The Survey Says!

I hate taking surveys. Especially ones with stupid questions. There is, however, one survey given almost 2000 years ago. That survey had only two questions. It was asked by Jesus to his disciples. “Who do men say that I am?” and “Who do you say that I am?” Peter’s answer was, “You are the Christ sent from God!” But sent to do what? I think we can answer that question, but we need to go back to the Garden of Eden.

Back to the Garden

God created Adam and Eve. They were unmarred by sin and lived in perfect harmony with God and nature. Everything was perfect, until one day Satan showed up in the form of a snake and began to bargain with Eve. Satan wanted Adam and Eve to join his rebellion against God. He promised Eve knowledge that would make her like God. Adam and Eve believed Satan’s lie. They disobeyed God, thus they joined the rebellion.

The consequence of disobeying God is death. Death is not a punishment, it is a result of sin. Not only are they going to die, but their connection with God was totally broken and all of creation is now cursed. Because of this God removed them from the Garden of Eden. The Tree of Life presented them with a cure for death. If they could just eat from that tree they would not die. They had to get back to the garden. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young in their song “Woodstock” summed up the new desire of man perfectly.

We are stardust, we are golden
We are caught in the devil's bargain
We've got to get ourselves
Back to the garden

The Consequence

Death was introduced to man through disobedience. Now mankind is shackled by sin and subject to demonic powers. Mankind needs a way to be able to return to Paradise. A path that leads to God and His Kingdom and away from Satan and his domain. That path is Jesus Christ.

Jesus became a man so that he could set right what Satan and mankind had ruined. He showed the world his power over sickness by miraculously healing all kinds of diseases. He displayed his authority over demons by casting them out of people they had possessed. He exhibited his power over death by raising people from the dead. But there was still the issue of sin. After all, the result of sin is death.

The Way Back

Since Jesus never sinned, death could not touch him. In order to cure us from the curse of sin, Jesus would have to take our sin and become subject to death.

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,[a] so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” (Galatians 3:13)

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.[a] So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. (Romans 8:3)

Therefore, he volunteered to be crucified, he took on himself the sins of mankind and willingly gave up his own life. After breathing his last breath, he entered into Satan’s realm… Hades.

Since the beginning of mankind, anyone who physically died was held captive by Death in a place called Hades. No one ever escaped. When Jesus entered into Hades, he left our sins there and three days later departed from that place alive. There were people in Hades who believed in God. They waited helplessly to be rescued. The Bible says he opened the gates of Hades and lead those who were held captive by Satan to Heaven. That’s the resurrection we celebrate on Easter.

Who is Jesus?

Jesus is the Son of God and proved it by defeating Satan and his demons. He is the Savior of the world because he conquered sin and death, offering eternal life to all who would believe in him. The way back to the garden has been revealed. It’s through Jesus Christ. Jesus said that he is the way, the truth and the life.

  • The way back to God.
  • The truth that reveals Satan’s lies.
  • The life for all mankind.

What Does He Expect?

You might be thinking, okay, what must I do to be rescued from death? The answer comes from Jesus himself, repent and believe. Repent means to forsake your old life, turning control completely over to Jesus. Believe means to trust that Jesus was crucified, died, was buried and rose again on the third day. It means, “I don’t want to be under the influence of this evil world, I want to be under your influence Jesus.”

So, who is Jesus anyway? Who do you think Jesus is?