Being away from home gives me quite a bit of time to think. Thoughts rush through my head about my future plans. Where am I going to go to college? What career path will I stumble upon? What summer job will I get when I return? Then it hits me, none of these things compare to the glory of God. None of these things last forever, but God does.
We have all messed up in our lives one way or the other. Romans 3:23 says that, “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.” Since we have all sinned we are under God’s judgement and Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death…” God only accepts perfect people into the kingdom of heaven. No man or woman in human history has ever been perfect, so how would anyone ever gain eternal life? God loves each and every one of us so much and desires us to spend forever with him, but how is that even possible if nobody is worthy of entering the pearly gates?
God sent a piece of himself down to earth to redeem humanity. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and never sinned, not even once. Since the penalty of sin is death, someone perfect had to take the penalty for those who have sinned. Jesus was beaten, flogged, and put to death by Roman Crucifixion; which at the time was the worst/most humiliating way to die. Nails were driven into the arches of his feet and his wrists while the whole time he was mocked by those he came to die for.
Jesus died to pay the penalty of death that we deserve because of our sins. He died in our place. “He has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Heb. 9:26) To remove us from the wrath of God that we deserve, Christ died as a substitute for our sins. “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the substitute for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Because Christ died in our place, God now sees those who believe in Him as perfect, worthy, holy, and blameless. Jesus is our perfect defender in God’s perfect court. Forgiveness was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
Three days after he died on the cross, Jesus rose from the dead and defeated death forever. “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Since Christ died for our sins, and defeated death we now have total access to eternal life and a never-ending relationship with God.
All of the work has been done for us. The difference between Christianity and every other religion in the world is simple. Every other religion requires you to work for your own eternal life by how “good” you are in this life. With Christ, the work has already been done. All you have to do is put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30). So come if you’re hurting, broken, or overwhelmed. Leave all your regrets and mistakes in the past. Trade your sorrows for joy. Jesus is calling and desires a relationship with you.
“But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath.” (Romans 5:8-9)
