But now, more good news!

• He willingly died in our place and paid the penalty for our sin– past, present, and future. He was no pawn in a great cosmic plan.  He knew what He was doing when He offered His life in our place.  He did this because our sin had to be punished (because God is holy, righteous and perfect, without sin) but also so that we would not have to take that punishment (because God loves us).

"But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."  (Paul, in Romans, chapter 5, verse 8)

• He rose from the dead.  He is not a dead religious figure.  He is alive and able to make good on His promise to rescue us and give us life.  And He will never leave or forsake those who are in Him.

"But very early on Sunday morning, the women came to the tomb.... They found that the stone covering the entrance had been rolled aside. So they went in, but they couldn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. They were puzzled, trying to think what could have happened to it. Suddenly, two men appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed low before them. Then the men asked, ‘Why are you looking in a tomb for Someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He has risen from the dead! Don’t you remember what He told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that He would rise again the third day?" (Luke, chapter 24, verses 1-7)

"Then He said, ‘When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about Me by Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must all come true.’ Then He opened their minds to understand these many Scriptures. And He said, ‘Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah must suffer and die and rise again from the dead on the third day.... There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to Me. You are witnesses of all these things." (Luke, chapter 24, verses 44-48)

• Jesus Christ is the only way to God.  He can reconcile us with the Father, because He is both human and divine.  This makes Him uniquely qualified to be our Savior (redeemer, rescuer, deliverer).

"‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life!’ Jesus answered. ‘Without Me, no one can go to the Father." (John, chapter 14, verse 6)

"There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only One who can bring us to God. Jesus was truly human, and He gave Himself to rescue all of us. God showed us this at the right time." (Paul, in 1 Timothy, chapter 2, verses 5, 6)

"Only Jesus has the power to save! His Name is the only one in all the world that can save anyone."  (Peter, in Acts, chapter 4, verse 12)

• Some people say that it is narrow-minded to believe that there is only one way to come to know God. But suppose you could not swim and were about to sink in treacherous waters. Then, as you were about to drown, someone from a nearby boat threw you a life-line. You would not say, "No, thanks. I’ll wait for someone else to come along." You would accept the rescue gratefully. Likewise, God is gracious and merciful to have provided a way for our spiritual rescue. But He did not simply toss us a rope or a life-ring. Our rescue cost Him a great deal. We did not deserve to have Jesus Christ come and suffer on our behalf to make our rescue possible. Still, He made it possible for us to be forgiven, reconciled to the Father, have eternal life, and realize His wonderful plan for our lives. This undeserved favor is called "grace."

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