What a Gift We Have in Jesus!

By Barbara Keim

January 1, 2008

What a blessed time of year we have just come through! There is Thanksgiving with all the family, friends, fun, and of course the food! Then there is Christmas! To a lot of people, Christmas may be just more of the same with the exception of the gifts, but to me Christmas becomes more special and more real every year-especially since I have had a child; we have a second child on the way. I realize that Christmas is not just a story we read about in the Bible, or like to read to our children. This is something that really happened.

A virgin named Mary was about to become married to a man named Joseph when suddenly Mary became pregnant. The people back then were no different then the people today. Everyone believed she had committed fornication. Even Joseph thought so until God spoke to him in a dream through an angel. Can you imagine what Joseph's family and friends said to him when he decided to go ahead and marry Mary?

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11)

Who is Jesus?

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

I would like for us to go back to Romans and look at why Jesus came.

Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over then that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift.

For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through the righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom. 5:12-21)

Jesus had to come, because Adam messed up God's perfect plan. Only Jesus could reverse what Adam had brought upon all mankind. He was the only perfect sacrifice for sin. There is not anything that we can do, to add to God's perfect plan for salvation and eternal life. All we can do is accept the free gift that he offers to us through Jesus Christ.

I will close with the following scripture:

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life . . . (1 John 5:12, 13)

My prayer is that the gift of Jesus will become more real for all of us in 2008!

May God bless you richly in this New Year!

 

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