A.W. Tozer once said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
This statement from Tozer reminds us of the most important issue to ever face humanity. The issue is the relationship between God and man. Who is God? Who are we, and what does this mean for our relationship with God? Why did God create us?
A Holy and Just God
What does it mean that God is holy? Holiness refers to God’s transcendent otherness. It highlights the chasm between God and everything else.
“Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor.” – Habakkuk 1:13
“And one (angel) called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’” – Isaiah 6:3
What does it mean that God is just? “God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day. If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready.” Psalm 7:11-12.
In other words, God is the perfect judge. He cannot and will not look upon evil and call it good.
Sinful Man
What does it mean that man is sinful? The following verses explain man’s sinfulness:
“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment.” – Isaiah 64:6
“For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” – James 2:10
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” – Romans 3:23
“For the wages of sin is death…” – Romans 6:23
The Bible makes it clear that even the best of man’s deeds are stained with sin. We are born with a sinful nature, unable to save ourselves. This is true for each and every one of us. Because God is holy and just, sinful man has been separated from God.
The Good News
What is the good news? Yes, God is holy and God is just, but God is also love. And God’s love is perfect. Because He is a loving God He graciously chose to make a way for sinners to know Him. This is the good news: the true story of Jesus Christ.
“God is love. By this the love of God is manifested in us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” – 1 John 4:8-10
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21
God sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to save sinners. Jesus lived a perfect life of obedience. He died on a Roman cross to pay the penalty of sin. He was buried and on the third day God raised him from the dead. Having defeated death, he ascended to heaven to be with God. Jesus Christ, the God-Man, reunites the human and the divine, removing the separation caused by Adam’s first sin. He lived and died so that you could be saved.
Man’s Response
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” – Mark 1:15
The above words were the first of Jesus’ public ministry. Repentance is turning from sin and toward God. It is a turn from the things that God hates and a turn toward the things that God loves. Believing is placing one’s trust totally in the work of Jesus Christ for salvation.
“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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” – Romans 10:9-10
How will we respond to God’s gracious act of redemption? That is the question we face. We want you to know that any person who places his or her trust in Christ will find him to be a perfect Savior. Jesus welcomes sinners. He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
A New Life
Those who repent and believe are at peace with God, having been adopted into his family. The Bible says those who trust in Christ are a new creation. We have a new life! Part of that new life in Christ is living among and worshipping alongside the body of Christ, the Church.
“Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Romans 5:1
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
Through the perfect and glorious work of Jesus Christ, God and man are reunited forever. We were created to be with God, and all those who turn from sin and trust in Jesus alone will behold the face of God in Christ for all of eternity. What was once lost will be regained, never to be lost again. We could not ask for more!