John 1:1, New International Version

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Who is Jesus? The Bible tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (Genesis 1:1, NIV) It goes on to say, “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, NIV)  In Matthew 1:23 (NIV) it says, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (“which means ‘God with us”). Jesus is God in the flesh. What did Jesus come to do? If we back up a little bit to verse 21 in Matthew, scripture says, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Jesus came to destroy the works of darkness of our enemy, the devil. 

In the beginning, if we go back to Genesis, we see where God had created humankind, in His image He made them, male and female. He gave them everything they could possibly need in the Garden of Eden but they were given specific instructions not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But in steps Satan, slick as slick can be, deceiving Eve, and ultimately allowing sin to enter. Due to this, spiritual death entered. There was a separation between God and man. But God had a plan of redemption; and that is where Jesus, the Son of God stepped in. Through His obedience to the Father, He went through persecution, was nailed to a tree, died and resurrected on the third day, and was seated at the right hand of God in heavenly places. Now, Jesus Christ, our Saviour, makes intercession for us.

From this, we need to know that we don't automatically gain eternal life. There are steps we have to take to ensure this is our inheritance. When Jesus was here on this earth for the short time He was, He said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2, ESV) We must take on a spirit of humility and be able to repent from our sins. The word repent literally means to turn away from. Scriptures  throughout the Bible tell us how our repentance must be genuine and how we are not to use our freedom to return as slaves to sin. When we come with a genuine heart before the Lord, when we truly have godly sorrow that leads to repentance, we are forgiven. Scripture says, “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:8-12, NIV)

We do have a loving Father. Many times over I have heard about His love for us, which is true. But He is also a just God. When the time of judgement comes, He will deal with us according to what we deserve. I want to encourage any of you who may be reading this now, if you have not accepted Christ as your Savior, if your heart is not right with God, take a step of faith, be courageous, and put your trust in Jesus Christ. Confess your sins to Him, repent and turn away from your sins. He will be your help! He will lead you to places you never thought possible for you! He is a great God who can do great things, if you will open your heart to Him and allow Him in.

Repentance should never be a thing that makes you feel ashamed. Repentance is a step towards being free and to a new life filled with forgiveness, peace, and joy. It releases you from the chains that Satan uses to bind you. John 10:10 (NIV) says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Even if one is not new in the faith, but a seasoned Christian, we should be in the practice of repentance constantly. It will keep us humble before a holy God and keep us right with God. I pray that from this time forward we all will take a bold step of faith towards Jesus and watch to see what He does when you take that step!