Jesus' name means "God saves" which is what he came to do- save people.
The big question is...why do we need saving?
The Bible says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Sin is more than just making a mistake. Sin is rejecting God Himself- rejecting His gracious care and rule
over our lives and selfishly going our own way.
The really bad news is that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).
Our sin is serious. It's our greatest problem and leads to death- eternal, inescapable punishment.
And we can't get rid of it by trying harder.
We need Jesus.
God in the flesh
Jesus really is God's one and only Son.
Jesus is God. And Jesus became a man.
But unlike us, Jesus never sinned, not once.
Because Jesus lived a perfect life, he is able to save us, rescue us, redeem us from our sin.
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
(John 3:17)
"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son,
born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as sons." (Galatians 4:4)
Savior of the World
Jesus came to save us from judgment for our sin.
How does Jesus save us?
It's called the Great Exchange - our sin for His righteousness.
On the cross, Jesus took our sins upon Himself and suffered the punishment that we deserve- death and the wrath of God. In exchange, we receive His righteousness. Jesus' perfect life is credited to us.
"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
(2 Cor. 5:21)
By His suffering, we are healed. In his death, we are made alive. This is incredibly Good News! This is amazing grace!
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ -
by grace you have been saved." (Eph. 2:4-5)
God's Gracious Invitation
This amazing salvation is freely offered. You can't earn it by being good or morally upright. However, salvation may be free but it's not automatic.
God wants you to accept to His gracious invitation by repenting or turning your heart away from sin and trusting in Him.
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)
Jesus is your only hope. He came to seek and to save - you.
Simply Jesus
If you have more questions about who Jesus is and why He came then Simply Jesus is for you!
Simply Jesus enables you to understand more about Jesus. It's a seven-part "investigative" study through the book of John- a book in the Bible. You get to investigate for yourself and draw your own conclusions about Jesus.
You can download Simply Jesus here.
If you are interested in meeting with others for a Simply Jesus study, please email the church office at info@gracechurcheast.org