Dear Reader,
This letter has been put in your possession on purpose. This isn’t a coincidence or pure luck. You have this because someone loved you enough to give it to you. I, the person who wrote this, don’t matter. What matters is the story I’m about to tell.
You might have heard some bits and pieces of it before, “Jesus loves you,” or “He died for your sins,” but very few people are fortunate enough to hear the full story start to finish and why it truly matters. So, if you haven’t had that opportunity, this letter is for you.
What you are about to read is not a sermon or a demand but instead a rescue mission.
Enjoy.
Suddenly, a voice larger than the sea said: “Let there be light.”
And light obeyed, separating itself from the darkness. The voice commanded the waters to separate, becoming the sky and the oceans. He put the waters below and revealed the ground, called Earth, allowing vegetation to grow. He made the sun for the day, the moon for the night, and the stars to count the years. He filled the earth with creatures to populate the seas and the skies. Lastly, He created animals that walk along the earth. Among these animals was His most proud creation: humankind. He made this being especially in His own image. He gave them the ability to rule, create, and tend to the rest of His creation. He blessed them and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. He looked at all of creation and saw that it was very good. Then He, the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the Earth, the One through whom all things were made, and for whom all things exist, the One who holds it all together, rested…
God gave humans free will. The ability to choose to love Him or reject Him. Along with that, God gave them everything they would ever need in the Garden of Eden. Every tree, every beauty, and every joy. There was only one boundary that was necessary to prove love and allow for free will: not consuming from the Tree of Knowledge, for it would cause death. But not long after the world began, the story broke. The humans who walked in the garden with Him, who knew no pain, fear, or death, listened to a serpent in the garden, chose rebellion, and ate of the tree. Instantly, they were given what was advertised: knowledge. They now knew of their shame and nakedness. They covered themselves and hid from the very Creator who gave them life. They didn’t just mess up; they committed cosmic treason against God.
The curse didn’t stop in the garden. From then on, wherever man walked would be cursed with the effects of sin. Chief among these effects was death. However, this death isn’t only physical but also spiritual: the eternal separation of your soul from God. You, I, and all 60 billion people who have been born since then have inherited their guilt and sin. However, we have also added our own. Every day, we choose to disobey God. Not accidentally, but wholeheartedly. We lie. We lust. We envy. We hate. We waste. We boast. We steal. We cheat. And the list goes on, more than we can even comprehend. Every day, we all break God’s law and continue spreading the curse of sin. And in return, we receive exactly what we were promised: eternal death.
But even then, at the very first moment of our betrayal, God loved us. He looked for the humans who now hid in shame. He even called out for them. After they were found, God made them clothes to cover themselves from shame. Even though humans were now cursed, God made a promise to them:
One day, the curse would be broken. One day, the serpent that lied to them would be crushed. And one day, death would be defeated.
4000 Years Later…
The world waited on and on for a promise that seemed forgotten. Then, one day, 77 generations after the first humans, God fulfilled it.
An infant was born in Bethlehem to a virgin, Mary. His name was Jesus; he was God’s fulfillment of the promise from 4,000 years ago. This was the Creator, stepping into His own creation. Writing Himself into the story. Jesus lived perfectly. Following all the laws of God without fail. Not even telling a single lie. Every action was pure and each word holy. Because of His perfection, He became a threat. A society that had learned to thrive in sin couldn’t stand Jesus revealing their evil. So, the world longed for the shedding of His blood. Jesus knew this. But He didn’t run or hide. He stayed steadfast, knowing His Father’s plan.
The world got what it wanted. Jesus, the Son of God, was tortured in ways that exceed what words can carry. He was whipped 39 times with a scourge, a whip made of rope with spikes and metal balls, tearing open His body. Nails were hammered through His wrists and ankles. His body hung from a wooden cross. His torn-up back rubbed against the splinters. For six hours, He struggled to breathe while bleeding out. And then, Jesus took His final breath and said, “It is finished.” Declaring God’s rescue mission complete. That instant, every sin that had ever been committed and all the sins that would come had their perpetrators’ names stripped and replaced with one name: Jesus. He took the full wrath of all these sins from God, His own father. For the treason committed in the Garden of Eden. For the lies you will tell tomorrow. Jesus died for all of it.
But three days later, Jesus rose. He crushed the serpent and defeated death itself. Fulfilling the promise that God made 77 generations prior. Through Jesus, sin is forgiven. Death is defeated. And in its place, life is offered. His sacrifice opened a path for us to enter heaven. But God never forced us. He has always given us free will.
If what you read stirred something in you, don’t ignore it. God gave you free will. But He also gave you an invitation. If you want to receive Jesus’ rescue, it starts with something simple. Admitting your need. Believing He paid your debt. And surrendering your life to Him.
You can pray something like this:
Father, I know I’ve sinned, and I can’t save myself. But I believe You loved me enough to send Jesus, Your perfect Son, to take my place on the cross. Thank You for offering forgiveness and eternal life through Him. I believe He died for me and rose again. I place my trust in You now. I give You my life. Help me walk with You today and every day for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
There’s no magic in the words. What matters is that you mean it.
If this letter meant something to you, don’t let it end with you.
This story was never meant to be hoarded. So, here’s the challenge:
Print two copies of this letter. Give one to someone you love and give one to a neighbor or a stranger. Let the truth keep moving because the world still needs rescuing.