The world has constantly asked why we need Jesus. The answer is so simple it escapes the minds of the rich and the powerful and the common people alike. Selfishness and pride often keeps people from considering out mortality. We like to think of how good we are while minimizing or outright ignoring how bad we can be. That is exactly why the world doesn’t understand the need for Jesus and salvation.

The Lord God is supreme in all things and lays out rules and commands for all of creation to follow. In creating humanity He laid out simple rules for us to follow, but evil draws us away from those rules and entices us to think we are self-sufficient. The rules He gave us are for our protection and to keep us focused on Him. But we have a tendency to act or even think evil (Romans 3:23). Satan and evil spirits exist and can influence out thinking.

Why Can’t We Earn God’s Goodness?

Because we have disobeyed God’s commandments, our body and mind are tainted with what is called sin. Sin is willful disobedience of God or His laws. Since God requires justice for disobedience, we must be held accountable. But, God is also loving and merciful (John 3:16). That’s why He was always reaching out to His chosen people, Israel, despite their often disobedient and rebellious ways. He loves His creation enough that He gave us a way to hold off His judgment if we obey. God required something to die in exchange for His forgiveness. But, not just any animal was enough—only a perfect, unblemished lamb was good enough. But, it was only enough to temporarily cover one’s sin.

God knew that He would have to provide the only really perfect sacrifice for our sin. He chose the perfect and sinless Word of God (John 1) to become the ultimate sacrifice to cover our sins. Nothing else could come close to being perfect enough to atone for sin, and Christ’s death on the cross fulfilled that perfect sacrifice once forever (Hebrews 9:12, 10:4). He knew we couldn’t defeat our own sin by ourselves; but Christ’s perfection could and would. He left the presence of God and became human (but still divine) so He could experience death (Hebrews 2:9).

But that isn’t the end. Because He is still God, He was resurrected back to life and now sits in Heaven (Mark 16:19). He has been declared supreme above all kings. He still loves us and made the way that we could escape punishment for our sins through having faith in His blood sacrifice which brings His forgiveness of our sins (Romans 3:21-25). He promises us we will be given eternal life even after our death instead of harsh punishment.

Simple Faith and Trust

It’s so simple that even a child can understand it. When you realize your goodness isn’t good enough to obtain God’s forgiveness, because everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23), then you can be led to Christ and his salvation that He purchased for us. But you have to realize you are a sinner and should spend your existence in hell in torment. But He offers salvation and eternal life just by believing that Christ lived and died and was resurrected back to life (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Reach out in faith and trust this good news and turn away from your selfish and evil ways and follow God. He will fill you with the Holy Spirit (who is the third person of God) to lead you and guide you to turn away from sinfulness and seek after God and His righteous ways (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We can never be good enough—we must trust in His power and righteous ways to cover us and forgive us.

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. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. — Romans 10:9-10

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. — Ephesians 2:8-9