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The Greatest Story Ever Told

Because humanity is alienated from God and is incapable of saving themselves, God designed a plan whereby His Son came from Heaven to save us. It has been called “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” In this amazing plan, the Lord Jesus became human—while still being totally God—and willingly suffered a cruel death on the cross as payment for our sins. Three days later, as promised, He rose from the dead. Even though Christ never sinned, on the cross He absorbed the judgment for the sin that we committed. Isaiah the prophet spoke of this event. He said:

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all. Isaiah 53:6

This verse teaches us that on the cross God the Father took all of our sins—the lying, the hate, the lust, the envy, the gossip, the coveting, and stealing—and He placed them upon His beloved Son. Christ gave His life as a payment to God for our sins. He died as the Substitute in our place.

In the New Testament, the apostle Peter also speaks of Christ dying for our sins as our substitute:

He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed. 1 Peter 2:24

Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but He was raised to life in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

In other words, Christ, who never sinned, bore our sins on the cross. Christ took our sins on Himself, that He might give Himself in death as payment for our sins, thereby removing them. The apostle Paul spoke of this:

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21

He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins. Ephesians 1:7

You will notice from these Bible verses that we do not participate in our own redemption. The only thing we do contribute is the sin from which we need to be saved. The apostle Paul brings this out in the next two verses:

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Romans 5:6

But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8

What about good works?

As you can see from the above verses, God’s plan for our eternal salvation did not include our participation. Christ alone did all the work. It is a finished work that needs nothing added. One of the last comments of the Lord Jesus on the cross before He died was, “It is finished!” (John 19:30).

Since the work to save us from the Lake of Fire is finished, there is nothing left for us to do. We simply believe in Christ for the free gift of eternal life. Upon belief, God grants immediate and irrevocable eternal life, and the believer is now eternally saved from the Lake of Fire. Notice in the following verses that the only requirement to obtain eternal life is to simply believe in Christ for it:

For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. John 3:18

What does it mean to believe in Christ?

Most people believe that Jesus died on the cross. Their churches and homes often display crucifixes on their walls. However, often their faith is not in Christ alone for eternal life. Rather, they are trusting also in their own goodness, good works, and merit. To put it another way, many believe that Christ’s death and resurrection only open the gates to Heaven to give us a chance to be saved. To actually make it to Heaven, one must do their part by being good and doing good works. It’s like being put on spiritual probation to see if we live a life worthy to be accepted by God in the end.

Yet, according to the Bible, to believe in Christ means to believe that on the basis of His death, burial, and resurrection, He now guarantees our eternal destiny with Him apart from any works, deeds, or merit on our part. Notice in the following verse that Jesus guarantees eternal life based only on our faith in Him for it:

I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in Me and believes in Me will never ever die. John 11:25-26

What is saving faith?

So then, saving faith is being persuaded that Jesus guarantees eternal life to the one who believes in Him for it. It is not a combination of our faith plus our works, but simply our faith in Christ alone that saves. In the following words of Jesus, notice His simple yet clear instructions on how one obtains eternal life.

I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. John 6:47

Can I be saved right now?

Yes! It’s that simple! Understand that you cannot earn eternal life by performing good works or by being good. The Bible is very clear about this:

When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. Romans 4:4-5

The only condition to obtain deliverance from the Lake of Fire is being persuaded that Jesus guarantees eternal life to all who believe in Him for it. You can believe in Jesus right now and He will grant you everlasting life. Make sure to also share this “Greatest Story Ever Told” with everyone in your household so they, too, can believe and be saved.

Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household. Acts 16:31

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