Christmas is such a special time of giving and receiving gifts. It is very easy for us to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of all the shopping and gift wrapping. But have you ever stopped to consider the greatest gift ever given?
It is a gift that is not even humanly possible to be given. It is the gift of Jesus Christ.
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
The gift of Jesus demonstrates God’s love towards us.
“For God so loved the world.” Out of God’s love for us, He sent Jesus, His only begotten Son into a broken and sinful world to be born of a virgin and to become a man. Jesus, the Creator and God of the universe, became a part of His own creation. He left heaven and became a man. He did not do this because He had to, but because He loved us so much. He became like us.
Because of our sin, we deserve to perish of forever. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death”. The price for our sin is eternal death. Jesus knew that the only way for us to be saved from this punishment is for Him, the perfect Son of God, to take the punishment for us. So He came into this world to die for our sins.
Romans 5:8 says, ”but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
The gift of Jesus calls for a response.
“…that whoever believes in Him.” Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He took the place of our sin so that we would be able to be saved, but He did not only die for our sins, He rose from the grave three days after He died, showing that He had conquered sin and death forever. Jesus’ life was a gift to us. But as with any other gift, we must receive it. We are able to be saved because of what Christ has done on the cross, but in order to be saved we must admit that we are sinners and we must believe that Jesus is the only one who can save us from our sins.
Romans 10:9 says, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
The gift of Jesus allows us to have eternal life.
“…should not perish, but have eternal life.” When we confess our sins and believe in Jesus, the Bible says that we are forgiven and have the assurance of living with Jesus forever! Eternal life is given on the day that a person puts their faith and hope in Jesus. Because of the precious gift of Jesus, we no longer have to receive the punishment for our sins, but rather Jesus has taken the punishment for us and now we can live with Him for all of eternity. What a priceless truth! And what a reason to rejoice!
May we meditate and rejoice in this truth this Christmas season and throughout the whole year! May we continually give thanks to the Lord for the most wonderful gift of all – His only begotten Son, JESUS!
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
Written by NBB Alumna: Bekah Leary
