Going
First
Welcome
We’re glad you’re here.
By opening this book, you’re beginning a transformational journey of knowing who God is, and how He designed you for incredible things. Over the coming weeks, we pray you move from a faith that might have been inherited to a faith that is truly your own; from knowing about Jesus to walking closely with Him; from a passive faith to boldly Going First.
Each of us comes to church with different experiences, backgrounds, and expectations. Some think of church as worship, sermons, small groups, or serving. Others remember fellowship halls and potlucks. Still others carry wounds from past experiences with a church. Whatever your story is, we’re grateful that God has brought you here.
At The Church at Rancho Bernardo, we believe our church exists for two core purposes:
Evangelism — helping people come to know Jesus.
Discipleship — helping people grow to become more like Him.
Everything we do flows from these two things.
Over the next eight weeks, our prayer is that you will encounter the story of God’s grace woven through every page of Scripture and every part of His creation, including you. As you do, you will come to know a God who has always Gone First, and you will see how He is inviting you to experience Him more deeply and find your place in His story.
What is Going First?
The contents of this book will lead us through the foundations of the Christian faith.
Together, we’ll read about the salvation God offers through the good news of the gospel, and come to know Him as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We will learn how to read and engage with God’s Word, and respond to Him in worship and prayer.
We will explore why we were made for community, and how Jesus came not to be served, but to serve — and we are called to do the same.
And finally we will discover how we are blessed to be a blessing with our resources, and how God has given each of us a story, and wants to use it to bring Him glory — drawing others to Him through evangelism.
Our Posture
As we begin, we encourage you to approach the coming pages slowly, with an open heart. While each chapter includes practical next steps, this book is about far more than completing a task and checking a box. These chapters are not topics to master; they are the foundation of our faith that God uses to shape who we are becoming.
Take serving, for example. The goal is not to simply do more for God. It is to become the kind of people who naturally live a life of service as the Holy Spirit continues to form us more and more into the likeness of Jesus. The same is true of prayer, generosity, community, and every other topic we encounter. As we seek Jesus first, He transforms us from the inside out.
When Jesus taught His disciples how to follow Him, He gave them this simple, yet powerful instruction:
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
- Matthew 6:33
Seek first. Then watch what God provides. That is the rhythm of grace that anchors the Christian life — and it is the posture of someone who Goes First.
Why is it called Going First?
With every page turn in the Scriptures, we find one consistent theme. God went first. God moved toward us while we were still sinners, still unwilling, still unaware. All the way to a cross (Romans 5:8). He went first, and everything in this book is a response to that.
We respond by Going First.
How to read this book
Each week, you’ll begin with a Main Reading designed to guide you deeper into the foundations of the Christian faith. Throughout the reading, you’ll find section titles with estimated reading times, along with Pause & Reflect moments to help you slow down, process, and engage with what you’ve read.
Our encouragement is that you would work through the Main Reading in the days leading up to your group gathering. Read it all at once, or move through it one section at a time. In budgeting time for your reading, plan to take 10 minutes during each Pause & Reflect moment to sit with what you’ve read, reflect on the questions provided, journal your thoughts, and allow God to shape you through His presence and truth.
As you read, you’ll notice verse references in parentheses throughout this book. You don’t have to look them up as you read; those references are pointing to the biblical backing behind the claims we are making. If a topic interests you and makes you want to go deeper, you can start by tapping that reference — every one of them opens the passage on Bible.com.
If you finish all of the Main Reading before your group meets and aren’t currently following a daily devotional plan, you’ll find five devotionals at the end of each section that you can go through each day, continuing to practice sitting in His presence. Memory verses are included in these devotionals. These verses are a way for you to build a regular rhythm of hiding His Word in your heart.
Our hope at the end of our eight weeks together is that you would understand more deeply the story of God, His heart for you, what The Church at Rancho Bernardo believes, and develop a lasting rhythm of engaging with God’s Word and being in His presence for 20 minutes or more each day.
If you prefer, there is an audio version of the Main Reading to go along with this book. You can read and listen at the same time, take it with you in the car, or put it on while you walk. Each of us learns and retains differently, and there is no wrong way to do this.
However it reaches you, our encouragement stays the same: let this content read over you as much as you read over it. This book is not written to simply give more information, it’s an invitation to the transformational work of the Holy Spirit in you, day by day.
Framework and Handles for your reading
As we prepare for the coming weeks, here are a few handles to help frame the reading.
01 – When the Bible stops talking, so should we
Scripture says a great deal, and it does not say everything. There are questions in this book that Scripture answers with clarity. There are questions where the text simply goes quiet. When it goes quiet, we go quiet with it. We would rather leave a question open than hand you an answer God never gave.
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever.”
- Deuteronomy 29:29
02 – Every bit of mystery is an invitation to faith
The places where we run out of explanation are the places where faith begins. Paul wrote thirteen letters explaining the gospel and still ended up here:
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”
- Romans 11:33
03 – We don’t come to the Bible expecting it to answer our questions, we come asking what questions it is answering
The instinct is to approach Scripture with a list of questions we expect answers to. But the Bible is a story God is telling about Himself, and the more time we spend inside it, the more our questions take a backseat to the wonder of who God is. We often open our Bibles asking how to fix our problems or explain our questions. We invite you to open it and ask: “What question is God answering, and what mystery does He want to reveal to me today?”
04 – God is not nervous about our questions
Your questions are safe here — whether shared in a group, or in your own time of prayer. God is not nervous or fragile. He created you, sees you, and has a plan for you that will not be jeopardized by your fears, doubts, or questions.
05 – We don’t have to agree on everything to be family
You will read things in this book you are not sure about. That’s not a bad thing, we are all invited to work through our faith together, and our staff is here to walk through the questions and challenges that come up as you dive into God’s Word.
Our Three Buckets
Not every theological statement carries the same weight. Some statements are essential to the Christian faith itself. Some are important to a particular tradition’s understanding of Christianity. Some are matters of preference or practical wisdom.
At The Church at Rancho Bernardo, we sort them into three buckets. Learning which bucket something belongs in will change the way you read this book, and the way you talk with people who have landed somewhere else.
Convictions
Convictions are the non-negotiables. They are doctrines without which Christianity ceases to be Christianity. The deity of Jesus Christ. The bodily resurrection. Salvation by grace through faith. The authority of Scripture. These are the hills on which the Church has always been willing to die, because to surrender them is to surrender the faith itself.
Beliefs
Beliefs are the firmly held positions. Important, scripturally-rooted, defensible, but not the line between Christian and non-Christian. The way we do baptism is a belief. The understanding of communion is a belief. The structure of church government is a belief. The Church has differed on these for centuries without departing from the truth and power of the gospel. We hold them with an open hand, willing to fight for them, but understanding they are not issues of salvation.
Opinions
Opinions are matters of preference, practical wisdom, or personal application. The order of a Sunday service. The style of music. Whether wine or grape juice is used at the communion table. These are held lightly and privately. They are not preached as if they were beliefs or convictions.
Spiritual damage happens when opinions are shared with the weight of convictions.
Most of us know someone who walked away from church over something that belonged in the opinion bucket. A rule that was never a rule. A preference preached as a command. If that is somewhere in your story, we are sorry that happened to you. It should not have happened, and it is not what you will find here.
This book is built on that order. The first four weeks are convictions. The second four are beliefs, some opinions, based on convictions.
Scripture References
We use the New International Version (NIV) as the primary translation throughout this book. In certain places, for literary emphasis, The Message (MSG) and English Standard Version (ESV) are used.
Table of Contents
Eight weeks. One journey through the foundations of faith.
Salvation
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In this chapter, you will learn
- How the Bible defines sin and why it is a condition before it is a behavior
- Why salvation is a gift that cannot be earned and cannot be lost
- The Gospel — Understanding salvation through the Romans Road
- The five words that describe the identity of a believer
- What baptism is, what it isn’t, and why we do it the way we do
Before you begin:
Take a few minutes to quiet your heart, breathe, feel your feet on the floor, and let your mind, heart, and spirit become present with the moment you’re in.
Now, pray this:
Jesus, I’m here, and I’m grateful for the breath You’ve given me in this moment.
Thank You that You’re already speaking, moving, already at work in me before I read another word, or accomplish another task.
I come expectant for our time together.
I am ready to receive whatever You have, because I trust that all of it is meant to make me more like You, and Your desire is to give me life to the fullest.
I’m surrendering to Your Spirit in me.
Lead the way. Teach me what’s true. Shape me toward the person You already see when You look at me.
I’m saying yes right now to wherever Your Spirit wants to lead me today.
You went first. So I will, too.
Amen.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
- Romans 12:2
Salvation
10 Minute Read
Every religion acknowledges a gap between humanity and God. Most conclude that human beings must find a way to close this gap. Behavior modification, ritual, devotion, sincerity — whatever the mechanism, the direction is the same. Up and toward God. Through our own efforts and striving.
Christianity does not work this way.
The claim at the center of the Christian faith is not that we found our way up to God. But that God came down to us (John 1:14). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, bridged the gap for us (1 Timothy 2:5), while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).
While we were unwilling.
While we were unaware.
While we were trying, but unable.
This is what Scripture means when it uses the word gospel: God came to us before we could ever come to Him.
But good news only makes sense once we understand the problem it solves.
The Diagnosis
Scripture’s diagnosis is not subtle.
“There is no one righteous, not even one… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
- Romans 3:10, 23
The Bible defines sin as both a condition and a behavior, while the world often views it as simply a list of bad behaviors. First, sin is the inherited brokenness of every human being descended from Adam (Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 5:12). Second, sin is defined as any thought, deed, word, or attitude that falls short of God’s perfect standard.
Paul, an apostle and writer of much of the New Testament, chooses the Greek word hamartia for sin. This is an archer’s word meaning “to miss the mark.” The arrow doesn’t just drift a few inches off course. It misses the target altogether. Paul is acknowledging that sin is not simply a slight margin of error that we can correct, it is our inherent nature to consistently fall short of the standards and expectations of a perfect and holy God.
Imagine an archer whose bow is warped. Every arrow leaves the string with the same flaw. The problem isn’t one bad shot; it’s that something deeper affects every shot that follows. In other words, we do not sin and therefore become sinners. We are sinners, and so we sin. The disorder comes before the action. This is what the Church has historically called the doctrine of original sin, and it is essential to understanding why the gospel had to take the shape it took.
If sin were only a behavior, the cure would be our better behavior. If sin is a condition, then the cure becomes out of reach, no matter our effort.
“For the wages of sin is death.”
- Romans 6:23a
Wages: what is earned. What is paid in return for work performed. Spiritual death: not merely the cessation of breathing, but separation from God Himself (Ephesians 2:12; Isaiah 59:2). Physical and spiritual death is what sin has earned. Our diagnosis is terminal.
The reason why both our sinful condition and behavior are so significant is because they ultimately go against God Himself. Since we are made in His image, our wrongdoing not only “misses the mark,” it also creates a debt between us and a holy, righteous God (Ephesians 2:1-3).
The Problem This Creates
The natural response to a terminal diagnosis is to fight it. The instinct in every human heart is to attempt to cure ourselves. If sin is the problem, we will perform better. If God is distant, we will draw closer. But Scripture rejects this works-based theology and replaces it with a better and more complete one.
“he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.”
- Titus 3:5
“If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing.”
- Galatians 2:21
These two verses that Paul writes address the question from both sides. Paul to Titus: salvation is not earned by what we do (Titus 3:5). Paul to the Galatians: if salvation could be earned, the cross was not necessary (Galatians 2:21).
The Gift
Return to the verse that began with the diagnosis. Romans 6:23 does not end at death. It has a second half.
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- Romans 6:23
The whole sentence turns on a single word: but.
Wages and gifts are not the same thing. Wages are earned. Gifts are given. Imagine opening a birthday present only to discover an invoice inside. The moment payment is required, it stops being a gift. Paul could have written, “The reward of righteousness is eternal life.” But he didn’t. Instead, he chose the word chárisma — the Greek word for gift, favor, a thing freely given.
Don’t miss what the gift is: eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Instead of eternal separation from God, God freely gives us eternal relationship with Him through the saving work Jesus completed on the cross.
Salvation is not a wage we earn. It is a gift we receive.
“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.”
- John 3:16
Grace
The Greek word the New Testament uses for grace, God’s undeserved movement toward humanity, is charis, the same root word as the word for gift.
Grace is the specific, costly, deliberate decision of God to act on behalf of those who could not act for themselves. Grace is God Going First.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
-- Romans 5:8
The phrase to sit with is while we were still sinners.
Not after we had repented or turned towards God. While we were still in the condition that earned death, Christ paid the debt on our behalf (Colossians 2:14).
This is what Scripture, theologians, and the Historic Church have called substitutionary atonement — that Jesus did not die merely as an example or a martyr, but as a substitute, in our place, bearing the death we deserved so that we might receive the life He had earned.
Substitution means one person standing in the place of another. Atonement is an old English word — at-one-ment — making two estranged parties one again. Together they are the cross: Jesus stood in our place, bearing the death we had earned, so the distance between God and humanity could be closed for good. He took what was ours and gave us what was His.
Imagine standing in a courtroom waiting to hear your sentence. Before the judge speaks, someone steps forward, accepts your punishment, and you are released. That is the exchange we see in this next verse.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:21
In one verse, a profound exchange takes place. Our sin is given to Jesus, and His righteousness is given to us. At the cross, Jesus displayed both infinite mercy and infinite humility. He went first, so that we could receive what we could never earn. As believers, we now walk in the gift of God’s amazing grace, no longer slaves to our own works and efforts.
The Path to Salvation
5 Minute Read
The conversation around grace and salvation is not new. For decades, followers of Jesus have introduced His saving power through a sequence of five verses in Paul’s letter to the Romans — five truths that have come to be called The Romans Road.
The Romans Road is a comprehensive explanation of salvation in Scripture. If you are ever asked to explain the gospel to someone, this is a useful guide for you to use. If you have never walked it yourself, we encourage you to do so today.
01 — We have all sinned
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
- Romans 3:23
Salvation begins with the honest acknowledgment that no one is innocent. As a result of sin, all have fallen short of God’s perfect standard.
02 — The wages of sin is death
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- Romans 6:23
Sin has eternal consequences. Its wage is death: the death of our physical bodies, the decay of our souls, and eternal separation from God.
But the verse does not end there.
The wages of sin is a bill we could never pay because the cost is death. Instead of giving us what we deserve, God offers what we could never earn: eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ.
03 — God acted on our behalf
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
- Romans 5:8
Jesus dying on the cross was not God’s response to our repentance. It was God’s grace Going First because of His great love for us in the midst of our rebellion — while we were still in the very condition that deserved death.
04 — Salvation comes by faith in Jesus
“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.”
- Romans 10:9
Saving faith has both an inward reality and an outward expression. We believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, and we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, acknowledging Him as the One we trust, follow, and obey.
05 — The promise
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
- Romans 10:13
Notice it says everyone. The door is open to every human being who has ever lived. Walking through it begins by calling on His name.
These five verses show us the simple gospel. If you’ve walked the Romans Road before, this is your foundation. If you haven’t yet, this chapter is your invitation.
We believe salvation is a finished work. We did not find our way up to God; He came all the way down to us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We receive salvation only by acknowledging and believing in the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection.
What This Means for the One Who Believes
5 Minute Read
These five verses in the Romans Road tell us how we enter into a relationship with Christ. Salvation is more than a moment or a prayer. It begins a whole new reality. Once we’ve answered the question: How do I become a Christian? We can begin to ask an even bigger question: What is now true about me because I have trusted in Jesus?
Scripture uses seven words to describe what God has done, what He is doing, and what He will complete in every believer because of His love for us (Romans 5:8).
In Jesus, you are forgiven, justified, adopted, sealed, made new, sanctified, and ultimately glorified. Let’s unpack them one at a time.
Forgiven
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
- Ephesians 1:7
The first word, forgiven, names what was removed. Every sin you committed before you trusted Christ — paid for. Every sin you have committed since — paid for. Every sin you will commit before you die — paid for. The forgiveness is not partial. It is not provisional — it is total. Forgiveness is the foundation under everything.
Justified
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
- Romans 5:1
Justification is a courtroom term. To be justified is to be declared righteous. Not made righteous through effort, but pronounced righteous through verdict. The judge (God) sees the believer who confesses Jesus Christ as Lord, covered by the atoning blood of Jesus, and renders the verdict: not guilty. Justification establishes our standing. The believer is not merely pardoned; the believer is declared righteous in God’s sight. The peace that follows in Romans 5:1 is the natural result. There is no more war between God and the believer because there is no more verdict pending.
Adopted
“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ ”
- Romans 8:15
Adoption is a family word. The Greek term Paul uses is huiothesia — literally, placement as a son. In Roman law, adoption was more binding than natural birth. Old debts were dissolved. A new inheritance was given in full. The adoption could not be undone.
Adoption gives a name. The believer is not God’s houseguest. The believer is a loved son or daughter of the Most High King, with full rights, full inheritance, and a place at the family table that cannot be taken away.
Sealed
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession.”
- Ephesians 1:13–14
A seal in the ancient world was a mark of ownership, protection, and guarantee. A merchant sealed his goods. A king sealed his decrees. A seal says: this belongs to me, this cannot be tampered with.
When a person believes, the Holy Spirit Himself becomes that seal. The Greek word is arrabōn — a deposit, a down payment, a guarantee that the rest is coming. The Spirit’s presence in the believer is the first installment of an inheritance that will be paid in full.
The believer is not waiting to find out whether they belong to God. His seal has already been applied.
Made New
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
The gospel reaches deeper than improved behavior. God gives us a whole new nature, heart, and identity the moment we place our faith in Jesus Christ. This is why no amount of moral effort can produce a genuine Christian. The diagnosis we were given was terminal. God made us new, and we spend the rest of our lives growing into the people He has already declared us to be.
Sanctified
6 Minute Read
“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24
Becoming who God has already made us to be is the lifelong work of sanctification.
Forgiven. Justified. Adopted. Sealed. Made New. These are gifts we receive the moment we trust in Christ. Sanctification is what follows. Day by day, the Holy Spirit shapes us into the likeness of Christ, teaching us to live from the identity God has already given us.
To be sanctified is to be set apart — gradually, daily, sometimes painfully, both for God’s purposes and to reflect Christ more fully (2 Corinthians 3:18). It is the slow transformation of the believer’s character into the character of Christ. Once saved, the instant realities of forgiveness, justification, adoption, sealing, and new birth give the believer everything they need to grow.
Sanctification is the growing process itself.
The believer participates in sanctification, but the engine of the work is God. The Father wills our holiness, the Son secures it by His blood, and the Holy Spirit relentlessly conforms us to the image of Christ — making sanctification the living work of the triune God from beginning to end (1 Peter 1:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:13).
Glorified
“And those he justified, he also glorified.”
- Romans 8:30
“For our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
- Philippians 3:20–21
Glorification is the word for what is yet to come. On the day Christ returns, every believer will be raised, given a body like His resurrected body, and brought fully into our inheritance of the Spirit. On that day, our weakness and struggle with sin will all be behind us. We will see God face to face, and we will be made fully like Him.
Forgiven. Justified. Adopted. Sealed. Made New. Sanctified. Glorified.
What Cannot be Undone
Because each of these realities is the work of God and not the work of the believer, none of them can be undone by the believer. Many sincere Christians have spent years afraid they might lose the gift of salvation God has given them — that a sin too large, a doubt too deep, might undo what Christ secured.
Scripture answers that fear directly:
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
- John 10:27–28
The Greek phrase ou mē apollymi, translated “shall never perish,” is one of the strongest promises Jesus makes. And then Jesus adds the second clause: no one will snatch them out of my hand. No one. Not the enemy. Not the world. No mistake we could make. Nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39).
What God secures cannot be unsecured. The believer’s confidence rests on the strength of His grip on them.
Living Securely Loved
Knowing you’re secure in Christ and living like it are not always the same thing. It’s possible to be a Christian for years and still rarely feel at rest. We believe. We show up. We try. Yet underneath it all is the assumption that God is pleased with us when we perform well and disappointed with us the rest of the time. We understand His mercy. We know we’ve been forgiven. But many of us have not learned to live in the love and grace He has for us.
Mercy forgives what we’ve done wrong. Grace goes further. Grace gives us what we never deserved: God’s favor, His presence, His Spirit, and a permanent place in His family. Mercy cancels the debt. Grace hands us the inheritance.
Faith that lives only in mercy is always trying to get back to zero. Forgiven, yet still exhausted. Adopted into the family, yet still standing at the door like a guest who isn’t sure they’re allowed to sit down.
“Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given”
- John 1:16
Grace invites us to belong. To leave behind a life of performance and receive our place at the Father’s table. To let our striving meet the rest Christ offers us.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”
- Matthew 11:28
We believe grace is more than a clean slate. Mercy cancels our debt; grace gives us our inheritance — God’s own favor, His presence, His Spirit, a permanent seat at His table that no failure can revoke. We are sons and daughters, adopted and made righteous. We let our striving meet His rest, and we Go First with the freedom He already bought.
Salvation’s Response
5 Minute Read
Salvation is the completed work of God. The believer cannot earn it, add to it, or maintain it. But the believer can respond to it. Scripture makes the first response clear.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”
- Matthew 28:19
The order Jesus states matters. Disciples are made and then baptized. Baptism is not the act that produces salvation or makes someone a disciple. A wedding ring doesn’t create a marriage. It declares one that already exists. Baptism does the same. It is the first public act of obedience for someone who has already trusted in Christ.
The Greek word baptizō means to immerse, to submerge, to dip fully under. This is why the Church has historically practiced baptism by immersion. And this is significant because of the story that baptism is revealing:
“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
- Romans 6:4
Baptism is the outward expression of an inward decision.
We Follow Him
Baptism is a picture of Jesus’ burial and resurrection in a single act. Going under the water symbolizes dying and being buried with Christ. Coming up out of the water symbolizes being raised with Him to a new life. It is a visible declaration that our old life is gone and our new life is found in Christ.
Baptism does not save. Baptism declares what salvation has already done.
Before baptism was ever asked of us, Jesus went first.
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. … As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ ”
- Matthew 3:13–17
John baptized those repenting of sin. And yet, Jesus, a man with no sin to turn from, steps into the water anyway. He did not stand on the bank, He called us in after He shows us the way.
Watch what happens as He comes up. Heaven opens. The Spirit descends. The Father speaks. The whole of God is present at the water — the Son in it, the Spirit over it, the Father naming the One He loves.
This is the pattern of everything Jesus does. He Goes First into the water. He Goes First in obedience. He Goes First into the grave and out the other side. Baptism is a step on the journey He has already walked. He went first, and now He turns to us and says the same thing He said to His first disciples: “Follow Me.”
We believe baptism is an outward expression of an inward decision. It does not save us; it announces what salvation has already done. We go under the water as the old self, buried with Christ, and we come up as the new self, raised with Him, made new. We Go First into the water, and we make that declaration publicly to the church body.
Going First
We have covered a great deal this week — sin and grace, the cross, the words that name who we now are, and the waters of baptism — and if it feels like more than we can remember, that’s okay. No one finishes a chapter like this with it all neatly in place. The point is not to get it all down on the first read. The point is to begin to grasp what has already been done for us. So before we turn the page, let’s look back.
What separates Christianity from all other religions is that we do not have to climb to God. He came down to us. While we were still in the very condition that earned death, Christ went first. He paid a debt we could not pay and handed us a gift we could never earn: grace, freely given. That is the truth and foundation we stand on.
Remember the identity that grace gives us? Because of Jesus, we are: Forgiven. Justified. Adopted. Sealed. Made New. Those are not goals we are working toward. They are realities already spoken over us the moment we trust Him. If one of them stood out to you today, if there is an old debt you have keep trying to pay for, or a place where you still stand by the door like a guest unsure you’re allowed to sit down, go back to that page and sit with the truth a little longer. You are not houseguests in God’s home. A houseguest wonders whether they’re welcome. But a son or daughter walks into the kitchen, opens the refrigerator, and knows they belong. You are a loved child of God, with a permanent place at the table that cannot be taken from you.
On the days you forget what the gift of belonging means, or find yourself slipping back into earning what was always a gift, don’t be discouraged. You have a whole life of faith ahead of you. Stay close. Let Him settle the truth into you each day. The process of sanctification takes time, and He is not in a hurry with you.
Go First.
What We Believe
Five statements and scriptures that anchor everything we just read. This is what The Church at Rancho Bernardo believes, and why.
01 — Sin is a condition before it is a behavior
Every human being inherits a sin nature from Adam. The disorder lies deeper than the will, which is why no amount of human effort can cure it. The behaviors we call sin are evidence of a deeper sin condition we already have.
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.”
- Romans 5:12
02 — Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone
The work of salvation is entirely God’s. The believer contributes nothing but faith and an empty hand that receives. Any belief system that adds human effort or achievement to grace, no matter how subtle, is far from the gospel.
“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.”
- Ephesians 2:8–9
03 — Jesus is the substitution that makes salvation possible
Jesus took our sin upon Himself and credited His perfect righteousness to us, so that before God we are treated as righteous because of Christ, not because of ourselves.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:21
04 — What God secures, He keeps
The salvation of the believer is not maintained by the believer’s performance. It is held by God’s grip, sealed by His Spirit, and guaranteed by Christ’s resurrection. The Christian’s assurance does not rest on the strength of their faith but on the faithfulness of the One in whom they believe.
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”
- John 10:28–29
05 — Baptism is the public sign of an inward, finished reality
Baptism does not save. It declares what salvation has done. The believer goes under the water as the old self, dies with Christ, and emerges made new.
“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
- Romans 6:4
What We Believe
Two things to say yes to after reading this week’s content.
01 – Say Yes to Jesus
Everything else in this book assumes this first step. If you have never confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believed in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, the rest is doctrine without a doorway.
“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.”
- Romans 10:9
If today is the day you want to put your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, pray the prayer below out loud and take a moment to sit in the joy of knowing you have made the best decision you could ever make, putting your whole life in the hands of a loving Savior.
A Prayer to Receive Christ
Jesus, I believe You are Lord. I believe You died for my sin and that the Father raised You from the dead. I cannot save myself, and I am not going to try. I receive what You have already done for me. From this day forward, I belong to You. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer for the first time, write down the date and tell your leader. This is good news that we want to celebrate as a family with you!
02 – Be Baptized
Baptism is the next step Scripture names after you’ve accepted Jesus. Every disciple in the New Testament gets baptized following their confession of Jesus Christ as Lord.
“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”
- Acts 2:41
The pattern in Acts is consistent. They believed, and then they were baptized. The water does not save, but it is an act of obedience to the command of Jesus.
If you have not been baptized, we pray you consider taking that step. We want to celebrate as a church that you have been made new!
If you’ve been following Jesus for a while now and never made that step, it’s not too late. And who knows, your act of obedience might lead to more stories of faith as the people in your circle witness you making that bold proclamation of your faith.
We’re here for you
You don’t have to figure this out alone. If one of these steps feels heavy, or you’re just not sure where to start, reach out. This church is for you. Our staff is for you. We’re convinced that when you say “yes” to what God is putting in front of you this week, you’re stepping into the kind of life He’s been inviting you toward all along (John 10:10).
Wherever you are in this, we’d love to walk with you. If there’s any way we can help, or if you’d simply like us to pray for you, we’re just an email away: [email protected].
Our Prayer
Father, thank You that while we were still sinners, You went first — that before any of us cleaned ourselves up or got it right, You came all the way down to bring us home. We are asking You to settle that good news so deep into our church that it becomes the most defining thing about us.
Grow our church into a people who fully rest in You. We do not have to keep earning what You have already given, and we ask You to free us from believing the lie that we do.
Jesus, we believe for a church that walks in the freedom You died to give us. For anyone here still carrying shame You already buried, we pray You would lift it. For anyone afraid that something in them could pull them out of Your hand, would You remind them that nothing can. Raise up sons and daughters here who know exactly who they are: Forgiven. Justified. Adopted. Sealed. Made New.
Grace brought us in, grace holds us now, and grace will carry us home. This is what we long for our church to be: a people walking in Your grace, freely, each and every day.
Amen.
The Conversation
Five questions for your group discussions.
Daily Devotionals
Five devotionals — one for each day — to keep practicing sitting in His presence.
The Descent
Open your Bible to Philippians 2:1–11.
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!”
- Philippians 2:5–8
This week’s reading opened with a claim: Christianity is not a religion of human ascent, it is the belief that God descended. Philippians 2 shows us what that descent looked like.
Read the steps Jesus took slowly. He was in very nature God. He did not cling to that position. He made Himself nothing. He took the nature of a servant. He became obedient to death — death on a cross. Each phrase drops lower than the one before it.
No one made Him do this. He saw the full distance between His throne and your brokenness, counted the cost of crossing it, and came out of love for you. Before you had anything thing to offer Him. Before you knew you needed Him. While we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).
This is why the gospel is not advice. Advice tells you how to get better. News tells you what happened. Every other religion hands you a ladder. The gospel hands you an announcement: He came down. All that’s left for you is to believe that good news.
Grace is God Going First. It always has been.
Prayer
Father, thank You that Jesus came all the way down to me, because I could never have climbed to Him. I believe the distance He crossed is the measure of Your love. Transform me with that truth — change the way I think, the way I walk into this day, the way I see myself: loved first, chosen first, saved by grace. Amen.
Memory Verse
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
- Romans 5:8