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Why Was Jesus Born?

Jesus was born to reconcile humanity with God the Father.

God is holy and righteous. All of humanity has disobeyed God and this is called, “sin.” The penalty for sin is death. God knows that humanity cannot pay this penalty so God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to earth to pay the penalty of humanity’s sin.

Jesus was wholly God and wholly man. He was tempted as humanity is tempted and yet lived a sinless life. He was the only one qualified to pay for the sins of humanity. He obeyed God the Father’s mission to come to earth, live a sinless life, and die on a cross so that He will pay for our sins. After His death, the grave could not hold Jesus for He rose from the dead on the third day. He lived briefly and then ascended into heaven. He rules and reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The Gospel of John reveals why Jesus was born in John 3:16; “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (NIV). God loves everyone. He knows that we cannot pay the price for our sin against him. God loves us so much that He sent His Son, His only Son, to be the perfect sacrifice and pay for our sins. As a result, when we follow Jesus wholeheartedly, we can enter into a relationship with God.

When you continue reading in John chapter three, you learn that Jesus is the Light of the world. If you love the Light then you love God. Some people love the darkness instead because their deeds were evil. They are self-condemned because they choose not to love Jesus.


 

What Did Jesus Teach?

Jesus taught with authority from God the Father that humanity can be reconciled to God through His (Jesus) life, death, and resurrection.

Jesus taught how humanity can live a life that pleased God; one of righteousness before God and obedience to God.Jesus taught that when we ask Him to forgive us of our sins that He will forgive us and that we will be transformed into a new creation. Our past sins will be forgiven and held against us no more. Then, we live to obey all that Christ has commanded. He taught us that we must love God with the entirety of who we are and that we must love others, as well.

We enter into proper relationship with Jesus when we ask for forgiveness, believe that He is the Son of God, and live to please him. Our faith in Jesus is what brings us into proper relationship with God. Our obedience to His commands is an outward expression of the inward change that He made in our hearts and lives.

Jesus taught that we can love God as individuals. Also, we express our love to God when we love others. Jesus taught us to love those who are in the family of God; a community of faith. We are to love, forgive, and encourage one another. Also, we are to love those who are not following Him. For example, in Matthew chapter five, we read how we are to love others. We are taught to love our enemies and even to pray for those who persecute us. Jesus said, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” (Matthew 5:46-48, NIV). Jesus taught us to love God and to love others.


 

What Does it Mean that Jesus can Forgive you of your Sins?

The Bible teaches that we all have disobeyed God and this is called sin.

Jesus paid the penalty to God for our sins by dying on our behalf. He rose again and ascended into heaven. When we confess our sins to Jesus, the payment that He made to God for the sins of humanity pays the penalty of our sins. Then we stop doing the thoughts and actions that separate us from God and instead do what honors Him and will bring us closer to Him. This is called “repentance.” When we repent of our sins and ask for Jesus to be our Master then our sins are gone. They are wiped clean and remembered no longer. We are freed! It is as if we are born again. We can live a life that honors God the Father and God the Son.

Only Jesus can forgive sins because only Jesus lived a sinless life, died for us, and rose again. Jesus is the sin-destroying Light. He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Since all of humanity has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, we cannot forgive ourselves of our sins. We need a Savior. The Savior of the world is Jesus.

When Jesus forgives you of your past sins then you are freed from them. This means that the guilt and the fear is gone because you have a new heart; a cleansed heart. In this freedom, you are not to return to the old lifestyle with the former ways of behaving and thinking. Instead, you are freed to live the life that God created you to live. You can follow the teachings of Jesus. You can learn to forgive others and live a life that is free from condemnation and guilt. You will be a new person; a new creation.