The Bible says that every person who has ever lived needs to be saved from the penalty of their sins against God.
Romans 3:22-23 says, “For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We all stand guilty before God and separated from Him. Our good deeds can’t get us to God. Our personal moral code can’t pay the penalty for our sins.
Sin is a moral affront against God; therefore, God is the one who must forgive sin. We are sinners—by birth, by nature, by choice, and by practice. We have morally struck and offended an infinitely holy God. He must punish sin, and we deserve punishment.
We need to be saved from the punishment our sins deserve. The good news is that God Himself is the One who does the saving. Jesus died on the cross in our place. He took our sins upon Himself and absorbed the wrath of God for those sins. As He hung on the cross, the punishment that we deserved was poured out on Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” When we believe in Jesus, we get the perfect righteousness of Jesus. God treats us as if we had always perfectly obeyed Him. We are welcomed into His presence and treated as His children.
It is through Jesus that we are saved.
