Many people believe that the essence of the Christian life is quite simply that if we live a good life we will go to heaven and if we don’t we won’t.  However, this brings up a question. How can we know if we have lived a good enough life?  According to the Bible, going to heaven does not depend on our efforts.  

Ephesians 2:8-9 says:

For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

The word “grace” in this verse means the gift of God’s love and acceptance.  The word “faith” refers to reliance and trust.  To be “saved” means to be delivered from the penalty we deserve for our sins.  This is the salvation that enables us to experience life to the very fullest today and eternal life in heaven one day.  We receive this gift of God’s salvation by placing our complete trust in the grace of God.

Using the acronym G R A C E, here are the most important things we need to understand about God’s plan of salvation:

      G: God created us to have fellowship with him.

           To begin with, the Bible says that God created us in his image (Genesis 1:27).  This simply means that God created us with the capacity to have a relationship with him.

            This is what distinguishes human life from all other forms of life. Plants have living bodies, but no soul.  Animals have both a living body and a living soul (mind, will and emotions—all that “animates” the body).  However, only people have a spirit that has the capacity for communion with God. According to 1 Thess. 5:23, people are comprised of body, soul, and spirit.

          Why did God create people in the first place?  Some have thought that God needed someone to love him.  However, God is entirely self-sufficient. There is nothing he lacks or needs.  A better answer would be that God created us because, being a God of such infinite love, he longed for others to express his love to.

          However, it is all too obvious that many people do not live in a loving relationship with the living God.  So what is the problem?

 R: We have Rebelled against God.

 The Bible also makes it clear that we have rebelled against God.  In other words, we have chosen our way instead of God’s way.  The word for this in the Bible is “sin.”  A good definition of sin is simply not letting God be the God of our lives.  Every one of us has sinned.  Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

 Some have asked why God did not make us to automatically love him.  We must understand that apart from freedom to choose God or not to our love for God would mean nothing.  God has given us freedom, and unfortunately we have used our freedom to turn away from God.

Our sin produces a separation between us and God.  God is perfectly holy in every way.  He cannot have fellowship with sin.  So what is the solution to this problem?

A: God has Allowed the penalty of our sin to be placed on Christ.

            God’s solution to the problem of our separation from him was to allow the penalty for our sin to be placed on Christ.  Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

            Some might ask, why was it necessary for Christ to die?  Why couldn’t God have simply chosen to forgive us without any sacrifice?

The reason is because God is just.  Justice requires the appropriate reward for every good deed and the appropriate punishment for every bad deed.  Suppose a loved one of yours was kidnapped and then tragically killed.  Suppose the one who did this was taken into custody and found guilty. Then suppose that when this person stood before the judge, the judge simply said, “I am in a good mood today.  You are free to go.”  How would you feel? Something deep within you would cry out for justice.  Why?  Because God has made you in his image—and he is just.  Therefore, you sense a need for justice.

Because we have sinned, a just penalty was required for our sin. However, rather than placing the penalty of our sins on us, God allowed the penalty of our sins to fall on Christ.

This is what God has done for us, so what is our part?

C: We must Confess our sins to God and rely completely the sacrifice God has provided for us.

Our part is to confess our sins to God and to depend completely on the sacrifice he provided to

 forgive our sins.  There is a great promise in 1 John 1:9.  It says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

There are many ways we can attempt to resolve the problem of guilt.  We may try to deny or to make excuses for our sins.  We may try to bury them in some way—perhaps through work or some kind of substance abuse.  We may think we can make up for our sins by our good works. However, if we could do this, there would have been no need for Jesus to die for us (Galatians 2:21).  The only solution is the solution God provided.  We must rely completely on the sacrifice God has provided for us.

What then happens when we confess our sins to God and rely completely on his sacrifice?

E. The great Exchange takes place.

When we place our complete trust in God for our forgiveness, an exchange takes place.  All of our sins are placed on Christ and all of his righteousness is placed on us.  2 Corinthians 5:21 describes it this way: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

When God forgives us, he forgives us completely.  He sees us as being holy and righteous—even though we are not in and of ourselves.  This is the gift of justification (being seen by God as being completely just), which we receive when we place our trust in his grace.  This is what qualifies us to enter into the presence of a holy God, both now and in eternity.  One of the best known verses in all the Bible is John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Have you ever placed your trust in Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins and for the gift of eternal life?  If not, you can do so by praying a prayer such as the one below:

Dear God, Thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross to pay for my sins.  I confess that I have sinned against you.  Please forgive me.  By faith, I place my complete trust in the sacrifice you have provided for me in Christ.  Thank you for the gift of your forgiveness and of eternal life. Please help me live a life that is pleasing to you.  In Jesus’ Name I Pray, Amen.

Many beautiful things happen when you place your trust in God’s grace:

God completely forgives you of your sins:

He comes to live in your life through the Holy Spirit

He makes you his own child

He gives you the gift of eternal life

He gives you the power, by His grace, to live a new life

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• Once you have trusted Christ, here are some things that will help you to grow in your relationship with the him:

Share with others this same message of grace!

God bless you!