We live in a world that is broken by sin. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and our sin separates us from God, the creator of every atom in the universe, and the One who gives us life. God, holy and just, despises sin and does not let it go unpunished. If we die in our sins, then we will pay the price when God judges us on judgment day. The wages of sin is death. As for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, the murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. But if we all fall short of the glory of God, how shall we be saved?

God is perfect, holy and just, he knew from the start that we cannot live up to His standards by our own doing. But God is also love, so He promised to send a Savior that would put an end to sin and death once and for all. This Savior is God the Father’s one and only Son, Jesus. He was sent into the world, perfectly fulfilling all prophecies established by God and perfectly living out God’s commandments with no error or sin in His speech, actions, or thoughts. He taught, healed, and performed miracles so that the people may know that He was their promised Savior. Although He was holy and blameless in the sight of God, the sinful, broken, and defying world hated Him. Jesus said, ‘the world hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil‘ (John 7: 7). So then He was crucified. But at His death on the cross, God placed all the sin of the world on Him. He was the perfect sacrificial Lamb to make atonement for our sins. Then Jesus rose from the dead three days later and defeated death. He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. He will return to judge the whole earth and do away with all sin and create a New Heaven and a New Earth. If we repent of our sins and put our faith in Christ, then we will be considered blameless and clean in the sight of God and granted eternal life as a free gift. 

When we repent of our sins and put our faith in Jesus, then we are given the Holy Spirit of God who will dwell in us and change our hearts to be able to live more like Christ as we go about our lives on this side of eternity. As we live out our lives on this earth, the Holy Spirit works through all who are saved to proclaim the gospel to all people to the ends of the earth to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 18-20) until the day that Jesus Christ returns to judge the whole earth and create a New Heaven and a New Earth and do away with the former things.

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”  And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Revelation 21:1-8 ESV