Are you near to God or far from Him?

God created you to be with him—now and in Heaven.  He created you to enjoy him, walk and talk with him.  He loves you and wants to walk and talk with you.   He is pursuing you... 

But sin separates us from God—like a wide chasm. We are distant from God. We may try to clean up our act to feel closer to God, but the Bible makes it clear that the only way to cross that chasm and draw near to God is through His Son, Jesus.  Do you know this Jesus?

Listen to this song, and then consider the following truth about Jesus.

Jesus is the Son of God

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"
So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:13-16)

The above passage might be just a short conversation between Jesus and His disciples, but in it is an essential truth, one that every Christian is to know, believe, and share with others: Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God.

Jesus is Human

Yes, Jesus was and is God. However, He was God in the flesh. He was fully human. Simon Peter and the other
disciples recounted that:
  • Jesus laughed, encouraged, and shed tears over the death of His brother Lazarus.
  • He was a carpenter and created wonderful things with His hands.
  • He was beaten and mocked and ridiculed. He suffered and died.
  • He was hungry, tired, exhausted, and lonely.
  • He was tempted by Satan.

Jesus was fully human. He had emotions just like you and me. Jesus experienced exhaustion and hardship. Jesus
knows our pain and struggle. He was fully man and yet, He was unlike any other man because He was sinless. Despite being tempted and tormented by Satan, Jesus never sinned. That means He could represent and replace all other human beings when He willingly endured the Cross and paid the penalty for our sin. Jesus didn’t need forgiveness, but He gave His life on the Cross, so that we could be forgiven.

Simon Peter came to know that Jesus was both God and Man. He was the Son of God, sent by God to be our Savior. Peter knew because God revealed it to him. God reveals this to us through His Word to us—The Bible.

Jesus is Our Savior

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16-17)

This well-known verse states clearly that GOD LOVES YOU. He loves you so much that HE GAVE. What did He give? He gave His Son, Jesus, that you would be saved - saved from sin, saved from despair, saved from eternal separation from God (Hell). Jesus is our Savior.

What must we do? The above verse makes it clear that whoever believes in Jesus will be saved and restored to an amazing relationship with God now and forevermore. Have you chosen to believe in Jesus?