Our Substitute
HAPPY NEW YEAR
The 100% pass
I wonder if there is a subject at school which you are quite good at but when it comes to exams you freeze and struggle to get the mark you want.
Well, imagine if there was someone who went to the Head Teacher and said that they would sit the exam in your place, and asked that whatever mark they got be awarded to you; and just suppose the Head Teacher agreed! Then imagine if that person, your substitute, gets 100%!
The Bible teaches us that Jesus has become a substitute for sinners and has achieved a mark of 100% for them!
Let me explain. Sin is missing the mark of God's standard for the way that we should live. God's standard is a life that is good, right, and perfect in every way (thought, word, and action) and the Bible says that however hard we try, we have all fallen short, we are all sinners and our sins separate us from God who is offended by sin.
It sounds hopeless doesn't it, but the Bible also tells us that God is not only perfect and just, but he is also love, and in love he sent Jesus, his only son, into the world to rescue sinners. This is what we celebrate at Christmas time. So what did Jesus do? When Jesus Christ lived on earth he did good and he never sinned. He lived a perfect life - it was 100% pass! And when he died, crucified on the Roman cross, he died for sinners, being punished for their sin, in their place. By his life and death, Jesus has made a way back to God where sins can be forgiven, God can be known and everlasting life obtained. The Bible calls this salvation.
The invitation of the Bible is that salvation is a free gift from God to all who will confess their sins and believe in Jesus, personally trusting in his life and death for them. And when someone does this, an exchange has taken place - that person's sins have been put to Jesus' account (as though they were his, although they are not) and Jesus' righteousness (the result of his 100% perfect life) is given to them making them acceptable in God's sight.
The good news of the Bible is absolutely amazing! Don't dismiss it. Investigate it! It is vital that you do!