As we learned yesterday, none of us are able, on our own, to avoid sin and be reunited with God. The good news is our Creator quickly moves to become our Redeemer and implements a plan to deal with our sin and bring us back into relationship with Himself. In spite of our sin and rebellion, God does not remain distant from our world, but enters this world to restore us to Himself and set the world back to the way He designed it to be.
God begins in Genesis 12 by calling one man, Abraham, into a special relationship with Him. From Abraham comes a great nation (God's people, the Jews, Israel). Eventually from that nation comes a Savior (also called the Messiah) who is God's instrument to bring salvation to the world.
What is so amazing about this Savior is He is much more than a messenger, teacher, or spiritual leader. He is God in human form. God Himself comes to the world as Jesus Christ and begins to reverse the curses of sin and death that have ravaged humanity since the time of Adam and Eve. He comes to the center of our damaged souls and deals directly with the disease the Bible calls sin. He took upon Himself our sin and its consequences, and in doing so, made a way for us to restore all that was lost through our rebellion.
The Bible tells us the "wages of sin is death" — we have earned it — so Jesus died to take the "wages" of sin upon Himself. He died the death we were already dying because of sin, to give us the life we could never attain on our own. When He died on the cross, our old selves died with Him; and when Jesus rose from the dead, our new selves rose with Him. He restored our relationship with God by providing a means of forgiveness of the debt we owed. He broke the power of sin over us so that we may overcome the evil in ourselves and in our world.
Jesus' death on the cross was the necessary means by which the root of sin and death could be overcome. Our sin and rebellion from God actually made us His enemy. This makes Jesus' sacrifice for us even more incredible.
At just the right time, when we were powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:6-11
Jesus made it clear that this path back to God was opened to everyone regardless of their gender, heritage, religious dedication, guilt, accomplishments or any other human measurement. Salvation through Jesus is a gift of grace offered to you by God. But it is a gift you must individually receive. Being raised by Christian parents, going to church, living in America, or being a good person is no substitute for the faith we must live out each day. now the great and epic story of God's salvation of the world can be your story too.
How do you accept Jesus' sacrifice on your behalf? Just think of your ABC's.
Admit you're a sinner. Through thought and action, you are separated from God. You are not able to bridge the gap between you and God through your own effort. "Trying harder" is not the answer, but rather acknowledging that you can't save yourself. Authentically admit this to God and allow Him to build the bridge to a relationship with you.
Believe in Jesus and what He has done. To believe in Jesus is to agree with what the Bible says about Him and what He says about Himself. Jesus was 100% human and 100% God. He died on the cross as a sacrifice to make payment for your sins and then rose from the dead conquering death for all who believe in Him. Baptism is our outward response and declaration of the inward decision to believe and follow Jesus.
Commit to follow Jesus. Commitment is more than a sentimental prayer or intellectual assent. Commitment is betting the farm on the fact that belief in Jesus alone saves you and then living that truth. It means making Jesus your personal friend, leader, confidant and object of worship.
It is not enough for Jesus to offer you salvation. It is not enough for you to just understand it. You must decide to take Jesus up on His offer. The ball is in your court.