Christianity’s true claim is that Jesus came to save mankind from their sins because we could not save ourselves. Jesus being fully God and fully man was perfect and without sin, and only HE could step in and pay this debt of sin we owed. And I’m not just talking about adultery- but all sins.
It’s like you and I were found guilty of our crimes, standing in a courtroom obviously guilty and without excuse or justification. We knew our crime and knew we deserved the death penalty. But in walks Jesus- He steps in front of you and I and says “I’ll take her punishment, send me instead.” He did that for you- so you could experience the wonder of His love and to spend eternity with you.
That, my friends, is the meaning behind Him dying on the cross (the short version). It’s not about your good works, or mine, that can get us into heaven. It’s about trusting that HE stood up and took our sins upon Himself- though He was without sin- and God saw it and accepted that it was enough.
But… here’s the catch. It’s not just automatically handed out to every human being. God doesn’t force His love on anyone. He gives you and I a free will to choose him, or not. Sometimes we don’t use that free will very wisely (hence, the affair)…but He offers this gift of salvation to us anyway. But we have a choice. We can either acknowledge we are a sinner and in need of a Savior; that we cannot do this on our own and cry out for God’s help and forgiveness.
OR,
We can be stubborn and declare we’re good on our own, which would be like the obviously guilty woman in a courtroom saying “no, I’m good. I’m not guilty. I can do this with my good works.” But that would be foolish right? Because how many “good works” are enough to pay for your sins? What’s the measuring stick for good works? Do we compare to the murderer on death row? Then we look good. Do we compare to Mother Teresa? Not looking so good now. Do you see how we can’t trust in our own good works for salvation, because it’s not our measuring stick to use- it’s what God accepts. He’s the righteous judge in the courtroom. Learn more about knowing God here.
Persecution Live 