The best of the best things that could happen to a person is to be brought into a personal relationship with the triune living God.
The God of the Bible is utterly perfectly good all the time. He is the author of every good thing in our lives. He is the provider and sustainer of all that we need. He made everything and therefore knows everything. He always does what is right. He loves completely without fail all the time. He wants intimate fellowship with every person. He is perfectly just.
Therein lies a problem.
God’s goodness is so good and His justice is so perfect that our imperfection is unacceptable to Him. Our selfish attitudes, rebellion against His laws, and disregard for the lives of our neighbors put us in direct opposition to Him. Our problem is that we are not like Him. He cannot let our imperfections, our evil, dwell in His presence. Bringing people who are imperfect into the perfect heaven would make it imperfect. God’s goodness means He cannot overlook our evil deeds.
That’s why God the Son, Jesus Christ, came to earth. Our creator Himself took up our sins. He carried our punishment. He himself was nailed to a cross and bore the punishment we deserve. He [Jesus Christ] who knew no sin [He had no sin of His own] became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. The just and good penalty which was due to each one of us as sinful people was paid in full. Jesus died to pay our penalty. He was buried. He rose again from the dead, showing that the debt was paid in full. The perfect goodness of Christ was credited to the account of us sinners. It is our standing in the righteousness of Christ alone that gives favor before a Holy God.
When we believe God about our sin, and trust in what Jesus has done for us, we appropriate the perfect righteousness of Christ. We are clothed in it. We are IN Christ. God the Father sees us, through the sacrifice of God the Son, Jesus, as totally forgiven, perfectly righteous and completely accepted as His own. The selfless sacrifice and most lavish love is extended to each of us through the extremely generous grace of Christ. By believing Him, we are brought into the most perfect of relationships. God the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us to empower us to overcome our own evil tendencies, to show us a more excellent way; to testify to the righteous paths wherein we should walk.
To live eternally with the author of all that is good, increasing in the knowledge of His goodness, enjoying the wonder of His character, and exploring the grandeur of His creation for all of eternity, is by far the greatest gift!
I have not even begun to explain this to you in a meaningful way. I can’t really do that here. I just wanted to introduce to you the concept of complete, unconditional, eternal acceptance through Jesus Christ as the greatest of all gifts; a gift that only God can give to you and only you can embrace for yourself.
Some of my friends have taken the time to put together the foundational story in ways that give you the knowledge that you need to make an informed decision about whether or not you should believe what I have told you. Here are some of their free eBooks. You will enjoy what you learn from them.
The Story That Matters – free.goodseed.com/stm
By This Name – free.goodseed.com/btn
The Lamb – free.goodseed.com/lamb
Video book version of – The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus – send100.org/bible
King of Glory – Full 15 Episode 3.7 hour video – https://vimeo.com/194195977