Phase 2
As we begin Day 1, I strongly believe it is not by accident that you are reading this right now. Wherever you find yourself in this moment, some questions transcend culture, language, time, and background.
Questions like…
- Why am I here?
- Why do I feel so alone and ashamed?
- What is my purpose in life?
- Why do we die, and what happens after life?
- Who can I really trust?
- Why is there so much pain, suffering, and injustice?
These are honest questions we all ask ourselves, but rarely can we find complete confidence in our search. Maybe you’ve searched for answers in relationships, careers, philosophy, self-help, or religion, and yet the questions remain. If that’s where you find yourself, I want you to know you’re not alone. For some of you, even reading this carries risk. Know that your courage does not go unseen by God as you wrestle to find truth.
That’s why I want to introduce you to a God who describes Himself as the way, the truth, and the life. If you stay with me over the next 25 days, I want to take you on a journey where we unpack the truth about a God who loves you and desires all humanity to be reconnected to Him. As we begin, you don’t have to look far to see a world filled with injustice, brokenness, and suffering. As we start, we will discover why this brokenness exists.
How The Curse Of Sin Entered The World & The Consequence
God desired to create a family, and the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, were placed in a perfect world with one clear boundary, not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When the serpent, whom we know as the devil or satan, tempted Eve and then Adam, their choice to disobey God’s command changed everything. Genesis 3 describes the fall of man, the point where sin entered the world and became infused into human nature.
The consequences of sin were immediate and devastating. Humanity’s nature became corrupted, and our relationship with God was shattered. The world fractured, now marked by suffering, shame, guilt, and death over all humanity. Not only physical death, but eternal separation from a holy God, what the Bible calls hell.
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.”
What Is Sin?
Sin is failing to live according to the standard of a perfect and holy God. Anything less than His perfect standard qualifies as ‘sinful.’ Whether it is “willful” or “unintentional,” all sin requires us to repent (Acts 17:30-31). This also includes both internal and external behavior, including thoughts and desires, that violate God’s perfect order. Because God is holy, sin is anything that falls short of His holiness. 1 John 3:4 describes sin as lawlessness, which means acting against God’s revealed law and authority.
Scripture (The Holy Bible) gives us many examples of what sin looks like in life. One of the most well-known is the Ten Commandments found in (Exodus 20:2-17). But Jesus takes it even further in (Matthew 5:27-28), making clear that God looks beyond behavior to the motives of the heart. Jesus teaches that even looking at a woman with lustful intent is committing adultery in the heart. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, sin is consistently portrayed as rebellion against God’s original design and order. This is why reading the Bible is important for those who want to understand what truly pleases God. Now that we have a clearer picture of sin, we can begin to understand what salvation is.
Salvation: Our Only Hope
When sin first entered the world, its impact was felt throughout all humanity. The consequence of sin was death and separation from God. In God’s perfect understanding, He desired to restore what was broken, so He sent His very own son, Jesus, to Earth. Jesus, who was fully God and fully man, came to restore the broken relationship between God and man. Jesus took on our sins on the Cross as a perfect sacrifice and paid for the “debt” through His death, so we didn’t have to. Salvation isn’t just clearing a debt but being adopted back into God’s family and having your honor restored before Him.
When Jesus overcame death (which is called resurrection), He conquered the consequences of sin once and for all. Everything about our faith depends on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Salvation is only given to those who confess and believe that Jesus is Lord and that He was raised from the dead.
When we confess our sins and repent, we acknowledge our sins and choose to abandon them. By believing in our hearts, we are instantly restored to right standing with God. The process of being made right with God is called salvation. It’s important to note that this new life was given by God’s grace; we did nothing to earn it; it was a gift (Ephesians 2:8). Our responsibility within this exchange for eternal life is that we confess, believe, and surrender ourselves to follow Jesus. Jesus gives us new purpose, identity, and eternal destiny, which changes everything about our lives. Next, we will briefly introduce what faith means and why we need it.
Faith
Next, it’s important to understand the concept of faith. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith this way: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Christian faith is a required element for anyone who has accepted Jesus as Savior. Apart from faith, it’s impossible to receive and experience the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Faith is also vital to anyone as they complete their spiritual journey on Earth. We will go deeper into this topic on Day 3, but this verse is a good starting place to help build our understanding of faith.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Now that we understand faith, let’s simplify our understanding of Salvation.