What Jehovah Has Done to Rescue Sinful Humans

1-2. (a) What is sin, and how can we win our fight against it? (See also “Expression Explained.”) (b) What will we discuss in this article and in the other articles found in this issue of The Watchtower? (See also “Note to Readers” in this issue.)

WOULD you like to know how much Jehovah God loves you? Here is a good way for you to learn the answer: Study what he has done in order to save you from sin and death. Sina is a terrible enemy, one that you cannot defeat on your own. We all sin daily, and we die because of sin. (Rom. 5:12) There is good news, though. With Jehovah’s help, we can defeat sin. In fact, our victory is absolutely certain!

² Jehovah God has been helping humans fight against sin for some 6,000 years. Why? Because he loves us. He has loved humans from the very beginning, so he has gone to great lengths to help them in this fight. God knows that sin leads to death, and he does not want us to die. He wants us to live forever. (Rom. 6:23) That is what he wants for you. In this article, we will discuss three questions: (1) How did Jehovah offer hope to sinful humans? (2) How did sinful humans in Bible times gain Jehovah’s favor? (3) How did Jesus come to the rescue of sinful humankind?

HOW DID JEHOVAH OFFER HOPE TO SINFUL HUMANS?

3. How did our first parents come to be sinners?

³ When Jehovah created the first man and woman, he wanted them to be happy. He gave them a beautiful home, the gift of marriage, and a fascinating assignment. They were to fill the earth with their descendants, making the whole planet a paradise like the garden of Eden. He gave them only one simple restriction. And he warned them that if they broke that command by deliberately rebelling against him, their sin would lead to death. We know what happened. An invisible spirit, one who had no love for God or for them, entered the picture and tempted them to commit that sin. Adam and Eve gave in to that bad influence. Failing to trust their loving Father, they sinned. As we know, Jehovah’s words proved true. From that day onward, they had to face the consequences: they began to grow old, and finally they died.​—Gen. 1:28, 29; 2:8, 9, 16-18; 3:1-6, 17-19, 24; 5:5.

4. Why does Jehovah hate sin and help us fight against it? (Romans 8:20, 21)

⁴ Jehovah had that sad account recorded for our benefit. It helps us to understand why he hates sin so much. Sin separates us from our Father, and it leads to death. (Isa. 59:2) That is why Satan, the rebel spirit who instigated all this trouble, loves sin and seeks to promote it. He might have thought that he won a great victory in Eden. But he did not understand how loving Jehovah is. God never changed his purpose for the descendants of Adam and Eve. He loves the human family, so he immediately offered hope to all. (Read Romans 8:20, 21.) Jehovah knew that some of those descendants would choose to love him and would seek his help in fighting against sin. And as their Father and Creator, he would give them a way to be set free from sin and draw close to him. What would Jehovah do to make all that possible?

5. When did Jehovah offer a first glimmer of hope to sinful mankind? Explain. (Genesis 3:15)

⁵ Read Genesis 3:15. The first glimmer of hope came when Jehovah pronounced his sentence on Satan. God foretold that an “offspring” would be the key to hope. This offspring would eventually crush Satan, undoing all the evil that he had caused in Eden. (1 John 3:8) However, that offspring would suffer in the process. Satan would strike him, causing his death. That would hurt Jehovah most deeply. But the pain would all be worth it in the end because countless humans would be saved from sin and death.

HOW DID SINFUL HUMANS IN BIBLE TIMES GAIN JEHOVAH’S FAVOR?

6. What did men of faith, such as Abel and Noah, do in order to draw close to Jehovah?

⁶ Through the centuries that followed, Jehovah gradually made it clearer and clearer how sinful humans could draw close to him. Abel, the second son of Adam and Eve, was the first human to put faith in Jehovah after the tragedy in Eden. Because Abel loved Jehovah and sought to please Him and draw close to Him, he offered up a sacrifice. Abel was a shepherd, so he took some of his young lambs and slaughtered them, offering them up to Jehovah. How did Jehovah respond? He “looked with favor on Abel and on his offering.” (Gen. 4:4) Jehovah expressed approval of similar sacrifices offered up by people who loved him and trusted in him​—such as Noah. (Gen. 8:20, 21) By accepting such sacrifices, Jehovah showed that sinful humans could gain his favor and draw close to him.b

7. What do we learn from Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his own son?

⁷ Jehovah asked Abraham, a remarkable man of faith, to do something extremely difficult​—to offer up his own son Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham surely found this to be the most painful task imaginable. Nonetheless, he prepared to follow through with it. But God stopped him at the last moment. Still, that example teaches all people of faith a vital truth​—Jehovah would be willing to offer his own beloved Son as a sacrifice. Jehovah loves humans that much.​—Gen. 22:1-18.

8. What did the many sacrifices under the Law point to? (Leviticus 4:27-29; 17:11)

⁸ Centuries later, the Law given to the nation of Israel called for many sacrifices to atone for the sins of God’s people. (Read Leviticus 4:27-29; 17:11.) Such sacrifices pointed to a greater sacrifice, one that would completely save mankind from sin. God’s prophets were inspired to explain that the promised offspring, who turned out to be a special Son of God, would have to suffer and be put to death. He would be slaughtered like a sacrificial sheep. (Isa. 53:1-12) Imagine: Jehovah would arrange for his own beloved Son to be sacrificed in order to save mankind​—including you—​from sin and death!

HOW DID JESUS COME TO THE RESCUE?

9. What did John the Baptist indicate about Jesus? (Hebrews 9:22; 10:1-4, 12)

⁹ In the first century C.E., God’s servant John the Baptist pointed to Jesus of Nazareth and said: “See, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) These inspired words identified Jesus as the long-foretold offspring. He would offer up the promised sacrifice. Now more than ever before, there was a solid hope for sinful mankind​—a complete victory over sin.​—Read Hebrews 9:22; 10:1-4, 12.

10. How did Jesus show that he “came to call” sinners?

¹⁰ Jesus focused special attention on people who felt weighed down by sin and invited them to become his followers. He knew that sin was the root cause of mankind’s ills. So he reached out to men and women who were known to be sinners. Using an illustration, he explained: “Healthy people do not need a physician, but those who are ill do.” He added: “I came to call, not righteous people, but sinners.” (Matt. 9:12, 13) Jesus lived up to those words. He gently forgave the sins of the woman who washed his feet with her tears. (Luke 7:37-50) He taught vital truths to the Samaritan woman at the well, though he knew of her immoral lifestyle. (John 4:7, 17-19, 25, 26) God even empowered Jesus to undo the end result of all sin​—death. How? Jesus resurrected people​—male and female, children and adults.​—Matt. 11:5.

11. Why were sinful humans drawn to Jesus?

¹¹ It is no wonder that even people deeply caught up in sin were drawn to Jesus. He showed them compassion and empathy. They felt comfortable approaching him. (Luke 15:1, 2) And Jesus commended and rewarded such ones for showing faith in him. (Luke 19:1-10) He provided a perfect, living picture of his Father’s mercy. (John 14:9) By word and deed, he showed that his compassionate, merciful Father loves people and wants to help each of them to win the fight against sin. Jesus helped sinful people to want to change their ways and to follow him.​—Luke 5:27, 28.

12. What did Jesus teach about his own death?

¹² Jesus knew what lay ahead of him. More than once, he told his followers that he would be betrayed and executed on a stake. (Matt. 17:22; 20:18, 19) He knew that his sacrifice would take away the sin of the world, as John had proclaimed and the prophets had foretold. Jesus also taught that after offering his life, he would “draw all sorts of men” to himself. (John 12:32) Sinful humans could please Jehovah by accepting Jesus as their Lord and by following in his steps. If they did so, they would finally be “set free from sin.” (Rom. 6:14, 18, 22; John 8:32) So Jesus willingly and courageously faced his terrible death.​—John 10:17, 18.

13. How did Jesus die, and what did his death teach us about Jehovah God? (See also picture.)

¹³ Jesus was betrayed, arrested, verbally abused, slandered, convicted, and even tortured. Soldiers led him to the site of execution and nailed him to a stake. As he faithfully endured all that agony, there was Someone who felt even more pain. That was Jehovah God. He held back his infinite power and refrained from intervening. Why? What could move a loving Father to act in that way? In a word, love. Jesus said: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.”​—John 3:16.

14. What does Jesus’ sacrifice teach you?

¹⁴ Jesus’ sacrifice is the ultimate proof of how much Jehovah loves the descendants of Adam and Eve. It proves how much Jehovah loves you. He went to great lengths, subjecting himself to the worst pain imaginable in order to rescue you from sin and death. (1 John 4:9, 10) Yes, he wants to help each one of us to fight against sin​—and to win!

15. What must we do in order to benefit from God’s gift of the ransom sacrifice of Jesus?

¹⁵ God’s gift, the ransom sacrifice of his only-begotten Son, makes it possible for us to have our sins forgiven. But to receive God’s forgiveness, we must do something. What is that? John the Baptist and then Jesus Christ himself provided the answer: “Repent, for the Kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” (Matt. 3:1, 2; 4:17) So repentance is key if we truly want to fight against sin and draw close to our loving Father. But what is involved in being repentant, and how does it help us combat our sinful condition? The next study article will provide the answer.