Inspirational, Uplifting and Encouraging Bible Verses about Sin, Salvation, Jesus, Grace, Forgiveness and Redemption:

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus Saves. A short but often used statement. Long time ago, myself, my dad and my little brother were driving in the car. I think we were going fishing, on our way to the river. As the car went under an over passing route, there was graffiti on the concrete which read:

“Jesus Saves, but Moses invests”

My dad broke out in laughter, his characteristic laugh. The same laugh I heard from the kitchen when He watched “Barney Miller” on TV. That phrase, “Jesus Saves”, did not register in my mind nor heart. Just did not carry meaning at the time.

Years later, as I read from Romans, something hit me real hard. Paul was describing man’s dilemma, which had already begun to weigh heavily on me. He spoke of a tendency to do what he knew he should not. He spoke of a tendency engrained in his flesh which became a source of torment. A state which landed him infinitely short of righteousness. I said to myself, “This is my problem”, felt like he was describing me. And he was. Reading on, I for the first time, saw the remedy. That being, God had provided a solution; a solution which I had begun to attempt, and fail, in implementing on my own. Always the disciplined type, I was trying to get my act together via my own resources. I could get up every morning and train like a Spartan, could study countless hours and maintain a GPA which landed me at the top of my class. But I could not stop doing many things that I would rather not do. Then the way out of my self-imposed trap became evident in God’s word. I needed Him to do it for me. Grace was the key. Grace, defined as something imparted which is not deserved.

My daughter and I were watching the news this AM. The story centered on a man who had committed murder, and was executed yesterday in Texas. She said to me “He is in a bad place now.” I reminded her, we could not say that, as we had no idea what took place in his heart as he sat all those years in prison. He could very well be in God’s presence, as Christ paid his penalty as well as ours. Her reply: “But I have not killed anyone.” My reply: “Your sin and mine put Him on the cross as well”. That registered, as she was reminded of the Gospel she has come to know:

Romans 3:11:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
¹¹ there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
¹² All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”

Which is why we call Jesus our Savior.