One of the Bible’s greatest truths is that Jesus Christ came into the world for one reason: to bring us back to God. He didn’t come just to bring us more knowledge, or teach us greater truths, or even heal people of their diseases — although He did all this. Instead, He came into the world to bridge the gap between us and God.

How could He do this? There was only one way — and that was to deal with the one thing that cuts us off from God. What is this? The Bible summarizes it in one word: Sin. When we sin, we choose to go our way instead of God’s way. When we sin, we leave God out of our lives, and act as if He isn’t important or doesn’t even exist. As a result, we’re cut off from God and subject to His judgment — and no matter how hard we try, we cannot bridge that gap by ourselves.

Jesus Christ came into the world to deal with our sins — but in order to do this He had to take upon Himself the judgment we deserve for our sins. And that is what He did on the cross. His blood was shed for us, and He died in our place.

Why did God allow His Son to be put to death? He did it because He loves us and yearns for us to spend eternity with Him. Today, as Christians around the world remember Christ’s death, put your trust in Him for your salvation. The Bible’s promise is for you: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).