December 22, 2025 | www.gospelofjesuschrist.blog | River Wilde
The biggest lie on planet earth is that God wants nothing to do with sinners. We are all God’s children AND we are all sinners. All of us…even your religious leader if you go to church. God knew that we would come to earth and make bad choices and sin. Free Agency is an important part in coming to this earth, and with it comes bad choices.
So, God developed a plan for all mankind which would allow us to be forgiven of our sins…to erase them…as if they never happened. I’m sad to know that many people do not even know about this plan that God has developed for all of us. Let me explain His plan; It’s called the Atoning Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
The bible is divided into two “Histories,”
The Old Testament – Records from the creation, around 4000 BC to roughly 400 BC.
The New Testament – Records from 4 BC to AD 100.
The Old Testament teaches about how sacrificing “unblemished” perfect animals upon temple alters is necessary for the sins of mankind to be forgiven. This was actually “elementary teaching” to explain how a perfect unblemished man, Jesus Christ, would come to the earth and be sacrificed so that mankind’s sins could be forgiven.
The New Testament is the writings of what Jesus Christ taught when He was on the earth. It is referred to as the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Additionally, it is a historical record of what happened to Jesus, explaining His life and death. It explains the atonement of Jesus Christ, and what we need to do to make it effective in our lives.
Let me explain the atonement to you in a simple format so that you can learn what it is.
On the night before Jesus was killed, He went into the Garden of Gethsemane and knelt down in prayer to begin this atonement. His purpose was to take all of the sins that you and I have committed, and take them upon Himself.
While in prayer, Jesus felt all of the pain and sorrow which are a result of all of the sins that have been committed prior to that time, as well as the sins that would take place in the future. He took them upon Himself, and felt the consequences from all of those sins.
The pain was so great that He actually sweat blood from His pours. Let’s read about this:
Mark 14:32-36 (KJV):
“And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee, take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.”
You can see from this scripture that by doing this, it pushed Him to the very brink of Him being able to handle it, which is why he said, “…Father … take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.”
It’s important to understand here that even for the Son of God, this sacrifice was extremely difficult for Him to accomplish. And what make it so hard? It was all of the sins that you and me have done in our lives. He physically took those sins upon Himself so that we can be forgiven. He suffered for YOU…. And Me.
To get a better perspective, I’d like for you to think about how you have felt after committing a serious sin.
When a person has committed a serious sin, they often feel a heavy weight settle upon their heart — a mix of guilt, shame, and deep regret that seems to follow them everywhere. Their conscience becomes restless, stirring at quiet moments and reminding them of what they’ve done. A sense of separation begins to grow within them, as though they’ve lost touch not only with God but with their own sense of goodness. The joy that once came easily now feels distant, replaced by sorrow and an aching desire for forgiveness.
Jesus felt all of this, for everyone’s sins…specific to them. Can you even begin to imagine how difficult that was for Him to feel?
Luke 22:44
“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
I would like to take a moment here to tell you something very important about Jesus Christ and your relationship that you are now forming. Do you ever feel that because of certain circumstances in your life that, nobody understands you, or the way that you feel at certain moments? I want you to know that Jesus understands you in every extreme depth of emotion, because of this atonement. He knows exactly how you feel when you are facing sorrow and difficulty, because He experienced those emotions that you are having.
To me, it makes perfect sense to want to talk to someone that knows exactly how you are feeling. And, we can do this through prayer. We are talking to Jesus Christ, and He understands us fully.
Doesn’t this change things for you? Instead of talking to a “God” that you are afraid of, or feel that He doesn’t really even want to talk to you, you are talking to someone who knows exactly how you feel, and has shared that similar experience which you have had.
Now, let’s return to the atonement of Jesus as recorded in the bible.
Jesus was arrested that night for claiming that He was the Son of God. Then in the morning they brought Him to the king Pontius Pilate, and though Pilate found no fault in Him, he yielded to the crowd that cried, “Crucify him.”
Jesus was scourged, mocked by the soldiers, robed in purple, and crowned with thorns, as they smote Him and bowed before Him in fake worship as “King of the Jews.”
He was forced to carry His own cross to Calvary, where they laid Him upon that cross, and nailed His hands and feet to the wooden structure, and raised it so that He would be crucified.
They set over His head the title, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” As He hung on the cross, the people and rulers mocked Him, yet He prayed, “Father, forgive them.” Jesus hung on that cross until he was dead, thus fulfilling the ATONMENT. He died for our sins. He sacrificed His own life so that you and I could be forgiven of the sins that we have committed.
Several passages from the Bible directly reference Christ’s atoning work while on the cross.
1 Peter 2:24
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (KJV).
Isaiah 53
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (KJV).
Yet, while they were killing Him, He offered this prayer to God:
Luke 23:34
“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (KJV), demonstrating intercession amid suffering.
Jesus, as the sinless Son of God, offered His life as a ransom, satisfying divine justice through His blood and enabling forgiveness for all who repent.
This explanation of the atonement doesn’t even come close to explaining the depth of His sacrifice, suffering, as well as love for us. Nor is it possible to fully understand the mechanics of how this atonement actually works. It is however, God’s plan, that He would sacrifice His own Son, so that we might be forgiven for our sins. I invite you to take a moment and consider the reverence that is associated with such an unselfish sacrifice on our behalf.
Now…Comes…Your…Part!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I invite you to continue learning about this sacrifice. There are some excellent movies that are a great way to learn about the atonement of Jesus Christ. Watch one. They also give you a visual experience to assist you in acknowledging how great the sacrifice was for Christ.
After you learn more detail about the atonement of Jesus Christ, it is time for you to do your part in allowing the atonement to work for you, for it just does not automatically work without your involvement.
Christ gave this gift to all mankind. However, He also gave everyone free agency. God will never force someone to do or accept anything against their will. The same applies to the atonement. We must first accept His sacrifice. The scriptures teach us how we can do that. It’s referred to in the Bible as being, “Born Again.”
“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” John 3:3 KJV
Salvation and rebirth come by believing in Christ’s sacrifice: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV). Then, we must:
- Recognizes their sin — “For all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23).
- Repent of those sins — turning away from their old life (Acts 3:19).
- Believes fully in Jesus Christ — His death, burial, and resurrection (Rom. 10:9–10).
- Surrender to Jesus Christ Him in Prayer— recognize Him as your Lord and Savior (Rom. 10:13).
- You then will Receive the Holy Spirit — who seals and transforms them (Eph. 1:13–14).
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV)
By doing this, you recognize that you need Him and His atonement to be forgiven of your sins. You validate His atoning sacrifice, and you do your part to repent of the sins that you have committed.
Ok, this sounds like a lot, so let me guide you through it. After learning more about the atonement, I want you to think about the sins that you have committed in your life. Start with the ones that are keeping you up at night with guilt. Don’t worry about repenting for all of you sins in one night, lets just start with the ones that frequently come to mind.
When you find a time to be alone, get down on your knees and offer a prayer to God. This is how you repent of your sins.
Like all prayers, start by addressing who you are talking to, “Our Father in Heaven.”
As we learned yesterday, take a moment and express something that comes to mind that you are thankful for. Being grateful is important in your relationship with God.
Then, confess your sin. He already knows, but wants you to tell Him what you have done. This can be in as much detail as you would like, just tell Him the things that you have done which are making you feel guilty.
Express your sorrow for sinning…”I am sorry…”
Ask for His forgiveness.
Ask for His help in assisting you so that you will not be tempted to do that sin again. Some sins become habits, and require effort to stop. Asking for His help is important, as it will give you additional strength in conquering the habit.
Close “in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”
After doing this, other sins will come to your mind. If this is the case, do the same repentance process. You will learn that repentance is something that righteous people do frequently. When you have given your life to Jesus Christ, you will notice that your desire to sin diminishes. A change begins to happen.
The term “Born Again” will make sense to you, as you see your life change. As you follow the guidance above, you will begin to see this change. You will be less in this world, and more connected with God. You will even notice a change in your own countenance…the way that you look. Your habits will change. You will be more loving and kinder. You essential will become a better version of yourself, because you have partnered with the Savior.
Have you ever gone to the mall or the airport and observed people? You might notice that some people have a certain glow about them. They just look different. This “glow” is the light of Christ…This is something that is physically noticeable. They have this because they have given their life to Jesus Christ as well. This look will soon be yours. You will realize that you have actually become “Born Again,” satisfying what God expects from us.
Now, what if I were to tell you that if you do what I have written today, you will go to Heaven? And, what if this same requirement was what you needed to do to be included in the Rapture that will soon take place?
The rapture is God’s rescue plan that He has to come and get His followers so that they will not have to endure the terrible 7-year Tribulation period, or final 7-years on the earth.
Well…This is exactly how you can get to heaven…AND…This is how you can guarantee that you will be included in the rapture…To Become Born Again. We will learn more details about this, but I want you to realize the importance of fulfilling this very important step as soon as you can.
I realize that I have given you a crash course with this information, but I must tell you that time is running out. I believe that we are days/weeks away from the rapture happening, which is why it’s so important that you get started right now.
Make this a priority. You will see that God will help you with each step. When you hit a snag, ask for His help to resolve the problem, for He will help you.
I will be teaching you more about the gospel of Jesus Christ in the coming days…But today’s lesson is the most important information that I can share. Get there… PLEASE! Know that Jesus died for YOU, and that as you repent of your sins, they will be washed away, and you will become clean again. Is there any better news???? The gospel is SIMPLE, and I would like to leave you with a promise from Jesus Christ:
Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
These are the teachings of Jesus Christ…not a church. They come directly from Him, as recorded in the Bible. Some churches make it almost impossible to make it into “Heaven.” You can see from this scripture that this is not the way that God intended it to be. “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
OK… one MORE last thing. =)
You can see from “#5 You then will Receive the Holy Spirit.” When you do these things, you will be given the Holy Spirit, which is a priceless gift! This is how God will communicate with you. When you study and learn about Him, the Holy Spirit will give you thoughts and feelings to increase your knowledge.
You will notice that when you are learning spiritual things, you will have a feeling of warmth. This is God was of confirming that those things are true. You will begin to trust God in guiding you through the Holy Spirit, and helping you see the truth over deception. This gift will automatically come to you after you become, “Born Again.”
Alright, you’ve got some important work to do, so get busy. I’ll see you again tomorrow right here as we continue to learn About Jesus Christ as taught in the Bible. My prayers are with you.
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