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“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through me’.”
This may cause you to ask some
questions about who this Jesus Christ is. There is no question that
Jesus of Nazareth was truly an historical figure — but, was He just a
great moral teacher . . . or was Jesus something more?
“While we were sinners, Christ died for us”
Romans 5:8
The Biblical record of His life shows
that Jesus was born to a virgin, that He lived a sinless life, taught
throughout the region of Palestine for about three years, was horribly
crucified (although innocent), and then rose back to life three days
after His death. This doesn’t sound like the life of an ordinary man,
does it? By His own account, Jesus claimed He had power to forgive sins
and heal incurable diseases (See Mark 2:1-12 for a fascinating
combination of these two evidences of God). He claimed to be able to
determine people’s eternal destiny (John 3:16,17;11:25,26). But His most
startling claim is that He declared Himself to be God. (John
10:30)!
“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.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but
to save the world through him.” (John 3:16,17)
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who
believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever
lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this’?”
(John 11:25,26)
“I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)
Many people today don’t understand that Jesus claimed to be
God. They’re content to think of Him as little more than a great moral
teacher. But even His enemies understood His claims to be the one true
God (John
10:33).
“’We are not stoning you for any of these,’ replied the Jews, ‘but
for blasphemy, because you , a mere man, claim to be God’.”
If the Biblical claims of Jesus are
true (and we believe they are!), there is no other option: Jesus is, in
fact, God. And, as such, He is the only One who provides what our
souls truly need (Acts 4:12).
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under
heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Jesus’ assertion that He is God has monumental significance.
For, as God, He not only experienced a miraculous human birth and lived
among His human creation — the Bible says that Jesus died. But He did
not die for Himself. The wonderful truth is that Jesus died as a
sacrifice and a substitute for you! He took the judgment of sin (death)
upon Himself and made a complete and satisfactory payment so that He
could, instead, offer you life (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:14,15,21).
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8)
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that
one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that
those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died
for them and was raised again. God made him who had no sin to be sin for
us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2
Corinthians 5:14,15,21)
The empty Garden tomb — Jerusalem
Then, the Bible tells us that Jesus rose again from the dead
(just as He said He would - Matthew 28:1-7). This resurrection is what
makes Christianity unique (1 Corinthians 15:1-6).
“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a
violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and,
going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance
was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were
so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel
said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking
for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he
said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his
disciples: He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into
Galilee. There you will see him. Now I have told you’.”
(Matthew 28:1-7)
“Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached
to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By
this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to
you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed
on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures,that he was buried, that he was raised on
the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to
Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five
hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living,
though some have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:1-6
If it didn’t happen the way the Bible says, then the Christian
faith is based on a lie and people have no true hope for life after they
die. But if it is true? Have you ever sincerely asked this
all-important question?
Your life on this earth, and for all of eternity, is
affected by your answer to this question:
Who is Jesus of Nazareth?
Would you like to know Jesus personally?
You can! Because of God’s deep love for you, He
has already made the necessary arrangements (1 John
4:7-10). Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, you can
enjoy a personal relationship that will change your life today and
prepare you for tomorrow. He will give you life abundant and life
eternal (John 10:10)!
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love
comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is
how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the
world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved
God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for
our sins.” (1 John 4:7-10)
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that
they may have life, and have it to the full.”
(John 10:10)
Jesus made it possible to bridge the chasm which separates us from
God. Please read and thoughtfully consider the
following truths.
Truth One
God LOVES you and created you to know Him personally!
(John 3:16) — “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.”
(John 17:3) — “Now this is eternal life: that they may know
You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”
But what prevents us from knowing God personally?
Truth Two
We are SINFUL and SEPARATED from God, so we cannot know Him or
experience His love through our own efforts.
(Romans 3:23) — “For all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God.”
(Romans 6:23) — “the wages of sin is death.”
A great gulf separates us from God. We can continually try to reach
God through our own efforts (living a “good” life; religion; etc.), but
we inevitably fail.
Truth Three
Jesus Christ is the ONLY provision for our sin. It
is through Him ALONE that we experience God’s life and love.
(Romans 5:8) — “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in
that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
(John 14:6) — “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’.”
Jesus has already done the work to pay the penalty for our sin (the
only work acceptable to God) — He died for YOU!
But it is not enough to simply KNOW these truths.
Truth Four
You must transfer your TRUST from everything you have been holding
onto (that you thought would make you right with God) and place it
SOLELY in Jesus Christ.
(John 1:12) — “As many as received Him, to them He gave the
right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”
(Ephesians 2:8,9) — “For it is by grace that you have been
saved, through faith. This does not depend on anything you have
achieved, it is the free gift of God; and because it is not earned no
one can boast about it.”
Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self in a spirit of
repentance and trusting Christ to come into your life to forgive you of
your sins and make you what He wants you to be. Just to agree
intellectually that Jesus is God and that He died on the cross for your
sin is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. You
receive Jesus Christ by faith, through the work of God, as an act of
your will.
You can make this decision NOW! Talk to God about your
need.
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AGREE with God that you’re a sinner.
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BELIEVE what the Bible says.
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COMMIT your soul and life to Jesus Christ.
If you have made this decision to receive Jesus Christ – or if
you have more questions, please contact us at:
(856) 478-9559
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