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
Dear Heavenly Father,
We praise You for Your eternal love and infinite mercy. We praise You for Your Son Jesus who has rescued us from our sins and eternal damnation. He is the Light of the world and our blessed hope and supreme joy. Father, we praise You for providing the perfect sacrifice for our sins and granting us eternal life by grace through faith in Christ.
In ultimate humility and in an unlikely setting, Jesus, the Son of God was born of the Virgin Mary in a manger. God Himself took on the form of a newborn baby and prepared to be “a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Jesus came into the world to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to release prisoners from the darkness (Isaiah 61:1). He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32).
Jesus, both fully God and fully man, came into this world to do what no animal sacrifice could ever do. Throughout the Old Testament, all the animal sacrifices were but mere shadows of what was to come, in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the perfect and ultimate sacrifice for mankind. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:24). And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14).
The Old Testament Scriptures all point to Jesus and make clear the need to believe in God's promises. In the OT, the Law is there to show us how much we need God's grace. The Law was never meant to be trusted as the means to salvation. The purpose of the Law was to display God's demand for holiness, to reveal our own depravity and the inability to save ourselves, and to show us our desperate need for a Savior. The Law was never given to save anybody but to lead us to the only One who could – Jesus.
The Law was preparative in nature and disclosed only a part of the truth. The fullness of truth in which the Law pointed towards came through Jesus Christ. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). The Scriptures from the OT through the NT all point to salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and salvation is carried by the Holy Spirit through God's Word. So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Ultimately, Scripture is the wisdom that leads us to salvation by pointing us all to Jesus – the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
Jesus came into this world as a baby in a manger, lived a sinless life, and humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). In His final hour on earth, as Jesus hung on the cross for our sins, He received the sour wine and said, “It is finished.” Then He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit (John 19:30). He descended into hell. On the third day, He rose again and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty and will come again to judge the living and the dead.
We all broke God’s Moral Law. Jesus paid the fine so that whoever believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). We are saved by grace through faith alone, not by our own works or self-perceived goodness, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9). Not even our faith originates from ourselves. Faith is a gift from God, and it is faith in Jesus that saves us. “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.” – Martin Luther. Good fruit and the habit of holy living are the byproducts of true saving faith and evidence that we are children of God.
Lord, my hope is in You alone. Help me to keep my eyes on you today and every day. Help me share the good news and be filled with the Holy Spirit with the joy of Jesus in my heart this Christmas season. Jesus is the reason for the season. He is the reason for life itself.
All glory belongs to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray amen.
The Good News: The word “gospel” comes from the Greek word evangelion, translated as “Good News.” The term implies and includes salvation, literally meaning, “The message that saves humanity.”
We all broke God’s Moral Law, the Ten Commandments. Jesus paid the fine. Jesus lived a sinless life, suffered and died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. That’s why right before Jesus died, He said, “It is finished.” If I’m in court and someone pays for my parking tickets, even though I’m guilty, the judge can legally let me walk freely. Even though I am guilty before God, He can let me live forever since Jesus paid the fine on the cross for my sins, rose again from the dead, and ultimately defeated death. All I have to do is repent of (turn away from) my sins and trust in Jesus for eternal life. - Notes inspired by Ray Comfort, LivingWaters.com
Repentance comes from contrition. One who is remorseful is contrite. Contrition is to be genuinely sorry for my sins. The Bible says godly sorrow produces repentance which leads to salvation. (2 Corinthians 7:10). I must repent of my sins with a contrite heart and trust in Jesus, Lord to all and Savior to all who believe in Him. I must trust in Him with child-like faith. Child-like faith doesn’t mean immature but trustful, teachable, obedient, and loving. I must transfer my trust from myself to trust in The Savior for eternal life. To come to know the real Jesus and not a Jesus of my own making or imagination, I must open His Word and trust in whom God says He is; not whom I say He is or think He is based upon my own imagination. Scripture is the wisdom that leads to eternal life. From the Old Testament through the New Testament, Scripture all points to salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
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