If our own deeds can’t save us, how could it actually work that we go to heaven? Do we have a chance? To answer this question it’s absolutely crucial to understand what happened at Jesus‘ death, and what His death can mean for us.
Because of His justice and holiness, God has to punish our sins.
But the Bible also tells us: God is love. (1. John 4:8) God indeed hates sin, but He loves the sinners and gladly wants to forgive them. How can we receive forgiveness, if God’s justice demands our spiritual and physical death? Only God himself could solve this problem – and He did that in the person of Jesus Christ. God, the Father, has sent his Son into the world to be our Savior. (1. John 4:14)
The Son of God became man.
Though Jesus was completely human, He kept his divinity. Only in Christ God can be found: For in him the whole fullness of the Deity dwells bodily. (Colossians 2:9) Jesus Christ is unique. The Bible declares this fact over and over again.
His birth was unique.
Jesus didn’t have a human father. Through the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was conceived in the body of a virgin. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)
His words were unique.
... and they were very astonished at His teachings, for His words possessed devine authority. (Luke 4:32)
His miracles were unique.
When Jesus was asked what his legitimation was, He referred to His miracles. The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and dead are raised. (Matthew 11:5)
His whole life was unique.
Jesus Christ had to fight the same temptations as we do but, in contrast to us, he never sinned. (Hebrews 4:15) This Bible verse confirms that Jesus, as a human being, obeyed God’s law in every respect. Therefore, He did not have to suffer the punishment for sin, which is death. However, He was arrested based on false accusations. He was condemned as the result of false testimony, and He was finally crucified on a hill outside of Jerusalem. But His death was not a “tragic accident“. This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God... (Acts 2:23) The Father sent His Son to take the punishment for sin upon Himself, and Jesus voluntarily obeyed. He came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28)
His death was as unique and as meaningful as his life.
The means of redemption through Jesus Christ can be summarized in the following Bible verse: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) By the way: you can read the reports about Jesus Christ in the Bible, in the first four books of the New Testament.
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