Death to life
But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:12-16
The world record in long jump that stood now for twenty eight years was 29 feet and 4.38 inches. Attempts were made to break this record by athletes to the point that many were caught doping to gain an edge to break the record. The previous record was 29 feet and 2.5 inches and sports analyst then said that this record long jump will stand for 50 years before it could be broken. But such analysis was refuted when such record was broken 24 years later. There is one record in the Bible that man tried to break but always fall short. In Romans 3:23, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” The standard that God had established so we could measure up is perfection, nothing less. In order to pass this standard, we have to be impeccable in terms of sins committed, a perfect morality, in short, faultless. No one would qualify to such standard. This was the reason why Jesus came in this world so He would do for us what we cannot do for He alone is perfect. “He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone” (1 Peter 2:22). He died on the cross so He could draw us to Himself and forgive us of our sins. “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed” (1 Peter 2:24). This is the good news of the gospel; “everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” God’s wonderful gift of life and life eternal could not be earned or inherited. Eternal life does not come because of what we can do to obtain it. The gospel begins with God’s love, expressed on the cross and the empty tomb, so that those who will place their trust in Him will have eternal life. Placing one’s faith in Christ will “have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life” (John 5:24).
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com
