Millions of people around the world follow Jesus Christ. Why is that? It’s not just that he was a popular prophet, teacher and miracle-worker in his own day. It’s because Jesus was God himself, entering our world as a human being.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- John 1:14
As the God-man, Jesus rightly claimed to be the king of the whole world. He promised to establish a kingdom that would be a perfect place without suffering, pain or death. As Jesus healed the sick, controlled the weather, and even raised the dead, he gave a glimpse of what this amazing kingdom would be like.
Sadly, many people rejected Jesus. They ignored the king and chose to live their own way. In fact this is what all of us have done. We have all turned away from the God who made us and loves us. As a result we deserve to be punished with death, separated from God and his wonderful kingdom for all eternity.
But the amazing message of Christianity is that Jesus came to take this punishment on himself. Because of his great love, Jesus died on the cross so that anyone who believes in him can be forgiven.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- John 3:16
Three days later he rose from the dead and appeared to hundreds of eyewitnesses. The resurrection of Jesus proves that he has defeated sin and death.
Now Jesus is reigning as king in heaven. He offers forgiveness and eternal life to everyone who repents and believes in him. ‘Repent’ means to turn to Jesus and stop living for ourselves. ‘Believe’ means to trust that Jesus has done everything we need to be saved.
When we repent and believe, we’re welcomed into the kingdom and we begin to live with Jesus as our king. Jesus strengthens us by the Holy Spirit and sends us on a mission to tell others about him. Our lives don’t suddenly become easy, but Jesus gives us abundant love, joy, and peace. We look forward to the day when Jesus returns and establishes his perfect kingdom here on earth.
For more reading, see:
John 20:30-31, Romans 3:10-12, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Mark 1:15, Matthew 28:18-20, Galatians 5:22, Revelation 21:1-4