Chapter 3

Jesus Saves Us

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,…” Romans 1:16

     Knowing the ins and outs of God’s plan of redemption is a beautiful thing. The meaning and significance of that Gospel have been taught and shared around the world for centuries. It’s no wonder—  understanding how and why Jesus did the things He did can be incredibly inspiring to think about. However, merely being captivated by the story of Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll ever be changed by Him. The details of the gospel of Jesus become life changing only when someone appreciates their personal need for what He’s done.

     Try asking yourself this question: Is sin the world’s problem or is it your problem too? When we think of sin we tend to think of other peoples problem with it. If we’re being honest, it’s just way more convenient and much less painful to point out someone else’s flaws rather than our own. We’re more likely to tolerate bad things when we’re the cause of them. However, for the gospel to take root in our lives we need to be real when it comes to our desire to sin. We sin because we want to.

     Every single one of us has an appetite for sin. Wasn’t this obvious already? Do you know anyone who has never done anything wrong? Even the best of us slip up on a routine basis. We’re naturals at it. No one has ever needed taught on how to do something wrong. From the time we were in diapers to when we’re old and wrinkled, we’re really consistent in the sin department. 

     Where do these desires to sin come from?  Jesus put it this way in Mark 7:21-23, “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” This sin that comes “from within” exposes how each of us needs redeemed. None of us reflect the goodness of our Creator like we should. Acknowledging a broken world takes on more significance when we realize our role in it.

     Sin is a crime. Crimes are offenses against a law, and deserve punishment. When people sin it’s as though they’ve broken a law that God Himself put in place. Sin is an offense to God because it’s contrary to how He has commanded us to live. For criminal activity like this to go unpunished would be an injustice, but what punishment fits a crime of this magnitude? If the worst crimes deserve the worst punishments, then the only answer is death. Sinners are all like criminals who are guilty of crimes against God. We deserve punishment. Fortunately for us, Jesus died for criminals.

     Jesus came and died to take upon Himself the punishment that we deserve. 1 John 2:2 says that Jesus, “is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” Don’t let the word “propitiation” overwhelm you. It’s an important word. Propitiation refers to the justice that must be carried out for a wrongdoing in order to make things right again. Jesus is the “propitiation for our sins” because He took upon Himself the punishment that our sins earned. His death satisfied God’s rightful wrath against our sin. When Jesus died on the cross God’s punishment for our sins was carried out, and belief in that propitiation makes us right with God. The apostle Paul puts it this way, “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

     It’s through belief in Jesus’ self-sacrifice for us that we are saved from God’s punishment. John 3:17 says, “For God did not send his Son [Jesus] into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” Those who believe, or have faith, in the propitiation of Jesus are saved from God’s righteous punishment.

     Faith in Jesus changes everything about us. Most importantly it allows us to live how we were originally intended. Belief in Jesus accepts the goodness of God and His just wrath towards sin. We rejoice in His mercy and praise God for what He’s done for us through His son. Instead of downplaying what’s evil in our lives, belief in Jesus compels us to reject the sin He died for and pursue what is holy. We worship our sinless Redeemer, who died for our sins, by living as He did.  

     So now think with me through the most read sentence in human history. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son [Jesus], that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” This well-known verse teaches that God loved the world even though it rejected His holiness. The world deserved to perish like criminals because of that injustice. However, God, in an act of mercy, satisfied his wrath by giving His son the punishment the world earned. God is so gracious! His response to our sin changes us into what we were meant to be in the first place — those who desire to reflect His goodness into the world.

Discussion questions for BOTH to answer.

1. What stuck out to you in the reading?
2. Is punishing sin good or evil? Why?
3. Who punishes sin and how is it punished?
4. Why do you think we desire justice for wrongdoings?
5. Have you ever felt guilty for doing something wrong? Give an example…
6. Can you describe how it feels when you’re guilty?