For 70 years the Queen carried out her duties with dedication, commitment, humility and grace. Her life was one of service and was evidently modelled on the One who she spoke often of as being an ‘inspiration and an anchor in my life’ - none other than Jesus Christ.

Saviour

And yet Christ was more than just a role model to the Queen. In her 2011 Christmas address, the queen remarked, ‘Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves – from our recklessness or our greed. God sent into the world a unique person – neither a philosopher nor a general (important though they are) – but a Saviour, with the power to forgive.'

To only see Christ as a role model is to ignore His greatest work of all. A work which no one would wish to imitate. A work which involved dying on the cross. His death was necessary in order that forgiveness might be offered to a sinful world. A world of ‘recklessness’ and ‘greed’. A world that had rebelled against The Ultimate Sovereign of the universe.

That Sovereign came into our world in the person of Jesus Christ. He came into the world to save sinners - you and me. 

Forgiveness 

‘Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can heal broken families, it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God’s love’. How true these words are. God’s love compelled Him to give His only Son. For justice to be done, someone must deal with the consequences of sin. Sin must be judged. And Christ was judged when He hung on that central cross, sin’s judgement was fully paid. He was buried and rose again the third day, victorious over death and hell.

Trust 

You may wonder how could the Queen enjoy this forgiveness? You may wonder how you can? Is it by a life of service? Is it by religious observance? Did the queen have peace because she merely ascribed to a way of life? Nothing could be further from the truth.
Those things flow out of a life that has _already_ been forgiven. They are the fruit not the root of forgiveness. The root of forgiveness is to be found in simple faith in what Christ has already done. 'Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.' (Titus 3 v 5, The Bible).

To accept Christ as your saviour requires that you abandon your ideas of religion. The bible calls this repentance. All who repent of their sin can be saved. All who remain in their sin, remain under the judgement of God.

God saved the Queen. Has He saved you?