That is when Jesus’ substitutionary (for you and me) death opened a pathway for penitent sinners to be reconciled to God, without Him invalidating His own law.
Back in the garden of Eden, God told our first parents, Adam and Eve, not to eat the fruit from the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil and blessing and calamity”. Genesis 2:17 Amplified Bible Classic Edition.
The penalty of sin — disobedience to God — is death, which is eternal separation from God.
Now here was God‘s dilemma.
He loves us so much that He did not want to destroy any of us, even though we all of have disobeyed Him – sometimes deliberately and defiantly – rejecting God's authority, ignoring the Holy Spirit's voice, speaking quietly to our conscience, when we are tempted to do wrong.
God, the Father, God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit came up with a master plan to save repentant sinners, even before they created Adam and Eve. Ephesians 1:4-7
The penalty for sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Romans 6:23
Jesus, the second Adam, lived a perfect life on earth, by depending on His Heavenly Father, in precisely the same manner that we can. His sinless life was accomplished solely by using the avenues that are available to each of us.
- Prayer
- Worship
- Bible study
- Meditating on spiritual themes
- Fasting
- Fellowship with other committed believers
Jesus was foreshadowed by the lambs, goats, cows and doves that ancient Jews once sacrificed daily to atone for their sins.
Each one of those offerings, where the physically perfect animal’s life was taken were like cheques, written on the bank of Heaven.
The sinless Jesus, Who willingly shed His blood for us, covered the cost of those millions of sacrificial withdrawals. Those offerings all symbolized Him.
Since Jesus did nothing worthy of death, His Father resurrected Him on Easter Sunday.
When we confess, repent then forsake our sins and accept His perfect sacrifice, He gives us eternal life.
For skeptics
If you believe that the historical Jesus and Christianity are myths, fairy tales or the “opiate of the masses”, let me refer you to the calendar.
Why is Friday, March 29, 2024 referred to as Good Friday?
Why is Sunday, March 31, 2024 referred to as Easter Sunday?
What is the significance of 2024?
Who was born 2,023 years ago? There is no year zero.
We have 2 BC, 1 BC, 1 AD then 2 AD.
BC = “Before Christ”
AD = “Anno Domini”, Latin for “in the year of our Lord”
If the dating system of our calendar plus one Friday and one Sunday each year (when Jesus was in the grave) bear the imprint of His life and death, is it that far-fetched to consider the theoretical possibility that God, the Son, came down to earth, lived, died and rose again to save you and me?
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Photos of the Good News Bible, published by the American Bible Society
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