Faith begins with understanding there is one true God. God, by definition, outranks everything and everyone else.
So … how to be rightly related to Him is the most important question about life and faith.Why isn’t a relationship with God automatic?
That is the issue. It isn’t, and it can’t be. There is a problem – a huge disjoint between humanity and GodThe Bible, the only authoritative and unerring truth about God, describes that separation. God is holy. He is absolutely perfect and thoroughly right in His character. He is apart from anything that is wrong or sinful.
To make matters more serious for us, God is just. That is, he must punish all that is unholy. His righteous character demands that sin be punished.
Furthermore, every person is a sinner. We are all guilty. Because we each have a sinful nature we have all disobeyed God and gone our own way. Every one of us.
Before a holy God we are condemned. God must exact a fair sentence of eternal death upon us because we violate His infinitely holy standard. That’s why there is a gap.
But God is not only holy. He is also gracious. Infinitely kind. Phenomenally merciful. He loves us all and has made a way to rescue us.
God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be our substitute. To suffer our penalty in our place. Only Jesus could do such a thing. He was God so He could cover our infinite offense. He was holy so He could be a completely blameless substitute. And He was human so His death could take the place of all humans.
Jesus died the death of a condemned criminal on a cruel cross. He absorbed the full force of God’s wrath against sin. God’s justice was satisfied. And God’s mercy was satisfied. In one incomprehensibly powerful act, Jesus voluntarily bridged the gap dividing us from God.
He did not stay dead. God raised Him from the grave and declared Him Lord of all. As conqueror of sin and death Jesus extends forgiveness and eternal life to anyone who will receive Him by faith.
That is it. Simply believe in Christ who died for us and rose again. For the price of submitted trust in what Jesus did for us – something we could never do for ourselves – our debt of sin is canceled and the righteousness of Christ is placed in our account. We can be rescued by faith in a divine hero who paid the ultimate price. Pure grace made a way for right relationship with the God we are all created to love and worship!
That is the ultimate question to be settled by faith. You may have lots of other questions. Want to know more? Contact us. We’d love to talk.