Those who are Christians know that we have a marvelous Savior. Those who do not yet believe, need this marvelous Savior. As a young person, I did not know I needed a Savior. I thought that the world was within my grasp. But now that I am older, I realize that I don’t even hold myself in my hands. I fully realize now that I need a Savior. But today many young people are only told how wonderful and “talented” they are, so they don’t realize their need. They think they know how to handle their own life. I want to tell you, if you are not a Christian, you need a Savior. If you are a Christian, you need a Savior even more.
Because All Have Sinned
We all need a Savior because we all have sinned. Even if you feel that you are a good person, you are still a sinner. As a young person growing up in China, 40 years ago, I was never exposed to all the evil and immoral things that young people encounter today. You may think that compared with today’s generation I was such a good person. How could I think I was a sinner and needed a Savior? The Chinese have a story about two soldiers fighting on the battlefield. When the enemy came, they both ran away. One ran 50 steps; the other ran 100 steps. The first one turned to the second and called him a coward. Yet they both ran away. Both were cowards. Whether you have committed a little sin or a big sin, you are a still a sinner. Even if everyone else around you is doing something, it can still be a sin. In the sight of God, sin is sin. So the Bible is very bold to say, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).
What Is Sin?
A sin is to fall short of the glory of God. All have sinned. Whether you committed murder or you thought an angry thought, no matter what kind of sins a person has committed, the result is the same. Everyone has fallen short of the glory of God. Man was created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:27), so man was made to express God. But man has fallen short of God’s intention.
Let me give you an illustration. Suppose a large family goes out to eat in a fancy restaurant. The mother will dress each of the children in their best and make sure they look presentable. If the children do not behave properly, the parents will be embarrassed because that will diminish the family’s glory. Our God is a glorious God, and He has a glorious purpose, so He created man. You are here because God created you, in His image and after His likeness. God, who is Spirit, even put His element within man. No other creature on this earth has the element of God in them. Only human beings have a spirit to contact God. But something happened that put distance between us and God. That something is sin. The result is that man has fallen short of the glory of God.
Sin doesn’t have to be something terrible or evil. Sin is simply not matching God. If you are one with God and match God, then both you and God are satisfied. Jesus Christ, who is God, became a man, and died on the cross for our sins. He shed His blood to cleanse us from all our sins. He bore the judgment of sin, which is death, for us. So He is the Savior of all sinners. If anyone desires to believe in Him, He will save him to the uttermost.
Jesus Took Care of Our Sins
Ezekiel 18:4 tells us, “The soul who sins, he shall die.” But 1 Peter 2:24 says, “Who Himself [Jesus] bore up our sins in His body on the tree [that is, the cross], in order that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose bruise you were healed.” Not only Jesus died on the cross, but we also died with Him. He died on the tree, and shed His blood to cleanse us. When we believe into Him, we enter into this fact that we have died to sin and we live to righteousness.
To be saved is very simple. It doesn’t take a lot of knowledge. Just say, “Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner. I don’t know how many sins I have committed, but one thing I know, I fall short of the glory of God. Oh Lord, save me. Lord Jesus, I receive You as my Savior.” In this simple way, you receive the Lord Jesus.
Some people want to study more because this way seems too simple. You should study more, but while you are studying, still believe. For example, you may realize that with all the pesticides and chemicals in food today, you should study what is in your food before you eat it. Otherwise what you eat may be very harmful. Surely this is right, but if you just study and don’t eat, you will starve. So, study while you eat, and eat while you study. It is the same with the Lord Jesus. You may not know who Jesus as your Savior is, and you would like to study more. You should and you must study. As you are studying, believe in Him. Receive Him as your Savior. He is your Savior and He will save you. He will come into you and regenerate you when you open your heart to receive Him. After you are saved you will have a whole lifetime to study.
Amen. We should study about our Savior and believe in our Savior.