PAUL BAISIE A coach, mentor, chaplain, counselor(christian )and author/writer Associates Degree / college Diploma in Divinity Still pursuing Bachelor of Divinity CONTACTS: +233202492151/+233553070394 +233553070394/+233202492151 EMAIL: paulbaisie755@gmail.com DEDICATION From my humble heart and in the name of our most holy heavenly father, his son Jesus Christ the king of righteousness and that of the holy spirit, I Paul Baisie dedicate this book into your hands, that you may read with the help of the promised comforter. And be guided by him to understand all that God had stored in my hands in this work for you. I pray in the name of our lord and savior Jesus Christ that you grasp the truth of this work and be given the power to act on, that this may not become vain. Romans 1:18-25 NIV Translation 18. The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19. since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 21. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23. and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator who is forever praised. Amen. 26. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. I admonish you to take heart and keep to the faith and God's true blessing will overflow on you. Now the ball is in your court, to choose to act on what is about to be made known to you or forget it and go under the wrath of God. Be blessed, shalom. CONTENT 1. DEDICATION 2. PREFACE 3. INTRODUCTION 4. LIFE 5. SIN 6. THE FALL 7. THE NEW LIFE 8. SALVATION 9. WHY THE NEED FOR SALVATION 10. HOW CAN WE/ US BE SAVED 11. CONVICTION 12. CONFESSION 13. REPENTENCE 14. RESTITUTION 15. BAPTISM 16. FAITH PREFACE The Problem - Sin separates us from God The Bible teaches that all people have sinned - fallen short of God's standard. The consequence of sin is spiritual separation from God and death. Romans 3:23 - "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." We cannot save ourselves by good works or religion. The Provision - What Christ did God, because of His love, provided a Savior. Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man, came to do what we could not do. The Apostle Paul summarized the gospel most clearly here: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 - "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." So it has three parts : • He Died - Jesus took the punishment for our sins on the cross as a substitute. His death was the payment. • He Was Buried - Proving He truly died. • He Rose Again - Jesus conquered sin and death. His resurrection proves God accepted His payment and offers new life. The Promise - What God offers Because of Jesus' finished work, God now offers forgiveness of sins, righteousness, and eternal life as a free gift, not something earned. Ephesians 2:8-9 - "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." The Response - How to receive it The Bible says salvation is received by faith. That response includes: a) Repentance - A change of mind, turning away from sin and turning toward God. b) Faith - Trusting in Jesus Christ alone, not in yourself, to save you. c) Confession - Openly acknowledging Jesus as Lord. Romans 10:9 - "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." John 3:16 - "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." In one sentence: The gospel of salvation is that Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again, and anyone who repents and puts their faith in Him alone receives forgiveness and eternal life. It moves you from being condemned to being forgiven, from being separated from God to being reconciled to Him as His child. INTRODUCTION The gospel of salvation has become paramount in our ecosystem. Because sin has become rampant, every act of human has a high rate of propensity to do wrong or err, and this is as a result of the fall. Which is the intruder of the problem of sin. And due to the reason of that, we always hear messages concerning this good news of salvation. What does this gospel elaborate about? The center of this message is salvation, us the whole book will comprise. And that is to be saved. From what? The problem of sin. So as we do hear about salvation, have we in any sense thought about what it is? In what way or how are we to be saved? If a friend tells you he has gotten salvation or he is under the cover of Christ Jesus salvation, what comes into mind? What is the essence of it? The bible then records or accounts that, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and for that matter we are dead. Because it further put that for the wages of sin is death and free gift of God is life being our lord Jesus Christ. Romans 3:23 and 6:23. If we are to understand this, then it means our life is what needs salvation. Because sin reformed us as dead bodies or entities and not beings. Death has nothing to do with beings, the opposite of being is death. Sin did that to us and the wages of it is death but the free gift of God being Jesus, is a free gift of life. Without Jesus there is no life. What then is life? A Word To The Wise: Proverb 16:19-25 KJV Translation 9. Better [it is to be] of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. 20. He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy [is] he. 21. The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning. 22. Understanding [is] a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools [is] folly. 23. The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips. 24. Pleasant words [are as] a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. 25. There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [are] the ways of death. Proverbs 12:23-28 KJV Translation 23. A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness. 24. The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute. 25. Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad. 26. The righteous [is] more excellent than his neighbor: but the way of the wicked seduceth them. 27. The slothful [man] roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man [is] precious. 28. In the way of righteousness [is] life; and [in] the pathway [thereof there is] no death. LIFE This will be looked at in two defined view. First definition; Life is to live or remain in order to persist, adhere, stick, or persevere in the course of living. Second definition; life means the embodied existence, the state of the body remaining alive. To further explain, is the part of Man that remains which brings good news or bear good tidings and, flesh as blood relative, kin. ● So to take a look on life with the first definition, life is to live or remain in order to persist, stick or persevere in the course of living. What is that cause of living? Genesis 2:5,7 KJV Translation 5. And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and [there was] not a man to till the ground. 7. And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 1:26-28 ERV Translation 27. So God created humans in his own image. He created them to be like himself. He created them male and female. 28. God blessed them and said to them, Have many children. Fill the earth and take control of it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. Rule over every living thing that moves on the earth. KJV Translation 27. So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. By contrasting the version of the translations we find that being fruitful, bearing children which is multiplying or through adoption, replenishing, and subduing the earth as to taking care of our universe and tilling the earth, reaching out to other people are the course of life given to us from the beginning of creation. Jeremiah 29:11 KJV Translation 11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. And in these course of living our father God has thoughts of peace, not of evil, to give us an expected end. By taking care of the earth we are to make good use of it and not to waste it. That is to ensure a wise use of our lands by using it to benefit us substantially. It should not be at any point of time that the use of our lands will rather hurt our life's. Whenever our lands lie idle without use, we must also see to it that it becomes useful. That is to say, our land must be in production, become a productive resource because our being is to ensure that. This is one side of it according to the definition of life and in view of the scriptures, expecially chapter two of verse seven. ● Now let's take another look at it by mirroring it through the lens of the second definition. life is the embodied existence, the state of the body remaining alive. Also that which is part of Man that remains and brings good news or bear good tidings, and flesh as blood relative, kin. The second definition lights our persistence or continues life on earth, the part of us that remains which is our embodied existence, body. Genesis 2:5,7 and 1:27-28 KJV Translation 5. And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and [there was] not a man to till the ground. 7. And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 27. So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Now let dig the scripture verses and explore to find out the part of us that remains and persists on earth. The verse seven of chapter two put that God formed Man from the dust and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ( today the free gift of life being Jesus Christ ) and man became a living soul. Verse twenty seven of chapter one further says, so God created Man in his image, in the image of God created him; male and female created he them. This is the embodied existence being the body that God created Man like. In what way do it persist, how do it persist or why then do it persist? Deuteronomy 32:39-40. KJV Translation 39. See now that I, [even] I, [am] he, and [there is] no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither [is there any] that can deliver out of my hand. 40. For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live forever. Revelation 4:9-10 KJV Translation 9. And when those beasts give glory and honor and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth forever and ever, 10. The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Daniel 4:34 KJV Translation 34. And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth forever, whose dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom [is] from generation to generation: I believe our scripture verses have answered our questions for us. What way do it persist? Through dominion. How do it persist? Through honor and glory as we spread the good news or tidings as a means of worship. Why then do it persist or have to persist? Because God lives forever and that body being the breath of life is in the image and likeness of God. In our next discussion we will look at the damage sin caused to our life. Which part of our life got damaged? And how wretched we became. SIN To continue with our lesson we must understand sin. When mentioning sin what comes to mind? When one tells you that you are a sinner what comes into mind? According to the old English definition it means “ guilty, crime “. What then does this mean? It means being found guilty of a crime or feeling guilty of a crime. In Hebrew, the most common word for sin is chata - literally “ to miss the mark “ like an archer missing the target. It's not just doing something bad, it's failing to hit what you were made to hit. In Greek, the new Testament word is hamartia - same idea * to miss, to err, to wander from the path”. ● So in its root, sin is not just a list of bad actions. It has three layers of meaning in theology: 1. An archery miss - falling short of your design, purpose, or God's standard. 2. A trespass / transgression - crossing a boundary that was set for your good. 3. A relational break - a separation, a distortion of relationship between humanity and God(our source), between people, and even within yourself. ● What then is the Biblical definition of sin? Put together, the Bible's picture is this: • Sin is transgression - breaking God's law (1 John 3:4) KJV Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. ERV Anyone who sins breaks God's law. Yes, sinning is the same as living against God's law. • Sin is unrighteousness - any deviation from what is right (1 John 5:17) KJV All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. ERV Doing wrong is always sin. But there is sin that does not lead to eternal death. • Sin is omission - failing to do the good you know to do (James 4:17) KJV 7. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin. ERV If you fail to do what you know is right, you are sinning. • Sin is unbelief - acting apart from faith (Romans 14:23) KJV . And he that doubteth is damned if he eats, because [he eateth] not of faith: for whatsoever [is] not of faith is sin. ERV23. But anyone who eats something without being sure it is right is doing wrong. That is because they did not believe it was right. And if you do anything that you believe is not right, it is sin. Sin is inward before it is outward - it conceives in the heart first (James 1:15) KJV Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. ERV 15. Your desire grows inside you until it results in sin. Then the sin grows bigger and bigger and finally ends in death. The Biblical story places the origin not in God creating it, but in a choice. In the Christian narrative, it happens in two stages: a) The angelic origin : Sin first appears as pride and rebellion in the spiritual realm - a desire for autonomy apart from God. Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 are traditionally read as references to this. b) The human origin: Genesis 3. Humans placed in a state of innocence and trust choose to distrust. God says "you are free, but don't eat from this one tree - it will bring death." The serpent suggests God is withholding something good. Adam and Eve take it. That act is called The Fall. It's important what happens there - it's not that they just broke a rule. The sequence is: Temptation -> Doubt of God's goodness -> Desire -> Disobedience -> Shame and Hiding That pattern became the template for every sin after it. This is why theology distinguishes: • Original Sin: The condition inherited - humanity now born with a bent away from God, a tendency to self-rule. • Personal / Actual Sin: The concrete thoughts, words, and deeds that come from that condition. The root - what drives it If you peel back every specific sin, theologians across traditions say the root is almost always the same: 1. Pride / Self-sovereignty: "I will be my own god." The desire to define good and evil for myself instead of trusting the definition given to me. Augustine called it incurvatus in se - the heart curved inward on itself. 2. Unbelief / Distrust: At its root, sin says "God is not trustworthy or enough to satisfy me, so I must take what I need outside of Him." 3. Misplaced love : Augustine also said sin is not loving bad things, but loving good things in the wrong order. Money, pleasure, success, even family are good - but when they become ultimate things, they become idols In short: The root is a heart that wants autonomy, the origin is the first choice to take it, and the meaning is missing the mark of what you were created to be. Other traditions frame it slightly differently: • In Judaism: Sin is less an inherited state and more a moral failure and inclination - the yetzer hara (inclination to evil) that must be overcome by choice and repentance, teshuvah. • In Islam: Sin (dhanb, ithm) is disobedience to Allah, but humans are not born in sin; they are born in fitrah, with forgetfulness. Forgiveness comes through repentance. • In secular philosophy : The word is often recast as ethical failure, alienation, or a violation of one's own conscience and human flourishing. In Christianity , the reason sin matters so much is because of what it leads to - the idea that this miss creates a chasm that humans cannot close by effort alone, which is why the story moves toward redemption. What is the Consequence of Sin? Sin is not just a mistake; it is rebellion against God's holy law. The Bible is clear that every sin has a consequence. Romans 6:23 says, 'For the wages of sin is death.' Wages means payment — what you earn. That death is not only physical, but threefold. The three consequences we will study are: 1. Moral Guilt - sin's effect on the Conscience 2. Spiritual Brokenness - sin's effect on the Spirit 3. Existential Mortality - sin's effect on the Body and Eternity 1. MORAL GUILT DEFINITION: Moral guilt is the state of being legally and morally culpable before God for breaking His law. It is the objective fact that you owe a debt for your wrong, and the subjective feeling of shame, blame, and condemnation that follows. Explanation: When you sin, two things happen. First, you become guilty before God's court (objective guilt). Second, your conscience bears witness (subjective guilt). Adam and Eve felt it immediately — they hid (Gen 3:8). Guilt separates, silences your prayer, and makes you fear judgment. If not dealt with, it grows into spiritual death. The world tries to remove guilt by denial, but God removes it by forgiveness. Scripture Proofs: Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." - Proof of universal guilt. Isaiah 59:2 - "Your iniquities have separated you from your God..." - Guilt causes separation. Psalm 38:4 - "My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear." - Guilt is a crushing weight. James 1:15 - "Sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." - Guilt, if left, matures into destruction. Psalm 32:3-4 - "When I kept silent, my bones wasted away..." - Unconfessed guilt affects even the body. 2. SPIRITUAL BROKENNESS DEFINITION: Spiritual brokenness is the condition of the inner man after sin — a state of being crushed, dead, empty, hardened and powerless toward God. It is the collapse of the spirit that was designed to have fellowship with God. Explanation: Guilt is what you feel before God; brokenness is what you become inside. Sin kills the spirit first (Ephesians 2:1 says we were 'dead' in sins). A broken spirit loses desire for prayer, Word, and purity. It tries to hide sin (Proverbs 28:13) and in hiding, it hardens. The heart becomes darkened (Ephesians 4:18). This brokenness, though painful, is actually God's doorway to restoration — He does not despise a broken heart, He draws near to it. Scripture Proofs: Ephesians 2:1 - "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins." - Spiritual death. Ephesians 4:18 - "Darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God..." - Hardening and alienation. Psalm 38:8 - "I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart." - Inner crushing. Romans 7:24 - "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me..." - Powerlessness. Proverbs 28:13 - "Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper..." - Brokenness stalls life. 3. EXISTENTIAL MORTALITY DEFINITION : Existential mortality is the ultimate consequence of sin on human existence itself — that human life becomes brief, fragile, meaningless without God, and ends in physical death and faces eternal judgment. From Latin 'existere' - to exist, and 'mortalis' - subject to death. Explanation: God created man for eternal life, but sin brought death as an intruder. Existential mortality is seen in three ways: 1) We die physically (dust to dust), 2) We feel life is short and vain (existential dread, 'what is the purpose?'), and 3) We will face judgment after death. This is why people fear death and try to find meaning in work, money, or fame. Solomon in Ecclesiastes tried everything and said 'Meaningless!' until he found God. The second death — eternal separation in the lake of fire — is the final mortality if one dies without Christ. Scripture Proofs: Romans 5:12 - "Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin..." - Origin of mortality. Genesis 3:19 - "For dust you are and to dust you will return." - Physical mortality. James 4:14 - "You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." - Brevity of life. Ecclesiastes 1:2 - "Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!" - Vanity without God. Psalm 90:10,12 - "Our days may come to seventy years... Teach us to number our days..." - Need for wisdom in short life. Hebrews 9:27 - "People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment." - Judgment after mortality. Revelation 20:14 - " The lake of fire is the second death." - Eternal mortality. THE FALL It is believed that sin caused man to fall short of God's glory. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; What then is the glory of God that we fall short of? Is this glory the target we are to hit which is the course of living? Who then is God? Herein did God told us of himself: Leviticus 11:44 and 19:2 KJV Translation 44. For I [am] the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I [am] holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 2. Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God [am] holy. Isaiah 57:15 KJV Translation For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name [is] Holy; I dwell in the high and holy [place], with him also [that is] of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. John 4: 24 KJV Translation 24. God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth This is who God is, he is holy and spirit. How then do we conform or did Adam and the woman conform to his holiness? The first verse being Leviticus 11:44 the part B put that ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and shall be holy. The last verse Isaiah 57:15 B part of it onwards also puts it before us that, I dwell in the high and holy place, within him also that is of contrite and humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. ● By contrasting purifying with contrite and humble heart and spirit, we grasp the underneath or scene target or hit which is conforming to our identity as his image and likeness. And this we do through commitment to his word and laws as it unfolds ourselves to us, builds us to reach his body of image and likeness being his embodied existence. Now the fall How did we then became sinners? Romans 5:12 KJV Translation . Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: We became sinners through the sin of Adam and the woman. How then did they sinned? Before we will be able to know how they sinned we have to understand what sin is. And I believe from our previous lessons we know what sin is. By combining or blending various definitions with Biblical definition, we can conclude then that sin is unbelief or forgetfulness to miss the target,mark or err. So to get the clearer clue about how they miss the target, mark or err through unbelief or forgetfulness, evidence or proof must be given to prove that. Genesis 2:15-17 KJV Translation ;15. And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16.And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. These were the expectations of God for them in the Eden as his will, law. We are coming to see how they err or miss the target or mark and its effect. But before that, the effect had already been stated in verse 17 of chapter 2. For in the day that thou eatest therefore thou shalt surely die. This was the result of sinning, the consequences that will come upon you. This breeds more implications than you can imagine. The issue of death causes a huge havoc. Genesis 3:1-6 KJV Translation 1. Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3. But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6. And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. This is how come sin erupted us. We were hold bondage by this step or decision that they took being our fore parents, Adam and the woman. At that very moment we died. Some one may or will ask, how did we die? We died in our embodied existence and that also led us to fail or miss the target which is our course of living, destiny. Let's take a look at some of the things that cropped us as we die. Genesis 3:7-9 KJV Translation 7. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where [art] thou? Have you seen that, what? After they sinned and heard the voice of God, they hid themselves from his presence. And if you read verse 7, it reads and their eyes were opened. What comes into mind, what question would you have asked them if you were there? What way did their eyes open? There is one universal law that states that, like attract like. Meaning it is impossible to believe in or love someone while the person will not love you back. That is the measure you mute to your friend the same will be measure back. And this is scripture, Matthew 7:2 KJV Translation . For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Both this scripture and the law of attraction explains or talks about the same thing. The way you appear attracts the same people to you, your friendship is built on a group that you have similar qualities with. So if they claim their eyes were open indeed why then did they miss the mark? Instead of them going to God they hid even when they heard his voice. If it were to be true that their eyes were open they should have tracked their root being their mark as people of God.