God's Provision: A Savior

God rescued us by sending His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins on the cross (see 1 John 4:9-10). Jesus was fully human and fully divine, a truth that ensures His understanding of our weaknesses, His power to forgive, and His ability to bridge the gap between God and us (see Romans 5:6-11). In short, we are "justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). Two words in this verse bear further explanation: justified and redemption.

Justification is God's act of mercy, in which He declares believing sinners righteous, while they are still in their sinning state. Justification doesn't mean that God makes us righteous, so that we never sin again, rather He declares us righteous much like a judge pardons a guilty criminal. Because Jesus took our sin upon Himself and suffered our judgment on the cross, God forgives our debt and proclaims us PARDONED.

Redemption is God's act of paying the ransom price to release us from our bondage to sin. Held hostage by Satan, we were shackled by the iron chains of sin and death. Like any loving parent whose child has been kidnapped, God willingly paid the ransom. And what a price He paid! He gave His only Son to bear all the sins of humankind: past, present, and future. Jesus' death and resurrection broke our chains and set us free to become children of God (see Romans 6:16-18, 22; Galatians 4:4-7).

Introduction

Our Spiritual Condition: Totally Depraved?

God's Character: Infinitely Holy

Our Need: A Substitute

God's Provision: A Savior

Placing Your Faith in Christ

Content adapted from
www.insight.org