King Jesus
Jesus Christ came into the world, born of a virgin—sinless and perfect. He was wise beyond His years and devoted to studying the Torah, the Jewish law.
At the age of 30, He began His public ministry, performing countless miracles that drew large crowds. People were captivated by His teachings, which stood in stark contrast to the religious leaders of the time. Rather than adhering to strict, legalistic interpretations of the Jewish Law, Jesus preached love, compassion, forgiveness, repentance, mercy, and the coming of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus boldly confronted hypocrisy and extended grace to the broken. He empowered societal outcasts—lepers, women, and others marginalized by society—and even spent time with tax collectors and sinners. He performed many miracles, healed the sick, and drove out demons, leaving people clean and healed.
In the end, Jesus willingly handed Himself over to those who sought His death. Being without sin, He chose to became the perfect sacrifice, choosing to undergo a horrible death — dying on the cross for humanity.
Jesus was crucified by the Roman authorities. His death was necessary for the atonement of sin. He is often referred to as “the Lamb of God”, symbolizing His role as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of humanity.
But three days later, He rose from the dead, triumphing over death itself, walking the Earth for 40 days, before ascending into Heaven.
For years, I considered myself a Christian because I had seen Jesus on many crosses and because I knew who He was (the guy on the cross), I thought I knew Him.
However, I didn’t understand Him and holiness.
Nor did I understand how the sins that I committed affected Him.
I needed to understand that believing that Jesus was God’s Son wasn’t enough.
There was a few essential choices from me that needed to happen, in order to have a close relationship with God.
A = ADMIT.
I admitted that I had done wrong things (sins) that do not please God and that create a distance, a barrier, of living in close connection with Him. Naturally, when thinking about these things that I did, I felt guilty, because they were poor decisions. They were wrong.
B = BELIEVE
I believed that Jesus came to Earth to be punished and die for my sins, my wrongs. His pure, sinless life and death is what qualified Him to be the “Lamb of God” the necessary sacrifice for my sins. Jesus’ commitment to live and die for the consequences to my decisions, is what allows me to be forgiven by God and live close to Him. To believe in “The Great Exchange”. For me, believing that Jesus was God’s Son wasn’t enough. There was an essential “first step” that needed to happen.
C = CHOOSE
I chose to believe that Jesus alone is my Savior from sin and eternity away from God (hell). My best choices aren’t what saves me. It is choosing to receive all the benefits that Jesus has and receiving them as my own, and simply giving Him all my junk in return for His Beauty and Blessings. It is choosing to enter into “The Great Exchange”.
God truly has made this profound "Great Exchange" simple to understand, yet difficult to fathom:
Jesus takes on humanity's sin and guilt, and in return, offers righteousness, forgiveness, and eternal life to those who believe in Him.
In Jesus’ crucifixion and sacrifice, He bore the punishment for humanity's sins—something that no one else could do.
In this Great Exchange, Jesus takes the punishment, death, and separation from God that humanity deserves upon Himself. And, as Jesus is nailed to the cross and put to death, the very sin of all humanity is being nailed to the cross and put to death too.
Because of this incredible act, those who choose to put their lives/hearts in Jesus will receive Jesus’ Righteousness.
Having the Righteousness of Christ means that because of Jesus’ perfect obedience and sacrifice, God declares us righteous before Himself.
This is often summarized by the Apostle Paul in passages like 2 Corinthians 5:21: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
This "Great Exchange" is a powerful illustration of God’s Grace.
It is God offering forgiveness and salvation to humanity, not based on anything we can do, but purely from His own love and mercy, and desire to have a close minute-to-minute, activity-to-activity connection with us.
If you would like for your life to change by and have an intimate relationship with God, you must accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
This will cause you to immediately connect to the abundant, zoë-life that God wants you to experience.
If you are ready to give Him your “yes!”, simply pray this prayer from your heart:
“God, I’m bringing my heart to you now. I’m learning that the Bible says, “If I openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, and He is now seated in the Heavens with You, I will be saved.
I do believe this.
And, I believe that trusting You fully with my life is the best decision that I can make. This is what I want. I want to no longer live my life for myself, but give my life for You to be in control, in charge.
I trust You and Your Goodness, and I want to learn more about You and Your love for me, for the rest of my life. I want to live my life with You and discover and experience Your gifts of wholeness, fullness, and abundance! I want to live healed and delivered — from pain, regret, and the things of this world.
I want to live in deep connection with You — both now and forever.”
If you have chosen to give God your “yes!” and prayed this prayer, please let me know so I can send you a digital copy of my first book: The Zoë Life.
In this book, I share my salvation story and how I began growing in an intimate relationship with God.
