This blog explains how sin separates us from God, but through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can be forgiven and restored. By admitting our need for a Savior and putting our faith in Jesus, we receive the gift of salvation and begin a new life with God.
One of the key truths of our life is God’s unquestionable love for us. He is our Creator. Each of us was designed to live a life of unparalleled fulfillment and joy in a rich relationship with God as our Father. Unfortunately, an impasse has separated each of us from God and His love. That impasse, brought on by Adam’s (the first human) rebellion is called sin. As a result, mankind’s relationship with God was broken by our wrong thinking, speaking and doing stemming from our desire to do things our own way without God.
Oh, we all know how to be good. Some of us can be “good” better than others, but good is not God’s standard, holy is. And holy means a perfectly unblemished goodness that covers what you do and what you choose not to do, what you say and what you choose not to say, what you desire and what you think. Let’s face it, we’ve all made mistakes. We’ve hurt others and others have hurt us. We’ve all done things that we needed to hide or spin to look good. Even if we managed to live a perfectly good life, there is still an impasse. We have the ability to speak, think and act wrongly, even if we never did it. That “ability” is sin at the core of us. And no one has escaped its influence to be and do wrong. There are no exceptions. The Bible says it this way, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
The bad news is nothing, but the good news is nothing. What we cannot do for ourselves, God has done on our behalf. There is a price to be paid for sin. The price is death. ”For the wages of sin is death…” It’s a two-part death. Our spirit, that should be able to enjoy a relationship with God, is dead and secondly, one day our bodies will be dead as well. You and I don’t respond well to death. It ends what we call life. However, Jesus, God’s Son, did something remarkable. As God the Son, He was born without sin and despite being tempted like us, He lived a perfect human life, absolutely and totally apart from the influence of sin. Being God the Son, He chose to offer His perfectly holy life as a sacrificial substitute and ransom for ours. This was accomplished by paying the debt or price for our sin on the cross of Calvary nearly two thousand years ago. On His cross, Jesus suffered physically and spiritually and died physically and spiritually so we wouldn’t have to. Just so you’re not confused, when I say Jesus died spiritually, I don’t mean His soul ceased to exist, I mean His soul was separated from God in one eternal moment.
To prove the complete effectiveness of His sacrifice, Jesus rose from the dead three days after being executed. Physical and spiritual death had been beaten. And for the believer in Christ, eternal life and reward replace eternal death at the final judgment. Jesus’ resurrection proved that the sin He took on our behalf was truly and completely forgiven, removed, gone. No more impasse! One man, Adam, started sin and unleashed its consequences on mankind while one man, Jesus, ended sin and healed its consequences for mankind.
In order for the amazing sacrifice of Jesus to be applied to us, we must agree with God, that my sin separates me from Him and His love. That’s called repentance. When we agree that His Son, Jesus, did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves by paying the death price for our sin, it’s called faith. This results in Jesus giving us His eternal and holy life, free from sin and its consequences, as a free gift. God’s gift through Jesus is called, salvation. (I call it a miracle!)
So, do you agree with God that He’s right and you’re wrong? Do you agree with God that you cannot save yourself and you need a Savior who will forgive and remove your sin, replace your failed nature with His eternal life of holiness and give your dead spirit new life through a new birth? This is how the Bible says it, “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” Even though this free gift is available to everyone, it is only available through faith in Jesus Christ. There isn’t another way, another name or another option.
Take a moment now to tell God that He’s right and you’re wrong. You know it’s true. You’re guilty of doing wrong and hurting others, even if it was by accident. This may shock you, but whenever you have hurt someone else or yourself as a result of how you live your life, it hurts God. You’ve not only wronged them or yourself, you’ve wronged God. Tell God you’re sorry, tell Jesus you’ve chosen to believe that He died and rose for you and to forgive you. Then simply ask Him to make Himself at home in your life as the Lord you need to guide your life’s journey the rest of the way. It’s the best and only option.
If you have truly done this, tell a friend who is following Jesus. Begin to read your Bible starting with the Gospel of John or the New Testament book called, Romans. Begin attending a Christian church on a regular basis. Make sure it is one that teaches life changing lessons from the Bible. And now, join me and other followers of Jesus in serving others, tell them the truth you have just read. God can’t wait to begin putting His smile on your life.
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