Who is Jesus?

Christianity is all about Jesus Christ.


Jesus is God’s representative on earth, his only son, the physical expression of his great love and mercy for us. Fully God and fully human, Jesus took the punishment we deserve for our sins so that we can stand guiltless before a perfect judge.


This is God’s gift to us. This is the good news.


That’s what the word “gospel” literally means—good news. It’s like an announcement that war is finally over. It’s the kind of news that makes people dance in the street and hug strangers. It’s news that can change your whole life.


Read on to learn what it means to follow Jesus.

Is there a God?

When you discover a beautiful painting, an impressive building, or a great book, you want to ask, “Who painted it? Who built it? Who wrote it?”


If someone told you that this incredible work came together by itself without any maker, would you believe them?


Look around at the beauty of the world. The glorious colors of a sunset, the delicate parts of a beetle, even the complexity of your own fingers. The Bible says that all of this natural beauty is meant to point us toward God.


The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 19:1

What kind of God?

Think of the most powerful, perfect, and understanding person you can possibly imagine. God is even better than that!

 

He is the creator of everything—the universe, the laws of physics, the parts of each atom, and you. He exists outside of time, having no beginning or end...because God is the creator of what we call “time” too!

 

God is not a distant being who set things in motion and checked out. He is truthful, righteous, loving, patient…and most importantly for us, concerned with every intimate detail of our lives.


 You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

before a single day had passed.

Psalm 139:16

We have a problem

God made us to be in a relationship with him. We are meant to love him and be loved by him.

 

But love isn't real if it's forced. God gave us the choice NOT to love him too.

 

That’s what happens each time we do something wrong. When we lie, cheat, steal, or even just ignore the existence of God, we are choosing to go our own way instead of loving and honoring him. He wants us to be perfect like he is perfect...but we aren't.


Any choice we make or action we take that points us away from God is what we call "sin".

The cost of sin

You already know how bad decisions mess up your life. If you drink without self-control, you can hurt your body. If you lie to a friend, you can hurt your friendship. If you steal, you might end up in jail.


Choices have consequences.

 

The cost of turning away from God is high. An imperfect person can't be in the presence of a perfect God, just like a shadow can't exist in bright light. It means we can't restore our relationship with him. And because God is the source of life, it means that when we die, we can't draw near him to enjoy eternal life.


The Bible says “the wages of sin is death.” What does that mean? It means being separate from God forever is a death sentence, the punishment we call Hell.

 

If this seems extreme, understand that God is SO perfect, even the smallest sin is a big deal!


God is loving and just. It would not be just for God to ignore a crime. It would not be loving to the victim if God let a murderer go without punishment.

 

A good judge does not look the other way.


I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor

and upholds the cause of the needy.

Psalm 140:12

What's the fix?

If you do something wrong, can’t you just ask God for forgiveness? Can’t you try to do better? Can’t your good deeds be enough to erase your bad ones?

 

That doesn’t work in a court of law, and it doesn’t work before God. Your sin comes with a price that must be paid.

 

But because God loves you so much, he doesn’t want you to have to pay that price. He doesn’t want to lose you forever. He wants to show you mercy.

 

In a court, someone else might come and pay your fine for you. But if that person is also a criminal, the judge will throw them in jail too!


How can a sinful person save others when they themselves need to be saved?

 

We need someone to pay for our freedom who is innocent of sin, a representative who is so perfect that they don’t deserve any punishment of their own, someone willing to take our place before God so that both justice and mercy can be done.

 

Who is able to do all that? The answer is no one.


No one...except Jesus.

The reason for Jesus

God knew from the beginning of history that all of us would push him away. There was never going to be a human without sin.

 

So to bridge the divide between perfect and imperfect, God showed mercy and came himself to earth in human form—the man called Jesus Christ.

 

Christ is another word for Messiah, and both words mean Savior. Jesus came to save.

 

Representing all humanity but with no guilt of his own, Jesus willingly died on the cross, taking the punishment we deserved. Justice was done.

 

But death could not hold him. Three days after he died, he was raised to life again, once and for all conquering the power of sin and death over our lives.

 

He paid so that we don’t have to. His offer to take our place is a free gift. All we have to do is accept it.

God's free gift

What does it mean to accept it?

 

If you believe in Jesus—believe that he is God and man, believe that he came to take your punishment in your place, and believe that he alone defeated death for your sake—then your debt has been paid, no strings attached!


There is no other way to be reconciled to God. It's a way that's freely available to everyone, not because of what you can do, but because of what he already did.

 

Accept Jesus or reject him. This is the biggest decision you will ever make.

 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

What happens next?

When we accept Jesus as our savior, something wonderful happens. Our old selves die like Jesus died, and just like he came back to life, we are born again to a new way of life.

 

Now when God looks at us, he no longer sees our sins and imperfections. Instead he sees the perfect form of Jesus standing in our place.


We give him all of our struggles, fears, and guilt and find rest in his unchanging promises. When life is not certain, we have a God who is.


But there's more.

 

If someone came in front of a firing squad and offered to die in your place, how would you thank them? Would you immediately go out and do the same crime all over again?

 

We show our gratitude to Jesus by feeling sorrow at the sins we have done, the ones that he came to die for. Out of love for him, we try not to do them again. Instead we do the things that bring us closer to the God who came closer to us. We’re still not perfect, but we want to be more like the one who is. We find joy in the things that give God joy. We are amazed at what Jesus has done for us. We want to tell others.

 

We do all this not to be saved, but because we are already saved.

 

We’re following Jesus Christ, and that makes all the difference. But don't take it from us...see for yourself!

Ready to take the first steps?

  • Ask God for help. Ask him to forgive you, and tell him that you want to follow Jesus.
  • Open a Bible. Read the book of Luke or John, two versions of the life of Jesus and what he came to do.
  • Find other Christians. Speak to them for support and guidance (Remember that none of us are perfect!)
  • Contact us so that we can pray for you, answer your questions, and encourage you!