believe this and be saved!. Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.  Salvation is personal and individual, not corporate and universal. While it is freely available to all, it is not received apart from personal acceptance: I am a sinner - I deserve God's justice - Christ died for my sins - I believe and accept what Christ has done on my behalf. If you believe this, we urge you to say it to God. Repeat what you have read here in your own words as a brief prayer. After you have done so, begin to talk to God regularly through prayer, read your Bible, and attend a church whose members believe as you do.