[Jesus] gave himself for our sins
to rescue us from the present evil age.
—Galatians 1:4
He flirted with alcohol, and alcohol won. To his credit, he admitted he’d been bested—he was an alcoholic. Thanks to God and AA, he was rescued and has been lifetime grateful.
We flirted with sin, and sin won. Without rescue, we were doomed. Praise God, he stepped in and by his grace did something for us that we could never do for ourselves: “Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:4–5). “All have sinned . . . and all are justified freely by his grace” (Rom 3:23–24).
“Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God” (Rom 5:1).
All this and Heaven too.