God created everything – everything that we see and even everything that we do not see. Through the wonder of nature, we see that God is both creatively artistic and orderly.
God also gave us the Bible, so that we could know Him more. Through the Bible, we learn that God is holy and perfect. There is no sin, evil, or wrong in Him. Also, God is just. His goodness and justice are intertwined.
Man and woman were created differently than the animals. Both man and woman were created in the image of God. While they may have different roles, they are equally treasured and valuable. Together, man and woman, reflect God. At first, everything was peaceful. Man and woman had a healthy relationship with each other and with God.
Tragedy struck when Man and Woman disobeyed God. They ate from the tree from which God had forbidden them to eat. The relationship with God was damaged. This disobedience is called sin. As a result of their sin, the man and woman were punished. The relationship between the man and the woman was hindered. The Devil, who tempted the man and the woman to sin, would continue to fight all mankind. Childbearing became painful. The ground became cursed and started growing thorns and weeds, making every kind of work difficult. Finally, death entered the world. Every human would die. From then on, all humankind lives under the curse of sin. This world is broken.
Since then, we have seen the effects of the original sin. Through and through, every single human sins.God gave us the Ten Commandments that reveal how every one of us falls short of God’s holy standard. And we feel the weight of this broken world. Diseases, famines, wars, and injustices are all around us, even in our own homes.
In our hearts we long for something more. We desire that close relationship we had with God and with humankind before sin entered the world. We need our sins to be forgiven to restore that relationship. We were created for an eternity living in right relationship with God and humankind.
Humankind is searching for the answers to our greatest need. Some turn to careers, alcohol, religious rituals, drugs, sex, hate, power, family, or anything to take the place of God in their lives. In the end, only a relationship with the one true holy God will truly satisfy that deep longing, but we have a sin problem. How can we live in close relationship with the holy, just God when we are sinners?
The one and only Creator God, humbled himself and came to live among us as a perfect God-man – Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. Though tempted by the Devil, He never sinned. He cured diseases and taught about the Kingdom of God. He told of His own death and resurrection. Some of His harshest words were directed to the religious leaders who performed outward signs of holiness but inside their hearts were full of sin. Angry with Him, these religious men arrested, beat, and nailed Jesus to the cross. Before His death Jesus told his disciples that He chose to lay down His life for their sins. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, revealing He had victory over sin and death. He showed Himself to His followers and many others. Then, He ascended into heaven.
Through Jesus Christ, the punishment for sin has been paid, the shame of our sin has been covered, and the power of sin has been broken. He is the only worthy sacrifice, able to pay for our sins and appease God’s holy wrath.
We have a choice:
- We can continue to ignore God and try to find our own way in the world. In the end we will never be good enough to earn favor with God. The punishment of our sins will rest on our shoulders when we die. We will spend an eternity separated from God and His love and goodness.
- We can turn from of our sins and trust that the punishment of our sins and the holy wrath of God rests on Jesus Christ through His death on the cross. By choosing Jesus Christ as Saviour, our relationship with God will be restored. We will be considered holy because our sins have been paid for through Christ. We will spend eternity enjoying a right relationship with God and others.
Those who turn from their sin and trust in Jesus Christ as their Saviour become a disciple, or follower of Jesus.
They have a transformed heart. They have gone from death to life. They have been declared not guilty by God the Perfect Judge and are now children of God. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, they grow in holiness as God gradually transforms them into the image of Christ.
They have a transformed mind. Disciples of Jesus trust the truth of Jesus and view the world around them through the lens of God’s Word, the Bible.
They have transformed affections. Disciples of Jesus grow to love what He loves, value what He values, and hate what He hates. They grow to obey God out of desire, not duty.
They have a transformed will. Disciples are humbly obedient to God by striving to obey everything He teaches. They want the world to experience God’s goodness and justice.
They have transformed relationships. Disciples of Jesus join together as members of local churches. The church is a community of believers that gather regularly to worship God together, encourage each other, teach each other to obey God, and to serve each other and the world.
They have transformed purpose. Disciples of Jesus know that they were created for a purpose. Through the power that the Holy Spirit provides, they strive to alleviate some of the brokenness around them by loving others like Jesus modeled and taught. They share the good news of salvation through Jesus with others and make more disciples by teaching them the Bible.
Please contact me if you would like to know more about what it means to choose Jesus Christ as Saviour and become His disciple.
Healthy Global Kids 