Many believers know that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, but we should also understand His mission, how He fulfilled it, and what that means to each of us. Christ had a twofold goal in coming to earth as a baby: to provide us with a tangible image of who God is, and to die in our place to pay our penalty for sin.
What an incredible plan! The omnipotent, omniscient Lord had existed since eternity past (John 1:14, John 1:14). And yet for a time, He set aside power and strength that were rightfully His, so that He could become like us. Because God-in-human-flesh lived His life before men, we can better understand our heavenly Father (Colossians 1:15).
Through Christ's sacrifice, we are invited into an eternal relationship with God. You see, Scripture finds every descendant of Adam guilty (Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23), and the punishment for sin is death (Romans 6:23). The penalty must be paid by the shedding of blood (Leviticus 17:11). Yet the Father can accept nothing less than a perfect sacrifice (Deuteronomy 17:1). The Savior - who was fully God, fully man, and 100 percent innocent - died a humiliating, excruciating death to pay the debt we couldn't afford. He is the only one who could lay down His life to save us and bridge the gap between each person and the Father.
There is no possible way for us to earn our salvation. It is an awesome gift that the Father freely offers to each one of us. The only "condition" is that we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and follow Him. Have you chosen to accept this amazing blessing from the Father's hand?
Taken from "The Savior's Mission" by In Touch Ministries (used by permission).
