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
W hat do you have to do to please God, to make Him love you? Will he love you if you make a lot of money? Will He love you if you are good and nice to everybody? Will He love you if you are nice looking or attractive? Will He love you if you are a great athlete or a famous celebrity?
The Bible tells us that none of us can do anything good enough to make God like or love us. Why is that? Because we sin and disobey God. Sin breaks our relationship with God. We are not able to live with Him because He is holy and we are not.
God hates our sin, but He loves us in spite of it. He sent Jesus to earth as our Savior. Although he was truly human, He was also God with us. As someone who was truly human, he could share all our sorrows. Yet because he was truly God, he could save us from all our sins.
All we have to do is accept what Jesus did. He sacrificed his life for us by dying on the cross. He destroyed the power of death by rising from the grave. He removed our guilt so that we can live a life that pleases God. He forgives our sins and gives the gift of new and unending life with God. This is salvation: a gift God gives that we cannot earn. That is the most important truth that we live by, one which we must share with others.