Articles
Jesus Saves
The message Jesus came to teach in a nutshell was "Jesus Saves". (John 14:6)
And, that is the same message He has asked His followers to teach ever since. (Matt 28:18-20)
Jesus came to save us from our sin(s) which separate us from God (Rom 3:23, Heb 10:26-31) Jesus ate with sinners, so being God, He showed the ability to be with people who commit sin. Scripture is clear that God despises iniquity (Jer 44:4, Prov 6:16-19, Zech 8:17, Rev 2:6) but while He detests people's sinful activities, He loves the people (John 3:16, Rom 5:8). God is holy, and sin is the polar opposite of holy. Mankind, you and I, needed a fix to the sin problem, and Jesus brought it and gave it freely because we were otherwise separated from God. (Isaiah 59:2)
Simply put, Jesus takes the sin of those who obey His teachings, and removes it. He took it upon Himself, and paid the price for it (Col 1:14) through His crucifixion, and as the blood drained from His body on the cross, His life was given in sacrifice for our sin, so that God can see us without any. (2 Cor 5:17, Col 3:3, Rom 8:1, Gal 3:27)
Jesus did the one and only thing that was approved by God, that would allow us back into God's presence after our sin kicked us out, He paid the price, death! ( Rom 6:10, Rom 6:23) In doing so, He bought us with His own blood (1 Cor 7:23) and now we are His, we are new (2 Cor 5:17) but only if we obey His teachings so that we are recipients of His gift, better known as His grace. (Rom 6:16)
Those who chose to do nothing and reject Him are not privy to this precious gift. He will not force it on anyone. Jesus loves all and wants to save all (Luke 19:10) but if we close our hearts to Him, we're left with only one alternative. (Rom 6:23, Matt 12:30)
