Why We Need Christ
What Christians know but which the world now rejects, is the truth that God created the world. When He did so, it was perfect. He also created humans, and immediately set them to work naming the creatures in His creation, and tending the Garden.
However, through the acts of Adam and Eve described in the book of Genesis, sin entered the world when they made a conscious decision to disobey God. In addition to this stain which is now carried by every human being, each of us born since Adam and Eve has also chosen to disobey God, and are therefore guilty of sin.
God is holy, and must therefore punish sin. His holiness will not permit sin to remain in His presence, nor will He have relationships with those who choose to remain stained by their sin, consciously or unconsciously. In the Old Testament, a complicated ritual of sacrifices was necessary to atone for the sin in the lives of believers in God, but none of those sacrifices had the ability to "save" a person. The term "save" in this context means the ability to pay for sin in so comprehensive a manner as to allow a person to dwell in the presence of God now and into eternity.
To accomplish this purpose-salvation-a once-for-all sacrifice became essential. Scripture tells us God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world for this very reason. Jesus was born to a virgin, and was raised by Joseph and Mary until the time came for Him to begin His earthly ministry. He walked the earth, being both fully human and fully divine, and lived a completely sinless life. When the authorities sought to crucify Him, the most painful death of its day, they had no understanding they were playing bit parts in the drama of what Christians term the plan of redemption. Jesus Christ not only lived a perfect life, (an essential part of being qualified to be the sacrifice for our sins) but He then died an incredibly painful physical death on the Cross as a perfect substitute for each of us, paying the price Himself for the sins of each of us who choose to repent and believe. (For an incredibly well-written history of these events, done by a physician in Jesus' times, and written as if the reader knew nothing of the Scriptures or faith leading up to Jesus, read the book of Luke. Then, read the sequel in Acts.)
But that's only part of this story. Three days after His death, Jesus was raised from the dead (celebrated by Christians at Easter), forever conquering the stranglehold sin and death have on humans. He spent many days training His disciples after His Resurrection before returning to heaven to be with the Father.
The Bible teaches only those who acknowledge they are stained by sin, wish to repent of this stain, and who freely acknowledge and accept these acts of Jesus Christ on their behalf can be restored to a relationship with God. Eternal life with Him, that part of our lives which occurs after we die and is usually referred to as "being in heaven", is also only possible to achieve by acknowledging Jesus Christ as Savior by virtue of His Death and Resurrection.
Part and parcel with this acknowledgement must be the desire on the part of the believer to turn away from the sin that is in their lives, and to be forgiven for it. While this does not mean they will be perfect, it does mean they accept that Jesus Christ has first claim on their actions and behaviors. Making Him Lord of their life now becomes their highest priority, and is also how they receive power to conquer their sinful natures, something that can only be accomplished through the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the follower of Jesus.
The Bible teaches us the Holy Spirit is given to every person who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and it is that Spirit which enables us to live the kind of lives which bring glory to God.
If you are not a professing Christian who believes the things we've described above, and are interested in knowing more about the Bible and what it has to say about this plan of redemption, then we encourage you to contact us at info@madetomatter.org. We will be happy to answer your questions, or to put you in touch with someone closer to you who may also answer those questions.