The sky became dark and ominous, even though it was only noon. Crowds of people had been gathering for several hours outside the city of Jerusalem to witness the brutal crucifixion of Jesus, the Son of God. What terrible crime had He committed to deserve such a barbaric death? Jesus was perfect and never sinned, yet jealous men mocked Him and mercilessly beat Him, nailing His hands and feet to a cross. They rejoiced that Jesus was dead and hoped His following would soon diminish. God was in control, though, and it was His plan to send His Son to be our Savior. “Why do I need a Savior?” you may ask, “I can enter Heaven on my own merits, can’t I?” We must go back to the beginning of Creation to find the answers to these questions. God created a perfect world without sin, death, or pain. He formed Adam and Eve and put them in a beautiful garden, where they could live and raise a family in close fellowship with God. He told them they could eat from any tree in the garden of Eden, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God warned them if they ate this fruit, they would surely die, as their eyes would be opened, and they would know sin, destroying their perfect life. Adam and Eve chose to eat the fruit and rebel against their Creator and this willful act of disobedience brought sin into the world. It says in Romans 5:12, “...sin entered the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.” Disease, sickness, suffering, and death were now part of their existence, but their sin’s most devastating consequence was eternal separation from God. He is holy, so there can be no sin in Heaven, and our sin will separate us from Him forever without God’s intervention. We do not deserve God’s forgiveness, but in His amazing love and grace, He promised to send a Savior to redeem the human race. Jesus took on a human form, born as a baby in Bethlehem, then grew in stature, preached to crowds, and performed many miracles. When He was only 33, He willingly sacrificed his life, crucified on a wooden cross to bear the punishment for our sin. Jesus’ enemies thought they had won when they laid Him in the tomb, but His omnipotent Father raised Christ from the dead, victorious over sin and the grave. If we want to be reconciled to God and have our sins washed away, we must acknowledge that we need a Savior and place our trust in Him. We read in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” We cannot earn our way to Heaven by the good deeds we have done, and all our righteous acts will not wash away our sin. 1 John 1:7 says, it is the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, that cleanses us from all sin. Just before He took His last breath, while in agony on the cross, Jesus cried, “It is finished,” then hung His head and died. He was declaring our sin debt was paid in full, by the blood He shed for us, while suffering on a cruel cross, so we could be set free. If you would like to accept Jesus as your Savior, and become a child of God, ask Him to forgive your sins and surrender your life to Him. I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” If you admit that you have sinned and accept God’s gift of salvation, the Holy Spirit will come to live in your heart to comfort, lead and encourage you. He will fill your heart with joy, and you’ll have hope in knowing someday you’ll be in Heaven, praising your Savior forever. By Bev Yellowley
