Jesus took our punishment.What The Bible Has To Say About God’s Love
The Bible is a record of God’s dealings with people since he created them. The Gospel of John Chapter 3 verses 16- 21 tells us how much God loves us: 16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son[Jesus], so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
The reason that we need to be saved is we are sinners. We do things wrong all the time. God has given us free will to do what we want so we are not like the other created things. We have a choice to serve and love God or to go our merry way. This is stated this way in Romans Chapter 3 verses 10-30:
All People Are Sinners
10 As the Scriptures say,
“No one is righteous—
not even one.
11 No one is truly wise;
no one is seeking God.
12 All have turned away;
all have become useless.
No one does good,
not a single one.”
13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with lies.”
“Snake venom drips from their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “They rush to commit murder.
16 Destruction and misery always follow them.
17 They don’t know where to find peace.”
18 “They have no fear of God at all.”
19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
Christ Took Our Punishment
21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins[which is death].25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
29 After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. 30 There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.”
Romans Chapter 6 verse 23: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus was beaten and nailed to a cross to die for us; to take our sins on himself, even though he was perfect and never sinned. He did this so that we could have fellowship with God again. So that our relationship with our Creator could be restored. He died and was in the grave for three days and then He came out of the grave and was seen by many people before ascending up to heaven, where He sits at the right hand of God the Father. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+19&version=NIV
How to Be Saved From Sin and The Punishment of Death
The following verses tell us how to be saved from the consequences of our sin. Romans Chapter 10 verses 9-13:
9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
In John Chapter 3 verses 18-21 Jesus tells us that:
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
And again, Jesus says in The Gospel of John Chapter 5 verse 24:
“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.
A Song About Our Need For God And His Longing For Us
If the above has been confusing to you, perhaps this song by Meredith Andrews may help. It’s called The River.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGgEvGsZuM0
Asking God To Save You
If you’re sorry for your sins and want forgiveness and restoration with God you can pray this prayer or something similar to it.
“God, I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross at Calvary, and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands. I ask this in Jesus’ precious and holy name. Amen.”
If you prayed for God to save you from your sins and give you salvation, WELCOME to God’s family! The angels in heaven are rejoicing with God, because you had been lost and now you are FOUND!
Next Steps
- Tell someone– remember we have to confess faith in Jesus with our mouth as well as believing in our heart. If possible pick someone to tell who is a believer in Jesus so they can celebrate with you. You can tell me in the comments below if you don’t have someone to tell. I would love to rejoice with you.
- Get a Bible. Preferably a modern translation like The New Living Translation (NLT), if you don’t already have one. If you don’t have access to one www.biblegateway.com is an excellent free resource.
- Read the Gospel of John first.
- Find a church family that loves Jesus. They will happily take you in and make you part of their church family.
- Pray: Talk to Jesus every day. Ask Him for guidance as you read his words in the Bible. Ask Him to help you make wise choices. Thank him for saving you and for helping you daily. Listen to what he has to say to you through His words in the Bible.
Finally, if you have questions about what you’ve read here, please don’t hesitate to ask me below. I would be honored to assist you. If you are weighted down by problems and don’t know where to turn, I would love to pray for you. Let me know what you need below and I will respond quickly. May you experience God’s peace and comfort. Kathy
