Principle 3: God's response

Earlier, we discovered that while we were created in the image of God, we “miss the mark” (that is, we sin) and hence, we are separated from God. So, how then can we connect with God? How can we know God? That’s where Jesus comes in!

Main Point | There is no other religion that solves the problem of humankind’s imperfection and separation from God than what we have in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. When it comes to reconnecting us with God, all three of those aspects of Jesus’ life are significant.

Principle 3 can be broken down into four main truths:

Jesus was sinless
Jesus died to pay for our sins
Jesus has so much power that not even death could hold Him back
Jesus is the only way to God

1. Jesus Was Without Sin

Jesus was able to pay the penalty for our sins because He is perfect and free from sin.

[Jesus] committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. 1 Peter 2:22

Pause and reflect

Dig deeper by responding to the questions below. Write your answers down in a journal or the notes section of your phone.

Write down as many things as you can think of that you know about Jesus.
From what you know about Jesus, what, in your opinion, is so important about His life?

In Other Words | During His 33 years, Jesus set an example for us of how we can relate to and rely on God. To learn from Jesus, you can study the first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) as well as the book of Acts. These are filled with stories from Jesus’ time on earth.

2. Jesus Died in Our Place

But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

big question

Why did Jesus have to die on a cross?

Write a note: In your understanding, why did Jesus have to die on a cross?

Since the penalty of sin is death, nothing less than something or someone dying would be an acceptable payment for our sins.

Let’s say a judge tells you that you owe $1,000 to the court for you to be set free. Would you be let go if you offered $100? No. The fine is $1,000. Nothing less. Imagine that Jesus decided to pay the $1,000 on your behalf.

This is similar to what God did to save us from the consequences of our sins. God demonstrated the depth of His love for all of mankind by allowing His sinless Son, Jesus, to die once and for all for all of our sins.

Jesus paid the ultimate cost by dying an excruciating death, taking on the sin of the world, and experiencing God’s wrath on our behalf. But Jesus didn’t just die. He came back to life!

3. Jesus Has Power

Jesus proved He was the Son of God by conquering death. Jesus lives forever, and by accepting the truth of what He did for us, so can we.

pause and reflect

Write a note: What is so significant about the fact that Jesus came back to life?

Christ died for our sins … He was buried … He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then He appeared to more than five hundred… 1 Corinthians 15:3-6

The fact that Jesus came back to life was historically verified. He showed up and interacted not only with his disciples, but with more than 500 other individuals.

4. Jesus is the Only Way

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

pause and reflect

Dig deeper by responding to the questions below. Write your answers in a journal or the notes app on your phone.

Does what Jesus says here make you uncomfortable?
What makes this verse so controversial?

At first glance, this verse may appear exclusive but in fact, it is actually inclusive. If Jesus said that only Middle-Eastern men (like He was) who believed in Him could come to the Father, that would be exclusive. Why? It would exclude all women as well as all men who were not from the Middle-East. But Jesus does not say that.

It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, what your ethnic background is, your physical presentation, who your parents are, what religion you were born into, or where you’re from. All that matters is putting faith in Jesus—believing that Jesus died so you can know God not only someday when you’re in heaven, but your life can be totally different today!

That is what makes the gospel (the good news) both beautiful and inclusive.

This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf that separated us from Him. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.

Before, our sins caused us to “miss the mark” and made it impossible for us to connect with God. But because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can experience God’s love in the way He attended from the beginning, and we can share that love with folks around us.

In Christ, there is Restoration | Jesus’ death and resurrection brings us back into a relationship with God. His death and resurrection also allows us to be reconciled with others to have restored relationships (Ephesians 2:14-18 and Colossians 1:19,20)