Jesus was a Jew who lived in the Middle East in the first century . He came and left his mark on the world by loving people, performing miracles, and preaching a new message. In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ message is very clear in the famous verse John 3:16-17. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, so that whoever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” 

So what does that mean? Well to answer that we have to go back to the first book of the Old Testament… Genesis. In the first few chapters of Genesis we see how God created the first humans Adam & Eve. We also see how they rebelled against God when they ate from the tree that God told them not to (Genesis Ch. 3). Now, because of that act of disobedience, sin entered the world and fractured creation.

What is sin? Well, sin is anything that goes against God’s character and law. The Bible says the “wages of sin is death.” Sin is ultimately why death exists. Death was never supposed to be a thing. God is life and sin separates us from God which leads to death. That means we all have a problem. We have all sinned and that means we’ve all been separated from God because of it. You see God is perfectly holy and good, so that’s why even one sin is enough to make us unworthy to stand his presence now and in eternity. So… yeah we all have an expiration date and will be eternally separated from God. Big problem….

So what can we do? The simple answer to that is nothing. God can’t just overlook our sins. They need to be paid for… So are we just doomed? No, because there is good news! Let’s go back to John 3:16. Jesus is talking to a religious leader named Nicodemus about how to gain eternal life. That’s when Jesus says what he says in the verse. Jesus came claiming that he was the Son of God and was sent to save the world from sin. He lived a sinless life, performed many miracles, and healed people. But, the main purpose that he was sent was to ultimately be crucified and become the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world. In that crucifixion, Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. He died in our place. He got what we deserve. All of our sins were put on him and when he was crucified, our sins were crucified with him as well.

What does that mean for you and me? It means our sins are forgiven. Paid for. No longer being held against us. Romans Ch. 8 says it best “Therefore there is no condemnation to those who are Christ Jesus.” This is how Jesus saves us but that isn’t the end because Jesus didn’t stay dead. The gospels tell us that Jesus resurrected 3 days later. Jesus defeated death!! Jesus walked out of the grave but the sins stayed in the grave. Check out Colossians 2 for more one this.

To bring this all together. Forgiveness of sins and eternal life are offered to us through Jesus. How do we obtain it? The Bible tells us in Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is lord you will be saved.” In other words, trusting in the death and resurrection of Jesus you will be saved. Salvation is a gift of grace and cannot be earned. This is offered to you and to everyone on earth.  Hope this helps!