Why Jesus Was Born

I realize most Christians understand the real meaning for the Christmas celebration but have you ever asked or been asked why Jesus was born and what's the celebration all about? The secular society, for the most part, couldn't care too much about the saying, 'Jesus is the reason for the season.' We have all been in the stores and have seen Christmas stuff beat the Halloween stuff to the store shelves. So, what has Christmas become? It is a money maker for the retail industry and the Christmas season is depended on by many of them to make a big difference in their profit margin.

But if Jesus is the reason for the season, why was He born and what's all the hoopla about concerning His birth? Christians recognize Easter, or Resurrection Sunday, as the time we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is the time we celebrate what those events mean to us as Christians. His death on the cross was a sacrifice, Him dying in our place, to pay the price and debt for our sin. Without His death on the cross, there is no means to salvation for us. His resurrection was Him defeating death and giving to us eternal life. All who have asked for His forgiveness for their sin have and will be saved. Receiving this salvation promises us eternal life with Him; death has been defeated and for those who know Him as savior, will experience a physical death (of these physical bodies) but will have eternal life with Jesus.

That's what we celebrate at Easter but what do we celebrate at Christmas? The answer is so simple. Without Christmas, there is no Easter. Without Easter, there is no means to salvation from our sin and we are doomed to suffer an eternal death. Following a statement like this, it is common to hear a statement that goes something like this, "I'm not a sinner; I am a good person and I treat people good. I'm not a criminal or an abusive person so, why do I need a savior or why do I need to be saved from this sin thing I don't have?"

Excellent question and it is asked by many people and when answered, many still don't want to accept what they are told. But here we go. We are all born with sin or as it is sometimes referred to as, 'original sin.' When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, sin entered into the world and contaminated all human beings from that time forward (Gen 3). They had received a command from God to not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. There was a purpose for God telling them not to eat from that tree, as was obvious when the realized they were naked and embarrassed by it, but the reason sin entered into the world was because they disobeyed Gods command.

God did not suggest they not eat from the tree, He commanded them not to eat from this tree. God is sovereign; He's is superior over everything and in charge of everything. He is all powerful and the creator of all things (Col 1:16). He's a just God who doesn't waver in His actions and commands. He does not lie, he is the same today as He was on the first day of creation and He keeps His promises. Who do you know who is like this? God is the only one I know who can check all of these boxes. So, regardless if we like it or not, we are all born with original sin and it is obvious to see. Have you or someone you know who has children ever had to teach a child to say, "No." Have you ever had to teach them to say, "Mine, mine, mine." Have you ever had to teach them how to lie?

No, I'm sure you haven't so, where does it come from? The answer is sin. You might be laughing right now and thinking how ridicules this sounds but it is true. Have you ever had nasty thoughts toward someone who has hurt you or upset you? If so, those thoughts come from our sin nature which resides in us from the day we are born. Why are there serial killers, rapists, human traffickers, thieves, pedophiles and so many other evil lifestyles? Why do we grow old and die? Why do we suffer from deadly diseases? The answer is because when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin entered into the world and contaminated the blood which runs through our veins which has been passed down from generation to generation from the disobedience of the command in the garden.

This is not science fiction or a fairy tale, it's the truth and is verified every day when we watch the news or read about it. I have met and known some of the nicest people you would ever want to be around but I also know that deep down, they have that same sin nature which we all have. And, they are just as capable of the evil and nasty thoughts which all of us are. The sad truth is, we were all born this way; some more, a lot more, evil than others but still with a sin nature.

I've painted a pretty bleak picture so far in explaining the abilities of our sin nature and if anyone has had this capture their attention, it may seem hopeless. But there is good news; it is the answer to the question I asked in the first part of this writing. Why was Jesus born? He was born to die on a cross for our sin. He died to pay the price for our original sin which every human being was or will be born with. He was the only one born without sin and He was the only one who could die in our place and met the requirements of God to satisfy the penalty for our sin. It had to be a spotless and perfect sacrifice and Jesus was the only one who met those requirements.

The spotless sacrifice of the Old Testament Law was a representation of Jesus. The Passover Lamb, which is a direct representation of Jesus, had to be without blemish (EX 12:5). As Moses was instructed to apply blood to the door jams on each side and the overhead, it was a symbol of the cross and when the death angel saw it, he passed over that house. Jesus has done the same thing for us. His death on the cross, and the shedding of His blood there, has given us salvation from eternal death when we die. For those who realize what Christ has done for us and asks for His forgiveness, receives this salvation and eternal life. Our sin is washed away and never remembered by God again.

I always liked the analogy of a person washing an old blackboard. When it is wiped clean, it is gone and never to be seen again. That's how God treats our sin when we accept Jesus as our savior. Sin in our lives is a fact and it is real. Heaven is not a pie in the sky fairy tale, it is real and so is the place called hell. For all who come to Jesus and know Him as their savior, they will spend eternity with Him in heaven. Also, for all those who reject Him and refuse to accept Him as savior, they will spend eternity in hell suffering an eternal death. God doesn't send people to hell to suffer, they send themselves there by refusing to accept the free gift of salvation which Jesus provides for us as a result of His death on the cross.

Jesus didn't have to go to the cross and die in our place, He could have allowed us all to spend eternity in hell but because of His great love for us, He sacrificed His own life so we could be redeemed from our sin. What kind of love is that?  But He rose from the grave and defeated death so we could have eternal life and death has no hold on those who belong to Him. That is great news but sadly, there many in this world who will reject it and call it nonsense or a cult.

Jesus came for the lost souls of the world and knew what He had to do for their salvation. He is the Son of God and He left His throne in heaven to be born in a human body as a baby, born of a virgin woman. He experienced every temptation and suffering any of us past, present or future have or will ever suffer. He experienced the excruciating death by crucifixion on a Roman cross in order to provide salvation for us all. This is why we celebrate Christmas and this is why Jesus was born.

When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”  MK 2:17 NKJV

Christmas is not just about gift exchanges, parties and snow. Christmas is celebrating the birth of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came to provide salvation from sin so we can have eternal life with Him. That's good news and a great reason to celebrate Christmas. Jesus is the reason for the season and He is waiting with arms wide open today for those who will repent and ask Him for forgiveness and receive salvation.

 

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.  They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.   JN 1:12-14 NLT