For
nearly 30 years I had wondered.
I just didn’t get it. I didn’t
understand. I had asked myself this question for nearly 30 years. You may have
wondered the same thing. I even stated the question, out loud, to my pastor in
a church meeting and he went on to the next question. I later decided he didn’t
know the answer either.
My question: How is it that
Jesus’ death on the cross saved me from my sins?
I knew He had done it. I was
certain I had been redeemed. But, I wanted to know how. How did that work? What
was it that took place that gave me Salvation?
I finally got my answer. My husband
and I, with our two sons, eventually started attending a church strong in teaching
biblical truths. I’ll call it a word church.
[That's not to say the answer had never fallen on my ears before. Perhaps I just wasn’t listening.]
Somewhere along the way,
through good teaching and personal Bible study I found my answer. I realized how Jesus’ death on the cross, coupled
with my belief that it’s true and receiving Him into my heart, gave me the gift
of salvation.
This is how it works:
God the Father—Creator of
the universe—is holy. In other words, there is no evil—not even a smidgen—of evil
or sinfulness in Him. And, He will not, in any way, tolerate sin.
Keep in mind that before
Adam and Eve’s original sin,
everything was perfect. The Garden of Eden was true paradise, in the fullest sense of the word. It will be so again in the future, after the return of
Jesus.
When Adam and Eve sinned,
God expelled them from the garden and from that point on mankind was bent
toward sin. This first couple had, of their own free will, severed their
relationship with God.
From that point on,
sickness, hardship and death became part of the human condition. Now for a
limited time, Satan is allowed to have certain power and authority on the
earth.
So, now man’s (men &
women) relationship with God is disconnected and Satan continues to tempt every human
to sin against God. God and Satan are cosmic enemies, each one desiring every
person to be in his respective kingdom. In the end, we know God wins. God’s
ultimate victory is prophesied throughout Scripture and is described in detail
in the Book of Revelation.
Meanwhile, God still loved
Adam and Eve, as well as all subsequent people born on the earth. God wants everyone to be in fellowship with Him and
He desires that all live with Him in His Kingdom when their life on earth
ends.
But God will not go against
His own nature. And an important characteristic of His nature is that He does not,
and never will, tolerate sin. Given the fact that every human ever born sins,
we have a serious dilemma.
AND—God wants a family. We
were each created in the image of our Heavenly Father (Gen. 1:27) for the
purpose of being in fellowship with him. He wants each of us in His eternal
family.
So what was God to do? He
loved everyone and wanted to have a relationship with each and every person.
Well, God had a plan all
along. He knows the end from the beginning (1 Pet. 1:18-20). His Son,
Jesus, who was there even in eternity past, was the answer to this cosmic
dilemma.
Because of God’s love and mercy
for mankind He decided to send Jesus to earth (John 3:16-17). This Messiah--Deliverer--would be born of a virgin for the purpose of restoring mankind to a right
relationship with God.
Justice had to be served.
That’s why everyone who is born will eventually die. But if we die without
having paid for the many sins we’ve each committed in our entire lifetimes, we’ll receive
the eternal punishment of Hell. We’re not capable of saving ourselves because
we’re tainted with sin.
But Jesus lived on earth as a man for 33 years and
never sinned. He was pure and spotless in every way.
The requirement for
justifying our debt of sin was the sacrificial death of a sinless, flawless,
spotless man. Only one man ever walked on the earth who could meet this
requirement. That one man was Jesus the Christ—Son of God—Son of man.
 |
| Photo by Connie Wohlford |
He is God and He was a man.
His life and death perfectly encapsulates the justice and mercy of God. God’s
justice and mercy merged at the cross of Christ.
Because Jesus became a man,
he could die in our place. We each owe a debt we cannot pay and He paid a debt
He did not owe. He took the punishment we deserved.
Jesus is our Deliverer—our Savior—our
Messiah!
He took the punishment for all mankind, but only those who believe and
receive Him will actually obtain His salvation and experience eternal life in
Heaven with Him.
A lot more could be said to
answer the question. God’s Word, the Bible, explains it thoroughly. I recommend
that all read the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—to learn more about
Jesus.
I’m grateful to finally come
to a degree of understanding of how it is that Jesus’ death on the cross
saved me from my sins. We who are followers of Jesus, will have
perfect understanding when we reach Heaven.
Meanwhile, with assurance
and joy I am gratefully redeemed to full relationship with my Heavenly Father
through the One who took my punishment, Jesus, God’s Son.
I hope you are too. And, if
not, I invite you to believe and receive Jesus as your Savior too. Pray and
tell God, your Creator, of your decision. May God richly bless you.
Your comments are welcome.
©Connie
Wohlford 2018
