The True Meaning of the Cross, Part 3

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God.”
1 John 3:1 (NLT)

To enter Heaven, God requires perfection – perfection every minute of every day, every day of every year, year after year.

Why?

Because God is perfect and holy and those two attributes cannot coexist with sin. But in His great love and compassion toward us, because He knows perfection is unattainable for human beings, God sent His perfect Son, Jesus to bridge the divide.

All He requires is that we place our faith in Jesus and repent of our sins.

Those who have done this can now “rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” Romans 5:11 (NLT)

To be friends with God means that no matter what may be going on our lives or how difficult our circumstances may be, we can have hope because:

1. Jesus makes us clean from our sin
2. He is faithful to forgive even when we are unfaithful
3. He forgives us, so we can forgive ourselves
4. He secures our future in heaven
5. He welcomes us to a new, radical way of living, not a moral code
6. He gives us a purpose and a calling
7. He makes us whole
8. He takes everything we’ve been through and promises to use it for good
9. He conquers darkness
10. He fights injustice
11. He makes the fallen new
12. He enables us to live as God intended
13. He unleashes wisdom, power, and grace toward us
14. He sees beyond our faults and instead sees our potential

In short, the world has nothing to offer that’s better than Jesus.

Refuse to put your hope in politics, money, your work, comfort or anything else. Only Jesus can make us right with God and satisfy the longings of our heart.

“Because of faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” Romans 5:2 (NLT)