Gospel Minute 5: Jesus
2024-08-20
We saw how a perfect God of justice must judge sin. Imagine if a judge in this world would just sweep things under the rug? God does not and cannot do this with our sin. Though His righteousness requires a penalty for our sin, His love for us requires a pardon. He knew of way to judge our sin without judging us.
He tells us, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became a human being. He lived the perfect sinless life we could never live. He showed the world that He was from our heavenly Father by performing miracles such as healing the sick, the deaf, and the blind, He brought the dead back to life, and cast out demonic powers.
The religious and political leaders of this world got together for envy, arrested Him, tortured Him and killed Him on a cross. This did not catch Him off guard, however. On that cross, the wrath of God toward our sin was poured out on Jesus: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). While we were His enemies, He loved us and received God’s wrath that was due us.
But He did not stay dead, for “his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Jesus, who died for us His enemies, paid for our sins, yet was accepted of God the Father, which is shown in His rising from the dead. He was seen forty days by many witnesses and was received into heaven until the future time when He will come to judge the earth.
But does this mean that everyone is saved from the lake of fire automatically? Let us discuss next time.