In the beginning, God created the world, and it was perfect (Genesis 1-2). Among all creation, there was one thing that He loved most: Mankind. God created people to be specially made in His own image. It was our purpose walk with Him, talk with Him, watch over the earth, and enjoy creation. But everything changed when the first people freely chose to disobey how God had commanded them to live (Genesis 3).

This is sin - any rebellion against God and what He calls good (1 John 3:4). We became sin experts. It spread like a disease from the first people to all people, causing every person to have a natural desire to disobey God (Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12).

Sin comes with a consequence. The wages of sin - the right reward for rebellion against the Creator of the Universe - is death. And not just any death; The consequence of sin is eternal separation from God (Matthew 25:41). The world was and still is utterly, completely, and entirely hopeless to save itself from this fate (Ephesians 2:1-3).

But God wanted to be with us. God wanted to be with you. So what did He do? What God always does - He made a way. As the story of the Old Testament unfolds, we find that God had enacted a plan from the moment humanity failed.

He chose a man named Abraham to begin a family that would be His own people: the Israelites (Genesis 12, 15, 17). Throughout their history, God provided for, protected, disciplined, and guided this nation. Along the way, there came frequent prophecy of a Savior that would come from these people. These are a few of the prophecies they heard:

There will be a king that rules forever in righteousness (2 Samuel 7). This King will be a Son of God (Psalm 2:7). He will be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). He will be called Mighty God, Wonderful Counselor, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7). This Savior will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). The Israelites called this coming savior the Messiah. The Greeks and Romans would later call this savior the Christ.

This savior arrived. And His name is Jesus.

Jesus is God in the flesh, who descended from heaven to walk in the dirt with you and me (Philippians 2:5-11). Jesus lived the sinless life we never could (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus willingly died the death you deserved through being whipped, tortured, mocked, and executed on a cross (Matthew 26-27, Mark 15, Luke 22-23, John 18-19). The blood Jesus spilled on the cross served as the just payment for every sin you ever have and ever will commit (1 John 1:7). He removes your guilty sentence. He puts you in right standing before God. He gives you a salvation that can never be taken way.

The only thing God asks you to do is accept and believe that these things are true. “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

But neither Jesus’ story nor yours ends with salvation at the cross. The salvation Jesus brings is so much better.

Salvation in Jesus gives us hope. Jesus did not stay in the grave, he rose from it (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20). Jesus defeated death and promised eternal life to those who follow Him (John 3:16).

Salvation in Jesus makes you new. After Jesus ascended back to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit in His place to reside inside of His people (John 15:26, Acts 1-2, Galatians 2:20). The Holy Spirit actively reshapes our hearts to be like Jesus’ own (2 Corinthians 3:18). Jesus’ salvation fixes the Image of God that we broken in Genesis 3.

Salvation in Jesus gives us a job. How could we keep this news to ourselves? We are called to share the same gospel that saved us with everyone else (Matthew 28:16-18).