Christianity begins with God’s love and God’s initiative: John 3:16.
Our problem is universal: Romans 3:23 — all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.
Sin has a consequence: Romans 6:23 — its wages are death.
God’s judgment is real: Matthew 13:42.
But God has provided the only Savior: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 — Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again.
John 1:12 says that those who receive Christ and believe in His name are given the right to become children of God.
Revelation 3:20 pictures Christ standing at the door and knocking, calling us to hear Him and respond. This is a call to repentance and fellowship with Christ.
The Protestant Reformation helped us understand that salvation is not something we earn. It is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone.
Also, John 1:13 and Ephesians 2:8-9 explain further that new birth and saving faith do not arise from human merit or autonomous human will, but from God’s grace.