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Jesus Christ: A Savior for All “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believed in Him would not perish but have ever lasting life”(3:16). This passage from John symbolizes how Jesus Christ was sent to earth by God to be the redeemer of all people. It is a theme that reoccurs throughout Jesus’ life and ministry, and later it can be seen in the Acts of the Apostles. The message is simple, Jesus of Nazareth, is the Christ, and he was not born a Jewish messiah, but rather the Savior for all people. When studying the synoptic Gospels it becomes quite apparent that God is eager to establish a personal, loving relationship with all people through His Son, Jesus Christ. And Jesus is patiently waiting for all the people of the earth to accept His invitation: “I have been standing at the door and I am constantly knocking. If anyone hears me calling him and opens the door, I will come in and have fellowship with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20) This passage illustrates Jesus as a door through which we all must enter. And also that Jesus is willing to accept all people who turn to Him. Man or woman, rich or poor, empowered or enslaved, Jesus was sent here by God so that anyone who hears His message and believes in Him will be saved. One of the key points of Jesus’ ministry was how the Kingdom of God is accessible to all people. This underlying theme is especially apparent in parables like “The Good Samaritan”, “A Lost Sheep”, and “A Lost Son”. These parables are used to explain how Samaritans, the lost, and sinners all can find their way back to God, and how they will be greeted and embraced by a loving Jesus. These stories illustrate one of Jesus’ main teachings, that all people who have faith in Him, will be accepted and embraced by God in heaven. Jesus accepted all different types of people to be a part of His table fellowship. Many of His early followers were Gentiles, women, sinners, and tax collectors. The Pharisees often tried to call Jesus on this fact, asking him why he would surround himself with such people if he were truly the Son of God. Jesus replied to them, well people do not need medicine, but those who are sick do. Jesus Christ is willing to accept all people regardless of their sins. That is why He visited the home of the hated tax collector and promises eternal life to the dying criminal. Jesus is forgiving, and loving, and he came to save all the people of the world. Even before Jesus’ birth, John the Baptist was announcing Jesus’ coming as, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Again Jesus’ universality is proved, it is the sin of the world that John the Baptist mentions, not the sin of the Jews. Through the constant usage of “the world” in these bible scriptures it becomes even more evident that Jesus Christ was sent to “the world”; to be a Savior and a Redeemer for both the Jews and the Gentiles. Jesus Christ broadened God’s acceptance of people. These new Christians, did not need to become Jewish, or obey “the law” in order to be accepted as a Christian, rather all they had to do was accept that Jesus was Christ and Lord, and that he died to redeem the world of its sins. This is the key to finding salvation in Christianity. Jesus’ explanation of how the Kingdom of God is for everyone, is most evidently displayed in his “Sermon from the Mount”: Blessed are the poor (of spirit), for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
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