Even though mankind, from the beginning, has rejected and disobeyed God, He wants a relationship with you and me.

In fact, the most well-known verse in the Bible tells us of God’s love: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

God made a way for us to know Him, and He doesn’t leave us guessing at how we can—He tells us in the Bible. In 1 John 5:13, He says, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life…”
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So, if God loves us and wants us to have eternal life, why is there still this penalty of death? The answer is simple:

The Bible tells us that it is sin that keeps us from God. Sin is anything we do, say, or think that is contrary to God’s laws and commandments.

As we read in Romans 5:12, since Adam and Eve, the first man and woman on earth, a sin nature has been present in all people. No one had to teach us how to sin; sinning comes naturally to us.

So sin separates us from God. It makes an impossible chasm between us. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

Also, our sin has a penalty. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death…” The “wage” or payment for our sin is spiritual death—eternal separation from God in Hell.

Our own works and religion are not enough. Some people believe they can pay the price for sin by doing good works or being involved in religion. This may seem logical, but it’s not what the Bible says.In fact, the Bible specifically tells us that we can’t earn our way to Heaven through good works.

We were lost and separated from God, but because He loved us He sent His own Son—Jesus Christ— to die on the cross for our sin. After His death, He rose from the dead
three days later.

In Romans 5:8, the Bible says, “But God commendeth [meaning proved or demonstrated] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Though we are unworthy, Jesus paid our payment when He died for us.

As Romans 6:23 tells us, Christ now offers us the gift of eternal life: “…the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” This is a gift Christ paid for when He died for our sins. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus became the payment for our sin. Now we do not have to pay for our sin. By His grace, salvation—the cure for sin and death—is provided.

Although Jesus already paid for our sin and offers us the gift of forgiveness and eternal life in Heaven, we must choose to receive His gift. We must stop trusting ourselves, our works, and our religions, and turn our full trust to Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of our sin.

Romans 10:13 says we simply call out to Him to save us from the penalty of our sin: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That is a promise directly from God that if you will pray to Him, confess that you are a sinner, ask Him to forgive your sins, and turn to Him alone to be your Saviour; He promises to save you…to provide a cure for sin.

Dear Lord, I confess that I am a guilty sinner and that I need to be saved. I believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay my sin debt. Please forgive me, and come into my heart, and save my soul. Amen.