Is Jesus your example or your Savior? I want you to watch out for a dangerous, troubling trend in Christianity. It’s becoming more and more common for people to talk about Jesus as our example. Remember the “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelets? The idea was that you should follow Jesus’ example and do what Jesus did. Here’s a more recent example: In his sermon this past Christmas, Pope Francis said, “God was born a child in order to encourage us to care for others.” In other words, Jesus came to earth to show us a good example of how to care for others. Jesus is our example. We should be like him.
Here’s the problem: I can’t. I’m not. Not even close! I can’t follow Jesus example. I can’t live a perfect life. I can’t love God with all my heart and soul and strength and love my neighbor as myself. I can’t do that for one day, let alone for a lifetime. I’m a sinner! I sin every single day in my thoughts, words, and actions. If Jesus came to be my example, I’ve failed miserably. You have too! In fact, the Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We’re not like Jesus. Not even close!
That’s why it’s so important to know and believe that Jesus didn’t just come to be our example. He came to save us! He didn’t come to encourage us to care for others. He came to care for others perfectly in our place and die on the cross for all our sins against God and our neighbors. Jesus didn’t come to show us what to do. He came to do what we could never do. He came to save us. That’s what I need: A Savior! That’s what you need: A Savior! “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24).
It’s true that we Christians strive to love others as Jesus has loved us. It’s true that we pray that God would lead us to forgive others as he has forgiven us. May God make us more and more like Jesus! But we rejoice that Jesus isn’t just our example. He’s our Savior! Life isn’t about asking what Jesus would do, it’s about rejoicing in what Jesus did. You are justified freely by God’s grace, because you have a SAVIOR!
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