John 1 reveals that Jesus existed alongside the Father since the dawn of time. Out of His boundless love and sovereignty, He fashioned us with a singular intent: that we would adore Him and magnify His glory. Yet, we defied this purpose and turned to worship other idols, a betrayal termed as sin. Our rebellion carries dire consequences, as Romans 6:23 outlines: "For the wages of sin is death." Consequently, we became estranged from God. By spurning Him, we've elevated ourselves to the status of deities, substituting His divine law and principles with our own.
Despite our arrogance, Jesus, the Son of God and God incarnate, entered the world as a human being. Despite facing temptations in every form, just like us, He lived a life of perfect integrity and innocence. Throughout the entirety of creation, He stands as the sole individual to achieve such a feat. Hebrews 4:15 affirms, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." Jesus proclaimed that the fulfillment of the good news of God's kingdom, love, promise, forgiveness, and acceptance was embodied in Him: through His life, His death, and His resurrection.
Because of Jesus' immense love for us, He willingly sacrificed Himself on the cross. Through His death, Jesus bore the punishment for all who put their faith in Him. This means that when we surrender our lives to Him, we no longer bear guilt before God. Instead, He takes our place, having settled our debt and secured our redemption. As Romans 10:9 assures, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
Jesus doesn't merely erase our past mistakes; He bestows upon us a new identity. We're not just rendered innocent; rather, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, as though we lived His life ourselves. As 2 Corinthians 5:21 illustrates, "For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." This is often referred to as the Great Exchange. Formerly villains, we've been saved and embraced, now counted as the children of God.
Following His crucifixion, Jesus was laid to rest in a tomb. On the third day, He triumphantly rose from the dead, shattering the powers of Satan, sin, demons, hell, and even death itself. Soon after, He ascended into heaven, where He remains actively involved in the world today.
Jesus, through His humility, obedience, death, and resurrection, has been exalted as the Lord of all creation. Seated on His throne, He governs over every nation, culture, race, and era. His return is imminent, when He will judge both the living and the dead, granting eternal life to those who have placed their trust in Him.
As stated in Revelation 17:14, He is hailed as the Lord of lords and King of kings, and His followers are deemed chosen and faithful. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are entrusted with the mission to spread this incredible message to the ends of the earth: that there exists a God who passionately and persistently pursues us with His love.
Jesus beckons us to venture into the world, spreading the good news of His deeds to all. Our mission isn't one of moralism or imposition of new laws, but primarily to convey the transformative love of Jesus Christ.