We are about the Gospel:
Oakridge Community Church is a group of people defined by the gospel of Jesus Christ. What is the Gospel? The word “gospel” simply means “good news.” As a church body, we are committed to believing in and making known the good news God has declared to the world in Jesus Christ.
The Gospel begins with creation. God created the universe, and the universe itself testifies to that reality. Whether we are looking at creation through the lens of biology, geology, astronomy, physics, mathematics, or any of the other sciences, what is abundantly clear is that the world could not have evolved into its current state by random events of chance and time. Science proves that the world requires a Creator. From the fine-tuning of laws governing the furthest reaches of the universe to the wonder and irreducible complexity of the human body, it is clear that the universe requires a Creator. Our existence was no cosmic accident. Order does not come about on its own; life cannot spring up from nowhere. It all must have a source, and the Source is the living God.
When God made humanity, He made us unique and different from all the other creatures in the world. The Bible says that He made us “in His image and likeness” (Genesis 1:26-27). That means that human beings are fundamentally different from dogs and cats, or fish or birds. We have worth and value and abilities that exceed anything else in creation because we were made in the likeness of God. We also were made to live in fellowship with Him.
The problem with us and the world around us is that we have refused to do that. We have all sinned against God by not living according to His laws and rules for us. As a result, we now suffer the consequences of that choice. Despite the way we wish things were, we now live in a world of pain and suffering. We all experience tragedy and loss, illness and sorrow, and eventually, death. Most importantly, because we have not obeyed God’s will for us as His creatures, we live in a world that is marked by distance and separation from the God who made us. Many people think that this distance between God and us means that God does not exist. But in reality, that distance is simply proof of our greatest problem: our sin has offended God, and unless that sin is dealt with, we will remain eternally separated from Him and will suffer the effects of that separation eternally.
The good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ, is that God has not hopelessly abandoned us to suffer what our sins deserve. In love, He chose to renew what humanity lost and to remove the sin that separates us from Him. God the Father sent God the Son to be humanity’s Savior, and to reconcile sinners to Himself. The Son of God became a man; His name is Jesus. He lived as a perfect man in fellowship with God the way we were supposed to. He came to die in place of sinners under the judgment our sins deserve. He suffered under the wrath of God to save sinners from it. And His resurrection from the dead is the Father’s proof that the Gospel is true, that Jesus truly is able to save, and that all who come to Him will be reconciled to God! He now reigns from heaven and will come again to save for all eternity those who turn away from their sin and put their trust in Him. This is the Good News we live by, and the Good News we live to share with others. We would love for you to join us!