Combat (ESV)

Imagine for a minute that you are one of our soldiers fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, or perhaps in some other military conflict around the world. One day, as you and your platoon are fighting the battle, one of your buddies sees a grenade coming that is going to kill you and some others and there’s no stopping it from exploding! Your buddy does something that surprises everyone—he throws himself on the grenade, shielding everyone from the deadly explosive. In a split second of time, almost without thinking, he knows that someone has to die, and volunteers without hesitation to be the one, so that the rest of the squad may live. Because of his love and concern for you and the other members of your group, you would say that he sacrificed his life for the benefit of others—and you would be right! There is someone else who actually displayed that kind of love and concern for you and still feels that way for you today. Do you know who this is? The answer is God! When did God do this for you? When He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to become a man so He could lay down His life as a sacrifice for sin. In the Bible we read: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son [Jesus], that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). In the same book, Jesus said: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). The Bible says that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Humanity’s problem is that we are sinners who deserve God’s judgment in Hell and therefore need a Savior. In Romans 3:23 we read: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And in Romans 6:23 it says: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It is not our good works or efforts that save us. Neither is it praying a prayer that saves—salvation is only by God’s grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is believing the Gospel. The Gospel is the good news that Christ died for our sins, was buried, was raised the third day, and appeared to His disciples (1 Corinthians 15:3-5). Trust in Jesus Christ today. He died for you in the battlefield on Calvary’s cross!