By Steve Greene
In Romans 5:8, we are told “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
Think about this. While we were still sinners, while we were still rejecting God, when we didn’t know him and while we had no desire to know him, God sent his son to save us from condemnation and hell.
The book of Romans tells us “We have all sinned” and “The wages of sin is death.” But Romans 6:23 reminds us “The free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
According to the Bible, the blood price had to be paid for our sin. Hebrews 9:22 says, “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.”
When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the ultimate price for our sin. The sinless son of God died in our place to make it possible for us to avoid hell and receive the incredible gift of eternal life. John 3:16 says, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 1:12 says, “To all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”
I am so glad God made a way for all of us to avoid hell and to be with him in heaven forever. That is his invitation to us. That is why he sent his son. Nobody loves you more than that.
First John 3:16 says, “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us.” Jesus didn’t come for the perfect. He came for sinners like you and me. He didn’t come for the healthy. He came for the sick. Jesus said it himself, “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” – (John 10:10)
Whoever you are, whatever you have done, whatever you have been, God made a way for you to avoid the horrors of hell. He is waiting for you with arms open wide. You can personally experience the grace, the goodness and the mercy of a great God who loves you with an absolute, over-the-top, unconditional kind of love right now.
That is the good news of the Gospel. That is why celebrate his coming. He offers us the greatest gift we could ever receive. But for his gift to have any value personally, it must be received.
Steve Greene is the lead pastor of The Point in Seymour. Read his blog at pastorgreene.wordpress.com or email him at [email protected]. Send comments to [email protected].