Christmas 2019 is now history. The Christmas-Spirit, spending-spree, gift-giving, and feasting, are all gone until the next time. Where do we go from here? Each passing day, some of us might not even think about Christmas—what we did, how, when, and why we did it. Yes, Christmas 2019 is gone. However, Jesus Christ, whose birth many of us celebrated, remains with us. He is no longer the “Baby Jesus,” but as the Son of God, He loves us, died for us, and now lives for us.
It was God’s divine plan and purpose that Jesus would enter human life when He was born in the city of Bethlehem in Judea. Jesus had no biological father. His birth was the result of divine intervention. The Bible says, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:18).
How Jesus was conceived may be difficult for some to understand. The fact is Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary His mother. The all-wise and all-knowing God Almighty does all things well and He is not subject to human ideas, opinions or intervention in any of His plans and purposes. He declares, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8).
The point is that God was fully aware that man He created as a sinless being would eventually change and “fall short of God’s glory,” thereby needing a Savior, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The Savior to come would be none other than Jesus Christ the Son of God. And His purpose for coming would be to reconcile sinful man to the Holy God.
The Bible tells us “then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground . . . and the man became a living creature. And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed” (Genesis 2:7). God gave man specific instructions of what to do and not to do in a sinless environment. However, man chose to disobey God’s commands. As a result, sin came into the world. “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). Disobedience has always been and will always be sin.
Adam’s disobedience plunged the whole world into sin. Hence, “For there is no distinction: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22,23). Also, “it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:10-12,18). This sinful situation needed divine intervention and remedy by God. John writes, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Jesus Christ, was God’s Gift to mankind for “eternal life.” Eternal life is found only in Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11,12). Eternal life is a free gift. It cannot be bought, earned, or merited. It is absolutely a free gift from God to anyone who trusts Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. The Bible declares “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
When Christians celebrate Christmas, they reflect on the fact that Jesus Christ came into the world to be the only Savior and hope for mankind. Jesus is also the only way to God. He says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).
Eternal life provides safety and security for all believers. Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:27-30). We see then that there is much to be gained by putting one’s faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.
Jesus came to ”seek and save” lost sinners. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10), through His death and shed blood on the Cross. Man’s greatest need is to be reconciled to God. “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 of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
In dying on the Cross, Jesus became our substitute. The Bible says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Imagine, for our sake God made Jesus to be sin for us although He had no sin of His own. Jesus was the only sinless and perfect human being that ever lived. Yet, God who knew about our sinful condition, put it on Jesus to bear it on the Cross. And by believing in Him as your Savior you are free from your sin. Isn’t this amazing?
Although salvation is a free gift, it is by no means cheap. It cost Jesus His life. He paid the penalty for your sin. Why not accept this free offer of God’s salvation today and be assured of eternal life in Jesus Christ who loved you and gave Himself for you. You would never be disappointed by making this all important decision. May Jesus help you to do so for His name sake. Amen.