What did Jesus die for?

A simple and a profound question, one which I have recently found has a deeper answer: Jesus died so you could live in his presence every moment of every day.

But before that, Jesus died to save human souls for himself, to save us from our sins and wrong doings; to save us from living our lives our own way and for ourselves which only leads to death and an eternity apart from God. I think this is summed up very nicely by Isaiah the prophet who spoke of Jesus some 800 years before he was born:

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity[sin] of us all." Isaiah 53:6.

Now I think it's important we state what Christ didn't die for: Christ didn't die so that we could simply go to meetings or pay lip service to him once a week. Indeed the Pharisees, the religious people of Jesus' time were the ones who bore the brunt of his criticism.

So if Jesus didn't die for us to...

a) Keep living our own way,
b) Attend weekly meetings,
c) Be on the church commitee/PCC,
d) Chant liturgy,
e) Have a fish on our car,
f) Wave our hands around and praise him in meetings but not anywhere else,

...then what did he die for us for?

Jesus said it himself: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10

That's it! Life in abundance! Not to slouch in a pew and look like some picked vegetable but to live with the joy of the Lord as our strength and being filled with the Holy Spirit.

You see in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had perfect fellowship with God being ever in his presence. When they did what God told them not to do, thinking they knew better, they hid from God in the bushes.

But now God has flung the doors open and invites us to live in his presence since Jesus has destroyed the power of sin if we will accept him. God longs to live among humans:

"Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." " John 14:23

Also God says in Ezekiel 37:27: "My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

So the God's purpose for you is to live with him, starting now. It's an adventure, so live it!