Jesus Christ was and is God’s Son. He is God and is perfect and holy. When He came to earth 2,000 years ago, it was the one time people could truly see God in the flesh.
But the problem is, Jesus Christ came to an imperfect world that was marred by our sin. All of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Sin is a cancer that is spread as each of us chooses evil instead of good in many different ways. The way to deal with cancer is to kill it and eradicate it. So for us, we deserve death and eternal separation from God.
In the Old Testament, God tells the story of the Jewish people. They were God’s chosen people, yet even they would sin. Jesus Christ became God’s sacrifice who took the penalty of sin Himself.
Jesus was perfect, yet He died on the cross in our place. We deserve punishment and eternal separation from God, but Jesus took our punishment by dying for us. Instead of the punishment we deserve, we are given the gift of eternal life – of becoming children of God – when we accept the free gift of Christ’s love and death for us.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes on Him would not perish but would have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:16-17
It is now up to us to decide. Do we continue in arrogance and rebellion against God, stuck in our own sins, and receive the judgment we deserve? Or do we humble ourselves and believe in God and in Jesus Christ as our Savior, and accept the free gift of Christ’s love for us? You can pray and say, “Jesus, I love You. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I ask forgiveness for all of my sins and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for the gift of eternal life.”
Which will it be for you – and for all of us? Will we continue as rebels headed for judgment, or will we accept the amazing love of God and turn from our sins and accept the free gift of salvation?