Bible Studies: Why Jesus is the Only Way Part 1

The Scripture: Romans 3:23

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

1. Who has sinned?

All is a very inclusive word. All includes you and me and everyone who has ever lived. We all sin, not just once or twice but over and over again. Our sins create a huge gulf between God and us and they come with a very high price tag.

The Scripture: Romans 6:23

“The wages of sin is death.”

2. What are the wages (the consequences) of sin?

Yes, death. Eternal death! There is no way in ourselves that we can bridge the gulf that separates us from God. What can we do then? Only Jesus Christ has a solution to that problem. He is the solution.

At a certain time in history, 2000 years ago, God sent Jesus to earth to pay that debt. Here, Jesus lived a sinless life and taught people how to live God’s way. For this He was crucified. But His death had a purpose. What was that purpose?

The Scripture: Romans 5:6, 8

“At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ (Jesus) died for the ungodly…God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

3. What did Christ do for us?

In dying for us, Jesus took all our sins upon Himself to the cross. He paid the debt we owed God for those sins, thus obtaining our forgiveness.

The Bible reminds us that it would be extremely rare for anyone to die for even a godly person, but Jesus died for us while we were still sinners.

The Scripture: 1 John 2:2

“He [Jesus] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

4. What does this verse call Jesus?

5. What is He the atoning sacrifice for?

Perhaps you’re wondering why there had to be a sacrifice, why someone had to die. Why couldn’t God just forgive us and let it go at that? We find the answer to that question in the book of Hebrews.

The Scripture: Hebrews 9:22

“The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

6. What is required for forgiveness?

In other words, a death. You see, since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God and His arch-enemy Satan have waged war for people’s souls. When Adam sinned, it was as though he passed on a defective gene to all of mankind. Man was forever tainted with sin. Even if we never personally sinned, our nature would still be sinful. But Scripture has wonderful news for us.
What Jesus’ Death Accomplished

The Scripture: 1 John 1:7

“The blood of Jesus, His (God’s) Son purifies us from all sin.”

7. What does Jesus’ blood do for us?

When we accept Jesus, not only are we freed from our personal sins, but we are freed from our sinful nature as well. I love the way the Bible describes this process in the book of Colossians.

The Scripture: Colossians 1: 13-14

“He 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.”

8. What has God rescued us from?

9. Where has He brought us?

10. What do we receive from Jesus?

The Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15: 3, 4

“For what I (Paul) received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

11. How does Paul summarize Jesus’ life?

Without proof, everything Jesus claimed could be just a wonderful story, but God proved that what Jesus claimed was true by raising Him up to life again after His death.

Jesus’ death and resurrection not only granted us forgiveness, they also gave us eternal life.

Eternal Life

The Scripture: John 17:3

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

12. What is the essence of eternal life?

The Bible has much to say about eternal life. Let’s look at some of the scriptures.

The Scripture: John 10:27-30

“My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

13. What does Jesus give His sheep (His followers)?

The Scripture: John 14:3, 4

“In My Father’s house are many rooms;…I am going there to prepare a place for you…I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.”

Jesus made these statements shortly before His death.

14. What was His promise?

The Scripture: John 8:51

“I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.”

15. What was His promise in this verse?

The Scripture: 1 John 5:12

“He who has the Son (Jesus) has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

16. What do those who follow Jesus have?

But these are not the only benefits we receive through Jesus’ death.