|
Out West Trip (Summer '02) |
Jesus Christ was, first and foremost, the Son of God who was sent to save humanity from their own rebellion. He willingly died under one of the most excruciating methods of execution in human history in order to take away the penalty for our sins (our actions that keep us from God's fellowship). Why in the world would he do that? God loved us so much, he was willing to sacrifice his son in order to make it possible that we could have a relationship with him. This relationship would otherwise be impossible because a holy God cannot be in the presence of unholy children. When I say holy, I mean that God is without fault. He is perfect and we, mankind, have chosen to be imperfect and defiant. This choice can traced back to Adam and Eve's conscious decision to reject the one protective boundary that God had instituted for them in the Garden of Eden. However, we consciously and willingly reject God everyday by choosing to live our lives by our own standards instead of His standards. Romans 3:11-12 says, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." It reiterates the universality of sinfulness in 3:23 by saying, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Since we are constantly sinning (rebelling), there has to be some punishment for our wrongdoings. Romans 6:23 says that the "wages of sin is death." Therefore, we're screwed. There is no way for us to attain the righteousness required to be saved from the consequences of our sin. HOWEVER, that's where Jesus comes in! Romans 5:20 answers, "But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." That means that although our sin was so great and condemning, God's grace is that much greater! So He sent His only son to die and pay the penalty for all sin so that we might have a relationship with Him. So that you don't think I just made up that statement, John 3:16-17 says, "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. (Here's the kicker that nobody ever pays attention to...I've heard many people say, 'How could a loving God send people to Hell?' Well, the answer lies in verse 17) For God did not send His Son in the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." God doesn't want people to go to Hell! He has extended the gift of redemption to everyone, but a gift is merely an offer until it is received. If you have never received that gift or don't know how, it's easy! Not one of us deserves to be saved from our sin, but because of God's grace and mercy, we don't have to pay the penalty for our rebellion if we are sorry. If you have read this, and have questions, or comments, or rebuttals; if you think I'm clearly wrong or if you want to know how to accept the gift that God is extending to you, PLEASE EMAIL ME...I'd love to talk to you. Just send an email to chetwood@email.unc.edu or check out this web site: http://www.crusade.org/fourlaws.