In the third of this four part series, we consider the question, why bother with Jesus in the 21st Century?

3. Because He forgives!

God, who is our Maker, and therefore has a right to tell us how to behave, gave us the Ten Commandments as a rule for life. Yet which of us, if we are honest, can say that we have kept God’s laws. Can any of us truly claim to have never told a lie, stolen, hated, lusted or blasphemed?

The Bible tells us that ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’. This means that we have a problem. Every one of us is guilty before God of breaking His commands and because God is a God of justice, He must punish our wrong-doing.

We read in God’s Word that ‘the wages of sin is death’. Because of our disobedience, we deserve to die and to be separated from a holy God for all eternity. God cannot allow us to live with Him in heaven, while our lives are still full of sin, because then heaven would be spoiled, just as this world has been.

But you may say, ‘I have lived a good life. I have done many good things. Will my good deeds not outweigh the bad?’

No. God cannot overlook or ignore our sin any more than a judge in a courtroom would if we claimed that we had only broken the law on that one occasion and never before. God must be true to Himself. If we break His laws, then we should not expect to escape the consequences of our law-breaking.

So, does that mean we are without hope? No. God is not only a just and fair God, but He is also a God of love. God knew that we could never rescue ourselves and because of His great love for us, He sent us a Deliverer, His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to live the perfect life that we could not live and to die the death that we rightly deserve.

He took the punishment that was due to us and paid the price for our sins when He gave His life on the cross. Three days later, He rose from the dead to show us that He had conquered death and that we, too, could have eternal life. Jesus has done everything necessary for us to be saved.

But we must do our part. ‘The gift of God is eternal life, in Christ Jesus our Lord’. God offers us freely the gift of eternal life. We must accept this gift by owning up to our sin and being willing to turn away from it and go God’s way. We must pray to God and ask Him to forgive us, believing that Jesus has paid the penalty for our sin.

God is ready and willing to forgive, if only we will ask Him. Will you ask Him? Will you receive the gift He so lovingly offers you?