The month of December is always a great time for many people. Christmas lights brighten the night sky each night in just about every part of Alabama. Hopes of snow dance around in people's minds each day as they hope for another "White Christmas" in Alabama like we had in 2010. People are out and about buying gifts for their loved ones and significant others.
Throughout all of the hustle and bustle that Christmas brings, we often forget what this holiday symbolizes in our walk with Christ. Over the next few weeks, we will look at various aspects of why the Christmas story is important in our walk with Christ. This week, we will look at the salvation aspect.
To look at the salvation aspect of the Christmas story, we don't have to look very far in the Bible to see why Jesus needed to come. In Genesis Chapter 3, we see Adam and Eve give in to the temptation of the serpent to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge, of which God had commanded them not to eat.
When Adam and Eve eat from the tree, they realize what they have done, and try to hide from God. One important thing to know is that, no matter how hard we try, we can't hide from God. He will always find us.
After God confronts Adam and Eve about what they have done, He gives us hope in Genesis 3:15, which says, "I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel (CSB)."
Many might look at this and ponder the question, "How does this give us hope?" The answer is simple. It shows us that God had planned for Jesus to come from the start. As the youth pastor at FBC Jacksonville, Derek McFarland, said when going over this, we need a mediator to come on our behalf and make things right so that we can be able to sit at God's table once again.
As humans, we are flawed. We are nowhere near perfect, and no matter how many works we do, without Jesus being our mediator, we would not be able to sit at the throne of God.
As a math education major, I love equations. God's love for us and the sacrifice and meaning of this season can be reduced to one simple equation: Nothing + Jesus = Everything. What this means is that we bring nothing, but with Jesus, we have everything we could ever need.
As we go through the Christmas season, ponder the meaning of why Jesus came. Think about it like this: If you were the only person to ever live on this Earth, Jesus came and gave His life so you could live eternally. He gave His life so that we could all come to know Him and live eternal life. That, I think, is the best gift anyone could be offered this Christmas.