TODAY’S VERSE:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

In prep school we are studying God’s plan for salvation. A plan is a way to get something done, and what this plan does is make a way to save His people from sin. When God created Adam and Eve (the first two people), they were perfect and without sin. God desired for them to remain this way because of their love for Him, not because they were robots with no choice. So, He gave Adam and Eve free will to choose for or against Him. He did this by making ONE rule for them to follow.

Genesis 2:16-17 The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

What did they choose to do?

Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

They chose to disobey God, choosing their will over His perfect will for them. Disobeying God’s commands is sin and all sin has consequences.

Romans 6:23a For the wages of sin is death…

They had a very serious problem, as we all do today. See, even if we are respectful to our parents, are well behaved in class, are nice to strangers, and even nice to our siblings- we are all still sinners and, therefore, not “good enough” to live with perfect God in Heaven for all of eternity. Is this surprising to hear? What does the Bible say?

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  

If none of us are “good enough”, what are we to do? What’s the plan??

Romans 5:6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

We all have sinned by disobeying God’s commands, which has created a chasm (unreachable distance) between God and us. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who was sinless, to suffer the judgement for our sins so those who accept His sacrifice will never have to. His death on the cross bridged the chasm, allowing us to be reconciled to God.

As we learn about God’s plan to save us from sin, both in our present lives and in eternity, we may wonder what our part is in it. What must we do to be saved from sin? Well, first we should understand that God does ALL of the work in salvation. We are not able to save ourselves. His power is what causes the changes in us. We must, however, be humble and want Truth- don’t worry, though, He will help you with that, too .
Once you hear the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there is a “seed” planted in your soul. God will use the power of both prayer and His Word to “water the seed” and change your thinking. As your thinking changes, you will…

Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

Repenting is admitting that we are sinners and that we need to be saved from sin. Since we know we cannot save ourselves, we also understand that we need a savior.

John 14:16 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”.

Jesus Christ is God who became a man, was judged for our sins, died, and then rose again. He is that Savior- The Savior of the world.

Romans 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Finally, you accept Jesus Christ as YOUR Lord and YOUR Savior! This will fill your heart with gratitude, joy, and love. You’ll want to obey Him and live your life for Him!

2 Corinthians 5:15 And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

Wow! What an amazing plan God has designed to save us!  What an amazing God to do so much for us so that we may spend our lives, both now and for eternity, with Him!