3. Jesus can save us from eternal death, the penalty for sin.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
—Romans 6:23.

We are spiritual lawbreakers sentenced to die. The penalty for our sins is eternal death. But Jesus can save us from eternal death and give us eternal life. How and why?

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
—Romans 5:8.

Because of His unfailing love, Jesus “died for us.” By accepting death in our place, He provided a pardon for each of us. He experienced the horrors of complete separation from God, so we wouldn't have to. Because He died for us and suffered the full results of sin, God can now forgive and accept sinners without trivializing sin.

4. Jesus can save us from a sinful, unhappy life.

God not only provides forgiveness for our sins, but also healing and restoration. God promises to save us from sin, not in our sins.

“For if a man is in Christ he becomes a new person altogether—the past is finished and gone, everything has become fresh and new.”
—2 Corinthians 5:17 (The New Testament In Modern English, J. B. Phillips translation, Copyright © 1958 by J. B. Phillips, The Macmillan Company, New York, 1958).

We can't save ourselves from sin or change our nature on our own any more than a lion can decide to become a lamb (Romans 7:18). Sin is simply stronger than our willpower. But Christ is able to "strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being" (Ephesians 3:16). He works to replace our destructive habits with His healthy qualities: love, peace, joy, kindness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22, 23). Christ lives His life through us. He loves to take on the most hopeless cases.