But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
By Sue Wayman
How many of us try to gain God’s approval through trying to be “good people” so that our good deeds outweigh our bad ones? How many of us try to earn our salvation?
I came to a point in my life when I realised that there was nothing I could do to stand blameless before God himself, and that I needed his forgiveness. If we are honest with ourselves we realise that we have all fallen short of God’s standards, that we have all “missed the mark”; that none of us are perfect.
The Good News is that God never expects us to ever be “good enough” on our own merit. He recognises our sin, and our falling short, and he loves us in spite of our failings. In fact, God loves us so much that He sent us a Saviour. Jesus didn’t say “I’ll save you when you’ve proved to me that you deserve it.” No. He showed us how much he loved us by dying for us, even before we were born.
It may sound too simple, too good to be true, that all we need to do is to accept that Jesus died and rose again for us, but for me, accepting Jesus’ atoning sacrifice was the start of a spiritual life in which I realised that I was washed clean from all my sins, forgiven for all my wrongdoing, and reconciled to God. In other words, I was “born again” of the Spirit of God.
Many people try different ways to find the truth, and to find the way to eternal life.
As J.John (the British evangelist) explains: “If you come to a fork in the road and two people are lying there, one dead and one alive, which one will you ask for directions?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6