God expects perfection but humans are not perfect and sin. Jesus lived a perfect life as a substitute for imperfect humans. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for human sins then rose from the dead, defeating death. This allows humans to be saved from punishment for sins through faith in Jesus alone, not by being perfect.

1. What is
Christianity?

2. Every person has a picture or
idea of who God is or who
they would like God to be.
How do you picture God?

3. Now let’s turn to the Bible and
see how God describes himself.
Who is God?

4. The Bible can be
broken down into two
main themes…

5. •God Hates Sin
•God Saves the Sinner
The Bible’s Core Message

6. Every book of the Bible contains this
message. The Bible teaches us that it is the
very word of God. God used people to write
down his words for us. The Word of God is
perfect and is the only way that we find out
about who we really are.

7. The Bible tells us exactly what God
expects from us. We are to love
God perfectly and love other
perfectly
Expectations

9. God is quite clear about how
good we are to be in living up to
his expectations
Expectations

10. Be perfect, therefore, as your
heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48

11. Be perfect, therefore, as your
heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48

12. Can you honestly say to God that you
have been perfect in loving him and in
loving others? We may say that we have
tried really hard, but that’s not what
God expects. He expects perfection.
Perfection

13. For all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God
Romans 3:23

14. For all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God
Romans 3:23

15. The law of God says that we are to be
perfect, but we can’t be perfect. We sin
(break God’s commands) daily.
Therefore we can’t rely on being
perfect to stand right before God.
The Law of God

16. All who rely on observing the
law are under a curse, for it is
written: “Cursed is everyone
who does not continue to do
everything written in the Book
of the Law.”
Galatians 3:10

17. All who rely on observing the
law are under a curse, for it is
written: “Cursed is everyone
who does not continue to do
everything written in the Book
of the Law.”
Galatians 3:10

18. Sin has created a vast chasm between us and God
like the Grand Canyon. And now we are doomed
to just jump to our own death because of what we
have done. And this death is not just a physical
death, but a spiritual death of ending up in hell. We
can’t reach God, because we don’t live up to his
expectations. No matter how hard we try, or how
much good we may do, we aren’t perfect. And
perfection is what God demands
Doomed!

19. Curse = Death

20. But all hope is not lost. We can’t come
to God, but God did come to us!
Hope?

21. For God so loved the world that he gave his one
and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall
not perish but have eternal life. For God did not
send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him. Whoever
believes in him is not condemned, but whoever
does not believe stands condemned already because
they have not believed in the name of God’s one
and only Son.
John 3:16-18

22. What did Jesus do to the
curse that was upon us
because of our imperfection?
He destroyed it!
Curse of Death

23. So do not be ashamed to testify about our
Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But
join with me in suffering for the gospel, by
the power of God, who has saved us and
called us to a holy life—not because of
anything we have done but because of his
own purpose and grace.
2 Timothy 1:8-10

24. So do not be ashamed to testify about our
Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But
join with me in suffering for the gospel, by
the power of God, who has saved us and
called us to a holy life—not because of
anything we have done but because of his
own purpose and grace.
2 Timothy 1:8-10

25. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus
before the beginning of time, but it has
now been revealed through the appearing
of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has
destroyed death and has brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel.
2 Timothy 1:8-10

26. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus
before the beginning of time, but it has
now been revealed through the appearing
of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has
destroyed death and has brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel.
2 Timothy 1:8-10

27. The chain of death has been
broken forever
Death

29. But how exactly did Jesus
save us from death?
Jesus?

30. For Christ died for sins once for all, the
righteous for the unrighteous, to bring
you to God. He was put to death in the
body but made alive by the Spirit
I Peter 3:18

31. Jesus was righteous, which means
that he was perfect. He lived up to
God’s expectations. We are
unrighteous; we are not perfect.
Jesus became our substitute.
Righteous for Unrighteous

32. Now, brothers, I want to remind you of
the gospel I preached to you, which
you received and on which you have
taken your stand. By this gospel you
are saved, if you hold firmly to the
word I preached to you. Otherwise,
you have believed in vain.
I Corinthians 15:1-4

33. For what I received I passed on to you
as of first importance: that Christ died
for our sins according to the
Scriptures, that he was buried, that he
was raised on the third day according
to the Scriptures
I Corinthians 15:1-4

34. After living a perfect life as our
substitute, Jesus died on a cross for
us to pay the penalty for our sins.
We were to die and go to hell for
our sins, but Jesus did that for us.
Substitute

36. After dying for our sins, Jesus rose
from the dead and proved that he
had destroyed the power of hell
over our lives.
Easter Morning

38. Jesus saved …

39. … the world

40. … me

42. God expected us to be perfect. He told us to obey
all of his laws perfectly. We were to love perfectly
God and others. Sadly we do not do this. Because
of our sin, God had to punish us with the curse of
death. But God still loved us. He sent his own
son, Jesus, to take our curse upon himself. He
lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from
the dead to take away our punishment. Now God
no longer must punish us for our sins. He gives
eternal life to us because what Jesus did
Summary

43. So what does this all mean
for me right now?

44. I live my life in appreciation for what God
has given me. He has given me peace and
comfort knowing that my sins are forgiven
through Jesus. He has given me hope, a sure
hope that when I die I won’t go to hell but
live in heaven with him for eternity! Because
of all of this, I will love the Lord my God
with all my heart.

45. For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23)
Memory Passage