The Greatest Story
This is the story that changed the world.
The most incredible story is the story of Jesus Christ. It’s a story of redemption and love. Many stories mimic and point back to it, but they all pale compared to the original.
If you read nothing else of my work, understand that this story is the most important one. This is the story that drives my writing. If this story did not exist, my life would have no meaning.
My words won’t do it justice, but here we go.
The broken world
The world is broken. Full of darkness. Pain. Evil. And the older we get, the more we see the darkness. I haven’t met anyone who would tell me that the world is perfect.
But why? Why is everything so broken? And is there any way to fix it? Or is it all just some sort of big hopeless and meaningless mess?
Was it always like this? Surely before the brokenness, there was wholeness. It started good. It began with God. God. Good, loving, and perfect. And while it’s impossible for us to truly grasp, He is all-powerful and all-good. He is a God of both justice and love.
And He created the first two people. These people had fellowship with God; He provided for all their needs, giving them a beautiful home. But in the end, they chose their own plan over God’s plan, refusing to take God at His word and obey what He had told them to do. And nothing after that moment would ever be the same.
God in His perfection could no longer fellowship with people who had broken his commandments and refused to trust Him. Ever since this moment, every person has acted in ways that are displeasing to God. The theological word would be sin. Sin encompasses our actions that fall short of God’s standard of perfection, but it’s more than that:
Sin is “The deviation from or distortion of God’s design.”
As a just God, God must punish sin. This seems harsh to some, but bear with me a bit. And think of the injustice you see in the world: children sold into sex slavery, rape, murder. We, beings made in the image of God, see these acts of evil, and our hearts cry out, “justice!” And even when we wish God would just ignore our own sin, we understand a need for God to punish sin and for things to be “put right.”
A broken me
The truth is I’m not perfect. The world is wrong, and I am a part of this world. And when I look at myself and my life, I see someone who has never lived up to God’s standard of perfection.
I see my own sinfulness, a hideous stain against the purity and perfection of God. Every lie told. Every moment of pride and selfishness. The harbored bitterness. Even the fear and worry that threatens to overcome me. My covetous desires for what others have.
I open up the pages of God’s Word and see the laws I have broken. The ink on the pages confirms what my heart knows: that my actions condemn me before a holy and just God. No person, upon honest examination, can claim perfection.
And what did I deserve? What did God’s righteousness demand? Death. The eternal punishment of my entire being: body and soul cast into Hell. And there I stood, utterly helpless.
But He loved me
There was nothing good in me — nothing good in any of us. And no amount of effort or desire on my part could change my state. But God saw me in my brokenness and sin. Guilty. Condemned. God had a glorious and spectacular plan of redemption. He intervened.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” ~ John 3:16
Someone had to be punished. The just sentence and the wrath of God had to be satisfied. And that’s why Jesus came. God became a man. Yeah, try to wrap your mind around the fact that God became human and maintained His deity, but it happened.
And Jesus lived the perfect life that I could never live. He never deserved what came next: He was killed, unjustly murdered, yet this too was a part of God’s plan. Because Jesus took God’s wrath on Himself, taking the punishment that I deserved. And as He died, His words would resonate throughout all of history:
It is finished. ~ Jesus
His work on the cross paid the price that had to be paid. But was it real? Did it work? Did God accept this sacrifice, this substitute? For three days, creation held its breath, waiting, but for what?
The proof
When Jesus breathed his last, it must have seemed like all hope was lost. I think of His friends who must have mourned Him, the utter despair they must have felt. The days of darkness and fear.
But then came the proclamation, from the voice of an angel: “He is not here. He has risen, just as He said” (Matthew 28:6a). There was the empty tomb, and He was alive.
Yes, so wondrously and gloriously alive. His resurrection is the proof that His sacrifice was enough. And because of what He did, there can now be redemption and forgiveness.
Forgiveness for those who believe
When at last, I was made to realize my own sinfulness, my need for forgiveness, I cried out to God. I realized that the only way I could ever be right with God was because of what Jesus had done for me.
And at that moment, God forgave me of all my wrongdoing and gave me the pardon I could never earn. The pardon for which Jesus had suffered and died.
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes in Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” ~Jesus (John 6:24)
But this forgiveness was not the end of God’s work in my life. Oh no. It gets even better.
How God sees me
From the moment I trusted in Jesus, God adopted me into His family. I became His child, and now when God looks at me, He no longer sees my sin; He sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
I no longer face God’s wrath. Rather, God uses every trial to make me more like Jesus. I can know that He wants what is best for me, even if it is painful in the moment. He doesn’t leave me to do it on my own but has sent His Holy Spirit to help me and empower me.
And it’s because of my relationship with God and what He has promised that I know everything will be okay in the end. And this glorious journey has been my response to the greatest story. God loved me, saved me, and now helps me through every moment.
How does it end?
I am fulfilled, forgiven, and free because of the work of Jesus Christ. It is the best thing that has ever happened to me, but there is more to come. Because Jesus made a promise to come back.
One day, all will be set right. There will be perfect justice. A new heaven and a new earth. And I will spend eternity with God, at last beyond the pain and suffering.
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev 21: 4)
And I look forward with anticipation for that day, holding on and seeking to do what God wants me to do.
What will you do with the greatest story?
Jesus came. He lived. He died. He rose. That is the greatest story — the Gospel. And this story has transformed my life, given it the meaning and purpose that cannot be found in anything else.
But the response to this story is different for different people. So let me just tell you this:
“That if you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.’”’ (Romans 10: 9,10)
My prayer for you is that you would come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. I want you to experience the power of the greatest story, to have God make you whole and forgive you. He has changed me, given me hope and purpose. I want that for you too.
I hope and pray that my writing points back to the Gospel. That my work glorifies God and points people to Him. Because it’s not about me. It’s never been about me. It’s always been about Him. May you come to know the peace and joy that only comes from Him.
