IS JESUS RELEVANT TODAY / PART 7

   IS JESUS                         RELEVANT                       TODAY?

    PART 7

   (Copied from 
     Y-Jesus.com)


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Perhaps Hitler is deserving of judgment, 
they reason, but not them, or others, who live "decent lives."   It's like saying that God grades on the curve and everybody who gets a D - or better will get in. But this presents a dilemma.

As we have seen, sin is the opposite of God's Holy character. Thus we have offended the One Who created us, and loved us enough to sacrifice His very Son for us. In a sense, our rebellion is like spitting in His face. Neither 
good deeds, religion, meditation, or Karma can pay the debt our sins have incurred.

So, why is Jesus alone able to save us from our sins? Aren't there others qualified to save us? Although there have been many people and prophets who have lived good lives, the New Testament eye-witnesses of Jesus tell us that He was morally righteous in every way. 

Theologian R. C. Sprout tells us that since Christ lived a sinless life, He alone qualified to be our Savior.

A Gift Undeserved


The Biblical term to      
describe God's free 
forgiveness through 
Christ's sacrificial death 
is grace. Whereas mercy saves us from what we deserve, the grace of God gives us what we don't  deserve. Let's review for a minute how Christ has done for us what we could not do for ourselves:

*  God loves us and created us for a 
    relationship with Himself.
*  We have been given the freedom to
     accept or reject that relationship
*  Our sin and rebellion against  God
     and His laws have created a wall of
     separation between us and Him.
*  Though we are deserving of eternal
     judgment, God has paid our debt in
     full by Jesus' death in our place, 
     making eternal life with Him 
     possible.

Bono gives us his perspective on grace:
     
"Grace defies reason and logic. Love interupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case, is very good news indeed, because I have done a lot of stupid stuff... I'd be in big trouble if Karma was finally going to be my judge. It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out
for grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope that I don't have to depend on my own religiosity ."

We now have the picture of God's plan coming together. But there is still one missing ingredient.
According to Jesus and the authors of the New Testament, each of us individually must respond to the free 
gift Jesus offers us. He won't force us 
to take it.

next post  1st November