Sitting down to a great meal with your loved ones, enjoying the warmth of a crackling fire, hanging stockings, decorating the tree… these are the things that make for a splendid Christmas. Nothing beats snuggling into a comfy chair with a cup of hot chocolate, looking at the twinkling lights, and listening to the old familiar carols…
Hark the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn king,
Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled…”
The Christmas season may mean different things to different people, but one thing is sure… it is the time of year set aside by Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. You’ve heard the story… a virgin was visited by God’s angel and told she would become miraculously pregnant with God’s one and only Son. An angel told her fiancé, “You shall name the baby Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
But what does this really mean? Aren’t we pretty good people? Sure, none of us are perfect, but do we really need someone to “save” us from our sins? To clearly understand what Christmas is about, we must try to look at ourselves the way God sees us… and the way we do that is to see if we’ve obeyed his Holy Law—The Ten Commandments.
Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen anything? (Think hard, and be honest… regardless of the item’s value, have you ever taken something that didn’t belong to you?) Have you ever used God’s name in vain (such as exclaiming, “Oh my G-d!”)? Have you ever felt hatred in your heart against someone? Have you ever looked at someone and had sexual thoughts about them?
Here’s the ugly truth. If you’ve told lies, that makes you a “liar” in the eyes of God. If you’ve ever stolen anything, God sees you as a “thief.” If you’ve used God’s name in vain, you’re a “blasphemer.” According to God’s word, anyone who hates is considered a “murderer” (1 John 3:15). And Jesus said that anyone who looks at another person with lust has already committed adultery with that person in their heart—anyone who has lusted is considered by God as an “adulterer” (Matthew 5:28).
We’ve only looked at five out of The Ten Commandments, but if God judges you by that standard, will you be innocent or guilty of breaking his Laws? Many people say, “Guilty… but God forgives.” They may think that God is so good that he will overlook their sins. Well, God is good, that much is true. But in the same way that a “good” human judge could not let a guilty criminal go, God must see that justice is done. You and I will be guilty when we stand before God—guilty with nothing to say for ourselves except that we’re sorry. But the Just Judge of the Universe can’t let us off for being sorry. We’ve broken the Law, we should be sorry, but that doesn’t change the fact that he has to pass sentence.
The Bible tells us the sentence for breaking God’s Laws is Hell. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, God gives us a list of those who will not be able to enter Heaven. Among others He includes: fornicators (those who have had sex before marriage), idolaters (those who put anything in their lives before God), adulterers (those who lust for someone they’re not married to, as well as those who go through with the sexual act), thieves (those who have stolen), and the covetous (those who have greedily desired something that doesn’t belong to them). And in Revelation 21:8 God tells us that, “…all liars, shall have their place in the lake of fire…”
You and I stand guilty before God—without a thing to say in our own defense. But God did something amazing for us so that we wouldn’t have to go to Hell. Do you know what that was? He sent his own Son, born of a virgin, perfect and sinless, to die a criminal’s death on the cross in payment of our sins. Then he rose again, defeating death forever.
That’s why Jesus was born, to suffer punishment in your place. That’s what the angel meant when he said that Jesus would “save his people from their sins.” You see, we can never undo the sins we’ve already committed… we can never live a perfect life as Jesus did. But God’s word says that if we will repent of our sins (feel sorrow for, and turn away from all the things we know are wrong) and put our faith (entire trust) in Jesus as the only one who can save us, then God will wipe out the record of our sins because Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross will be counted as the payment.
That’s why Christians have such a meaningful time at Christmas. At Christmas, a Christian is setting aside a day to celebrate the birth of the Savior. Christmas can be truly splendid because God loved us so much that he sent his Son to take the punishment for our sins. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” (John 14:6). Don’t wait. Repent and put your faith in Christ today
Courtesy of SplendidChristmas.com