God, the Rescuer!

“For he [God] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” – Colossians 1:13-14 NIV

The main reason why God sent His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, as an image of Himself into the world (John 1:14) to crucify Himself on the cross as an atonement of our sins is that He wants to make us the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21) and He wants to change our final destination from eternal place of death into the eternal kingdom of heaven. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) This means that only by believing in Him, we have eternal life (John 3:16-18) because all of us have sinned (Romans 5:12-14) and fell short of glory of God (Romans 3:23). John 16:8-12 states that it is sin when we do not believe in Jesus Christ. When we think about this in Kingdom perspective, this makes sense, especially when we realize that Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross for us. This is because when we do not believe in Him even though we know the fact that He was crucified for us, we deny the fact that God has His steadfast love for us (Romans 5:6-8) and that He has created us to be His image (Genesis 1:27; Romans 8:29-30). Most of us think that if they keep doing good deeds until the end of the age, they are going to enter the kingdom of heaven. They might even think that in whatever they do—good or bad—God will understand every circumstance and situation, due to His steadfast love. However, the truth is that just doing good deeds until the end of the age is not good enough to enter the kingdom of heaven at the end of the age. The requirement to enter the kingdom of heaven at the end of age is that we must believe in Jesus Christ until the end of the age (John 11:25-26). This is the reason why Jesus proclaims, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6-7)

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. (Colossians 1:15-22)

Therefore, since Jesus Christ was crucified and resurrected for us so we can live eternally, let us live for Him and His eternal kingdom by accepting Christ and believing in Him, and becoming the children of God (John 1:12-13). This is because Christian-living is what pleases the Lord (Hebrews 11:6), even though this living gate may be difficult to go through sometimes (Matthew 7:13-14). “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:18-21)

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:1-10)