What is Christianity?

Every person has a picture or idea of who God is or who they would like God to be. How do you picture God?

Who is God?

Now let’s turn to the Bible and see how God describes himself.

The Bible can be broken down into two main themes…

The Bible’s Core Message

•God Hates Sin•God Saves the Sinner

Every book of the Bible contains this message. The Bible teaches us that it is the very word of God. God used people to write down his words for us. The Word of God is perfect and is the only way that we find out about who we really are.

Expectations

The Bible tells us exactly what God expects from us. We are to love God perfectly and love other perfectly

Expectations

God is quite clear about how good we are to be in living up to his expectations

Matthew 5:48

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Perfection

Can you honestly say to God that you have been perfect in loving him and in loving others? We may say that we have tried really hard, but that’s not what God expects. He expects perfection.

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

The Law of God

The law of God says that we are to be perfect, but we can’t be perfect. We sin (break God’s commands) daily. Therefore we can’t rely on being perfect to stand right before God.

Galatians 3:10

All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

Galatians 3:10

All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

Doomed!

Sin has created a vast chasm between us and God like the Grand Canyon. And now we are doomed to just jump to our own death because of what we have done. And this death is not just a physical death, but a spiritual death of ending up in hell. We can’t reach God, because we don’t live up to his expectations. No matter how hard we try, or how much good we may do, we aren’t perfect. And perfection is what God demands

Curse = Death

Hope?

But all hope is not lost. We can’t come to God, but God did come to us!

John 3:16-18

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Curse of Death

What did Jesus do to the curse that was upon us because of our imperfection? He destroyed it!

2 Timothy 1:8-10

So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.

2 Timothy 1:8-10

So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.

2 Timothy 1:8-10

This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

2 Timothy 1:8-10

This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Death

The chain of death has been broken forever

Jesus?

But how exactly did Jesus save us from death?

I Peter 3:18

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit

Righteous for Unrighteous

Jesus was righteous, which means that he was perfect. He lived up to God’s expectations. We are unrighteous; we are not perfect. Jesus became our substitute.

I Corinthians 15:1-4

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

I Corinthians 15:1-4

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures

Substitute

After living a perfect life as our substitute, Jesus died on a cross for us to pay the penalty for our sins. We were to die and go to hell for our sins, but Jesus did that for us.

Easter Morning

After dying for our sins, Jesus rose from the dead and proved that he had destroyed the power of hell over our lives.

Jesus saved …

… the world

… me

Summary

God expected us to be perfect. He told us to obey all of his laws perfectly. We were to love perfectly God and others. Sadly we do not do this. Because of our sin, God had to punish us with the curse of death. But God still loved us. He sent his own son, Jesus, to take our curse upon himself. He lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead to take away our punishment. Now God no longer must punish us for our sins. He gives eternal life to us because what Jesus did

So what does this all mean for me right now?

I live my life in appreciation for what God has given me. He has given me peace and comfort knowing that my sins are forgiven through Jesus. He has given me hope, a sure hope that when I die I won’t go to hell but live in heaven with him for eternity! Because of all of this, I will love the Lord my God with all my heart.

Memory Passage

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)