Christmas?

I can imagine it was difficult for people during the time of Jesus to believe that the human in front of them was God as He claimed over and over again by using titles of that relegated Him as God and claiming to be equal to God the Father. That may be why Jesus said, in response to outrage over His claiming to be equal to the Father, “if you don’t believe me that I come from the Father, believe the works I do – they testify of Me.” Jesus healed the blind, the diseased, cast out demons, and raised the dead, not to mention other things.

In the story of the paralytic whose friends let down through the roof of a house, Jesus said – in response to outrage over the fact He had told the paralytic His sins were forgiven – “”But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, take up your stretcher and go home.” And at once he rose up before them, and took up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorying God.”

So, from the outside, Jesus’ claims about being God – the I AM, Jesus’ works, and Jesus’ claims to be able to forgive sins, must have caused quite a stir among the populace. But thing is, no one could find anything of which to accuse Him other than blasphemy for claiming to be God and a misquoted statement regarding His own body (this Temple), that He would rise from the dead on the third day, although many brought false testimony against Him.

There are two things to note here. Firstly, observe anyone claiming to have authority from God long enough and you will observe all kinds of evil and inconsistency (“there is none righteous, not even one” and “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”) behind the holy façade and so-called authority. But Jesus is different: not only did He claim to be God and equal to the Father; there was nothing solid of which to accuse Him before the authorities other than blasphemy stemming from that claim.

Secondly, Jesus made the audacious claim that He would rise again from the dead on the third day. If after hearing Jesus’ claims to be God, and witnessing His power to heal, cast out demons and raise people from the dead, and if after hearing His claim(s) to have power to forgive people, you were not convinced of His Godhood, His claim that He would rise again from the dead (though misunderstood by some at the time) might pique your curiosity. It would be consistent with the fact that He had raised others from the dead. At one point, Jesus, in describing Himself as “I am the Good Shepherd” states that He lays down His life for the sake of the sheep; that no one takes His life from Him; that He has the authority from the Father both to lay down His life and to take it up again.

But there’s more to the story. You have this perfect (sinless) human, claiming to be God, doing works that attest to His Godhood, claiming the power to forgive sins, prophesying His death and resurrection and willingly laying down His life on His own authority when the time came. He willingly laid down His life, to be treated like a criminal and crucified for the sin of mankind. The Bible says, in Philippians 2:5-11, that God became man and humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.

This is similar to the message from John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Wait a minute! Does it say “everlasting life”? There’s the rising from the dead theme again. What the Bible is saying is that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”

Our sins separate us from God in that God is holy and we are not – not even close. “There is none righteous not even one.” “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We need Jesus’ righteousness (His sinless life) and His holiness to cover our sins so we can be acceptable to a holy God.

So what does God do? He sends God the Son to earth to walk among us, to make the claims to Godhood that He did, do the works that He did, forgive sins like He did, claim He would die and rise again like He did, actually suffer – to death, death on a cross – like He did (paid the price for our sin in our place – redemption if we accept it) and rise again like He did, “that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (that we might be made righteous in the sight of God by accepting His righteousness and sacrifice on our behalf). “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Accepting the righteousness of God on our behalf requires the forgiveness of our sins. When God forgives us our sins, through Jesus Christ, we are then reconciled to God, and in that reconciliation, we receive the righteousness of God on our behalf. It’s that simple.

But that reconciliation requires a hefty price – a blood price. Our sins deserve death – we all have the death sentence (eternal, spiritual death) within ourselves due to our sins, and physical death as a result. Jesus willingly and purposefully became the blood sacrifice (sacrificed Himself) in our place, bearing our sins for us. Romans 5:6-11 says,

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

To add to the validity of the message, His death and His role as intercessor for transgressors was prophesied roughly 700 years in advance, by the Old Testament prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 53:3-12).

But how can we have the righteousness of Jesus cover our sins in the eyes of God without: 1) having our sins forgiven by God, 2) recognizing / accepting that the forgiveness of those sins must be in Jesus Christ (“for there is no other name under Heaven by which you must be saved”), and 3) believing that His sacrifice for our sins (being “sin for us” – bearing our sin on the cross) was sufficient to pay the blood price for our sins?

And what would it all be if Jesus did not rise from the dead Himself? He would just a man making claims to be God, and performing deeds that no one could explain; or as some claim, just a prophet – never mind his sinless nature and that no one, being just a prophet, has ever claimed to be God, let alone rise from the dead. If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, He is not God, and the “everlasting life” He promises is not possible since there is no resurrection from the dead.

And what would it all be if Jesus is not the I AM – is not God as He claims? Then Jesus does not have the power to forgive sins – not only that, Jesus’ death would be useless as a sacrifice for sin, being a sinner Himself. Jesus, being God, in taking on human flesh, was able to be both the Just and the Justifier (both sinless and a sinless sacrifice) for mankind. You can’t come up with a more complete solution than that.

Jesus made the claim, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but through Me.” Quite a statement if you think about it. No other being qualifies, and by that, there is no other Way of salvation, but through Jesus Christ.

So here’s the summary of it all: God (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us, that in dying as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind, and rising again, “we might become the righteousness of God in Him”; being reconciled to God by accepting/receiving forgiveness for our sins in Jesus Christ, accepting the righteousness of Jesus in our stead, confessing / accepting the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives, and believing in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead. And by that, being granted “everlasting life” . . . there is no other Way.

So, what did people do when God raised Jesus from the dead? You had better believe it caused a stir! Some became convinced of His Godhood (after everything else) and accepted His lordship in their lives, believing. His resurrection made His claims to Godhood, His works that testified to His Godhood, and His claims to have the power to forgive sins all that more convincing! Others tried to hide the fact by claiming the body had been stolen from the grave . . . arguments you still hear today.

That was then! What will you say? What will you do today? Nearly 2000 years have passed, but what was true then is still true today. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Today, if you hear God’s voice, do not harden your hearts; “repent, believe on the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, and be saved.” Be reconciled to God!