Somebody Has to Pay for Sin

[Somebody Has to Pay for Sin]( Current Teaching Series [The Seven Greatest Words of Love]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Somebody Has to Pay for Sin]( By Rick Warren — 03/09/2021 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.” Habakkuk 1:13 (NIV) In Greek and Roman mythology, all the gods—like Zeus, Jupiter, and Apollo—have human frailties. They get angry. They lust. They’re impatient. They zap people with lightning bolts. They are inconsistent and unreliable. But the real God, the God who created the universe, is 100 percent pure, just, and unpolluted. He’s never done anything wrong, impure, or imperfect. That’s called holiness. Habakkuk 1:13 says, “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing” (NIV). Because God is 100 percent perfect, you can trust him, unlike the gods of mythology. But his perfection also means that he cannot stand to be around sin. So, at the cross, God took every sin of the world and poured it all on his perfect Son, Jesus Christ, who volunteered to do it. It’s why he came to earth! What Jesus did for you on the cross is called substitution. If Jesus hadn’t been your substitute, then you would’ve had to pay for your own sins. God didn’t want you to have to pay for them, so he sent Jesus to be your substitution. Jesus satisfied the law. He did what justice demands. But it wasn’t easy for Jesus. In fact, it was torture. You know how bad you feel when you feel guilty over one sin? How would you like to carry the guilt over every horrific act ever done, every sin done against another person, all the sins done in secret? That would be mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual torture. On the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 NIV). He was not just experiencing physical agony. He was experiencing the torment of being separated from his Father. A God who is holy could not stand even to look at his Son, full of the sins of the world. God looked away because he is perfect. Can you imagine what this cost Jesus? But he was willing to go through that pain because he wanted you to have a way to be in fellowship with a holy God. Somebody had to take the punishment, and Jesus did it for you. Jesus became your substitute so that, when God looks at you, he doesn’t see your sin. He sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And, because of that, you can experience both eternal life and a full and purposeful life here on earth. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - Why is it loving for God to be full of justice? - What does substitution reveal to us about God’s character? - How do you think you should respond to the truth that Jesus suffered and died for you on the cross? If you haven’t trusted in Jesus and committed to following him, why wait any longer? You don’t have to earn God’s love or work your way into heaven. The Bible says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV). If you’re ready to commit your life to him, then pray this prayer: “Dear Jesus, you have promised that if I believe in you, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your eternal home in heaven one day. “I confess my sin, and I believe you are my Savior. You have promised that if I confess my sin and trust you, I will be saved. I trust you when you say salvation comes by grace, through faith, and not by anything I do. I receive you into my life as my Lord. Today I’m turning over every part of my life to your management. “I want to use the rest of my life to serve you instead of serving myself. I commit my life to you and ask you to save me and accept me into your family. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus. The post [Somebody Has to Pay for Sin]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( [Get the Journey with Jesus Deluxe Book when you give a gift to support Daily Hope]( Imagine tracing the very footsteps of Jesus as he made his way through Jerusalem on his sacrificial journey to Calvary. With Pastor Rick’s book, Journey with Jesus, you don’t have to imagine. Through gorgeous custom mosaic artwork and beautiful photos, you’ll see the story of Jesus come to life like never before. Get deep biblical insight into the most important event in human history as the narrative takes you to each stop on the path Jesus took to save us. This stunning deluxe edition, available only through Daily Hope, features a soft, vegan leather cover, 148 high gloss pages, and makes a perfect gift to help both Christians and seekers step into the greatest love story ever told. [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 7 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series The Seven Greatest Words of Love. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: The Word of Forgiveness Message 2: The Word of Assurance Message 3: The Word of Love Message 4: The Word of Substitution Message 5: The Word of Humanity Message 6: The Word of Victory Message 7: The Word of Trust [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church with his wife Kay, Dr. Rick Warren leads a 30,000-member congregation in California with campuses in major cities around the world. As an author, his book [The Purpose Driven Life]( is one of the best-selling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 74 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the century. Rick also founded [The PEACE Plan]( to address five global issues—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. 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