Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
I read this week how countless
Christians love Charles Wesley’s commitment to and knowledge of his Savior and
the Scriptures, for he wove into his music and poetry deep insights which
challenge and thrill us even today. The third
verse of the hymn “And Can It Be That I Should Gain?” sets the stage for the
implementation of His majestic plan of Salvation: “He left His father’s throne above, So free, so
infinite His grace! Emptied Himself of all but love, And bled for Adam’s
helpless race; T’is mercy all! Immense and free, For, O my God, it found out
me!”
Romans 3:23-26 “For all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God, being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through
faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had
passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His
righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith
in Jesus.
Amazing
love! The plan involved the death of “God the Son”. The Creator dying for the
creation. The righteous Judge taking on Himself the penalty of the condemned.
The rejected Holy One becoming sin on behalf of the true sinner. The convicted
ones, powerless to alter the situation, simply receiving the offered grace
through faith.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Amazing
love! First, God had to take on Himself the nature of the condemned, live a
guiltless life so that He could die as a substitutionary sacrifice. To do so, “God
the Son” had to leave His Father’s throne. And, although “being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God
[was willing to give up his kingly status]: But
made himself of no reputation [literally, ‘emptied himself’], and took upon him the form of a servant, and
was made in the likeness of men … and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” – Philippians
26-8.
Galatians 4:4-5 New “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth
His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law,
that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
Adam had rebelled against his
Creator’s authority (original sin), and all of mankind suffered. “By one man sin entered into the world, and
death by sin; and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned” – Romans 5:12, yet Christ’s
work on the cross changed all that. “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”
(v. 15).
Matthew 1:20-21 But while he thought about these things,
behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son
of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is
conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you
shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their
sins.”
Amazing love! Jesus Christ, “Immanuel” - God with us, became incarnate to be our blessed Redeemer
and Savior. This is why we celebrate Christmas.
Merry Christmas! Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment