And [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
– Colossians 1:18-19
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
– John 17:3
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
– John 14:6
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
– Colossians 1:16
IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS
If Jesus is the author of creation, the author of our salvation, is the answer to our really big problems, is who we were made to centre our lives around, then the greatest purpose in life would be to make him known. This is why we exist to make Jesus known and are passionate about evangelizing the unbeliever to belief, discipling to maturity, and living in community as an expression of Jesus’ love.
THE GOOD NEWS
The Bible begins with God telling us that we were made for relationship with him. We lost our relationship with God through our rebellion or disobedience (sin). Then, God, in His mercy sent Jesus to do what no man could do… to pay the debt/ wage of our sin (Romans 6:23), so that we might live. Everyone that confesses Jesus as their LORD and Saviour and believes that He has risen from death and now sits at the Father’s right hand WILL BE saved (Acts 2:21; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-10)!
The debt/ wage in more detail:
Jesus Christ became a man, born of a virgin, and lived the life we could not live. At the cross, Jesus transfers all his righteousness to those who believe. Not only does Jesus gift us his perfect life and righteousness, but Jesus willingly took the punishment that we deserved for our imperfect, rebellious lives. His death on the cross reconciled us to God, and when he rose from the dead, Jesus demonstrated that death had no hold on him, nor on any who entrust their lives and souls to him. Therefore, we exist to imitate God (Galatians 5:1) by showing love towards our neighbour, our brother and sister, and our enemy by sharing that the only true and lasting hope is found in Jesus and Jesus alone.
Paul puts it this way:
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised… Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation… For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.