From the Bible we learn that God created us to be His children and friends. But the first Humans disregarded God and disobeyed Him, This is called sin. The consequence of sin is death and separation from God.
God gave us His Holy Law so we would see what is right and wrong. In the light of His perfect standard we can see how far we have fallen. He wants us to share His purity, to learn His wisdom, to trust in His faithfulness and to rejoice in His love. Yet we are all inherently selfish, bent on disregarding God and disobeying Him,
Sin leads to death. Not just physical death but eternal separation from God and all His blessings. This is the ultimate rejection of those who in this life have rejected God. This is a place of suffering, darkness, and despair commonly referred to as hell.
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23)
In an act of great love the eternal Son of God left heaven and was born into our fallen world as a little baby. As He grew, He experienced firsthand the struggles of this life just as we do, with one big exception – He never sinned but lived in perfect harmony with the Heavenly Father. His life was a living demonstration of the Father. He did many miracles, healing people’s bodies and broken hearts. Only Jesus Christ could forgive sins because He would pay the wages of sin Himself. On the cross of Calvary, Jesus Christ assumed the responsibility for the sins of the entire human race.
As Jesus hung bleeding on the cross, He suffered the punishment of God for every sin ever committed (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). But that is not all. Three days later, He rose from the dead showing that He had paid for sin and conquered death. Now God offers eternal life to all who admit their sin and receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. Eternal life is not something that begins after a person dies. The Lord Jesus said “this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent” (John 17:3) This relationship begins here on earth when we:
- Agree with God that we are sinners and deserve to die
- Believe that Jesus Christ died in our place so we could be forgiven
But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name (John 1:12)
A believer grows in their relationship with God as they listen to God and talk with Him through reading the Bible and prayer. As we grow in our awareness of His incredible love to us, we want to love, trust, and obey Him. The more we yield our lives to Him, the more we experience His transforming power at work in our lives. The more we surrender to the Lord Jesus the more we become aware of and enjoy the presence of His Holy Spirit as He walks with us through this life. Death is no longer to be feared because our dear Savior is there waiting to welcome us home.