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Of all the ways God could have reached humanity, he chose to be born. To enter our world as a baby, grow up in a small town, and live among ordinary people. Why? Jesus was born because God loves you and refused to let sin have the final word.

The problem that made his birth necessary

Every one of us has gone our own way, made choices we know were wrong, and fallen short of what God created us to be. The Bible calls this sin. It describes the distance between who we are and who we were made to be.

That distance has a consequence. God is holy, which means he is completely good, completely just, and completely without fault. Sin cannot exist in his presence. The result is separation, a real and serious divide between us and God that we have no power to close on our own.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 (ESV)

God did not design us for this situation. He created us for relationship with himself. But he is also just, which means the consequence of sin is real. The penalty is death, not just physical death but spiritual separation from God. And we cannot pay that penalty ourselves. Nothing we do, no amount of good works or religious effort, is enough. We needed someone to do for us what we could never do for ourselves.

Why God chose to be born

God did not send a message. He did not send a list of rules to follow. He came himself.

The Son of God existed before the world was made. The Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, ESV). This eternal Son took on human flesh and was born into our world. Jesus was fully God and fully human at the same time, not a mixture of the two but completely both. He experienced hunger, exhaustion, grief, and the kind of bone-deep weariness that comes from carrying other people’s pain. He knows what it is to be human because he lived it.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV)

The reason God chose to be born in human form was specific. Only a human could stand in the place of humanity. And only a perfect, sinless human could pay the price that sin demands. Jesus lived the life we were meant to live, without a single act of disobedience or wrongdoing. That sinless life made him the only one qualified to do what he came to do.

What his birth made possible

Jesus was born to die. He gave his life as a payment for our sin. When he died on the cross, he took the penalty we deserved. The divide between us and God was closed, not by anything we did, but by what he did for us.

“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (ESV)

But the story does not end at the cross. Three days after his death, Jesus rose from the dead. The resurrection confirms that his sacrifice was accepted and that death had no power over him. He then ascended to heaven, completing the mission he came to accomplish.

The manger in Bethlehem and the cross outside Jerusalem tell the same story. God loved you enough to come. God loved you enough to stay. God loved you enough to die. And God loved you enough to rise.

What this means for you personally

Jesus was not born for a category of people. He was not born for the religious, the good, or the worthy. He was born for everyone, including you, exactly as you are right now.

You do not have to have your life sorted out to come to him. You do not have to understand everything or have all your doubts resolved. The God who entered our broken world as a baby is not put off by your broken life. He came precisely for that.

The relationship with God that his birth made possible is available to anyone who comes to him in faith. It does not require a perfect record or years of religious background. It requires an honest acknowledgment of your need and a willingness to trust him.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 (ESV)

That is why he was born. Not as a historical figure to be admired from a distance, but as a Savior who came to find you, forgive you, and bring you home to God.

Common questions about why Jesus was born

If God is all-powerful, why did he have to be born as a human?

God did not become human out of limitation. He chose to out of love. The Bible teaches that only a sinless human could stand in the place of sinful humanity and pay the penalty sin requires. God became one of us so that he could do for us what we could never do for ourselves.

Why couldn’t God just forgive sin without Jesus having to die?

Because God is both loving and just. Justice requires that sin be dealt with, not simply overlooked. A judge who lets every guilty person go free is not a good judge. God’s love provided the solution his justice required: he paid the penalty himself in the person of Jesus so that forgiveness could be genuine and complete.

Was Jesus aware of why he was born?

Yes. Jesus spoke openly about his purpose throughout his ministry. He said he came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45, ESV). He knew what he came to do and he chose to do it willingly.

Does the birth of Jesus matter if I am not a Christian?

Yes, because his birth was not for Christians. It was for everyone. Jesus was born before anyone became a Christian. His coming was for the whole world, including people who have never set foot in a church, people who have doubts, and people who are only just beginning to ask these questions.

How do I know the story of Jesus’ birth is true?

The accounts of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection were written by eyewitnesses and their close associates within decades of the events. The existence of Jesus as a historical figure is confirmed by non-Christian sources as well. The story has been examined, challenged, and tested for 2,000 years and has not collapsed under that scrutiny.

What is Jesus doing right now?

He is alive and he is not distant. After rising from the dead and ascending to heaven, Jesus did not become detached from the people he came to save. The Bible says he always lives to pray for those who come to God through him (Hebrews 7:25, ESV). He is standing before the Father on your behalf right now, personally concerned with your life, your struggles, and where you are on this journey.

Ready to begin?

Everything you have just read points to one question: what will you do with Jesus? He was not born, and he did not die and rise again, so that you could simply know more about him. He came so that you could know him.

If you want to begin a relationship with God right now, you can. It does not require a church, a ceremony, or a perfect life. It requires an honest prayer. Here is one you can pray:

A prayer to begin God, I believe that Jesus is your Son and that he was born, lived, died, and rose again for me. I know I have gone my own way and I need your forgiveness. I turn from that now and I turn to you. Jesus, come into my life. Be my Savior and my Lord. I give you my life and I trust you with it. Thank you for loving me enough to come. Amen.

If you sincerely prayed that, something real just happened. God heard you. The Bible says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13, ESV). You are not the same person you were a few minutes ago.

Something brought you to this question. The same Jesus who was born to seek and save the lost is the one who said, “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37, ESV). That includes you. If you are ready to take a next step, you can find out more about beginning a relationship with God here: Steps to Peace with God Or visit the main Who Is Jesus page to learn more about who he is and what he came to do.

Jesus is God. He is the Son of God and is one with God the Father.

They are three-in-one with God the Holy Spirit. The Son was with the Father in the beginning and is God. Jesus is eternal and is not a created being. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one and are eternal. They existed always and will exist forever.

God the Father wants everyone on earth to be in right relationship with Him. But their disobedience to Him and His laws separated them. God the Father sent Jesus, God the Son, to earth to be born as a baby. God the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and she gave birth to baby Jesus. Jesus grew, lived a sinless life, obeyed the will of God the Father, gave His life as a sacrifice on the cross, and rose from the death in victory over sin and death.

Jesus rules and reigns in heaven. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. He intercedes for us before God the Father. One day, Jesus will return to earth in glory and power and fulfill the will of God the Father in the end times of world history.

To receive a better understand of Jesus, please read John 1:1-14 in the New Testament portion of the Bible. You will read that Jesus was with God and was God. John provided names for Jesus such as Word, life, and light. John ended this portion of Scripture with what Jesus did: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:!4, NIV).

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.

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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.

 

The Bible teaches that there is one way to heaven and that is by believing in Jesus Christ.

This relationship with Jesus is not limited to a few but is available to everyone in all the world. Jesus taught that we must not only believe that he is the Lord but also that we must obey what He commanded.

The Bible teaches that we cannot do good works on our own and earn our entrance into heaven. We cannot get into heaven because of our nationality, our birthright, or our religion. There is no one who is righteous, not one, except for Jesus Christ. When we obey and love Him then we are assured that we will be with Him in heaven for eternity. If we follow any one other than Jesus we can live a good life but we will still far short of God’s glory. We can never attain holiness outside of the love of Jesus Christ.

Some people believe that if God is love then He will just forgive everyone because He will want them to be united with Him in heaven. While it is true that God is love, God is holy, as well. His holiness means that He is perfect and therefore cannot allow anyone imperfect to enter heaven. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life and was perfect. Only He could die for us. As a result, we are forgiven, made holy, and covered by His actions and love. We are then able to go to heaven because of Jesus Christ.

The belief that one can go to heaven without loving Jesus will deny the deity of Jesus. It will reduce Jesus to being just a man. This is not what the Bible teaches. Also, such a belief will deny the holiness of God. If God allowed people into heaven without being cleansed by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ then this will deny His character.

The Bible teaches that Jesus was the Son of God who became humanity so that He could fulfill the mission of God the Father.

While He was on earth, He was fully God and fully man. He was a teacher who spoke with divine authority and who never sinned. He said that He was “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6) and therefore combined the roles of prophet, priest, and king. To say that Jesus was a prophet only will limit who He was during His time on earth.

Jesus did fulfill the role of a prophet. He spoke with authority as God to show people the way to a proper relationship that honors God. He shared the Good News of His love for them so that they could walk in the light of God’s love instead of walking in spiritual darkness. He led people to turn from their disobedience and to follow Him as their Savior and Lord. Jesus taught people how to live a life that obeys and honors God. He focused on matters of the heart and people’s motivation for serving God instead of limiting their behavior to obedience to a set of rules and regulations.

Jesus fulfilled the role of a priest. He spoke with authority the Truth of God to the people. He alone is worthy to enter into the throne room of heaven for He was obedient to the will of God the Father while he was on earth. He was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of humanity. He intercedes on our behalf before God the Father.

Jesus fulfilled the role as king. The kingdom of Jesus was not of this earth. He lived a sinless life, He died and rose again on the third day, and He conquered sin and death. He rules in heaven as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus taught his disciples that He has all authority in heaven and on earth.

We cannot limit Jesus by saying his was only a prophet, a priest, or a king. He fulfilled all these roles, as only He can, and He is the God the Son.

The Bible teaches that it is appointed that each person will die.

Then, each one of us will experience the consequences of our actions and thoughts while we lived on earth. The Bible says that those who walk in the Light, which are those who follow Jesus wholeheartedly, will go to heaven. Those who do not walk in the Light and choose to walk in the darkness of this world will not go to heaven. These people are what we call “self-condemned”; they reap the consequences of their choices while they were alive on earth.

The Bible teaches that we have one life to live. After this life is over, we will live in eternity based on whether or not we loved and served God. This means that we get one opportunity to live a righteous life that honors God. While we are alive, we have opportunity to hear that God loves us and to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. When we do this, we are freed from our past sins and freed to live a righteous life that honors God. It is as if we are born again. This is a tremendous opportunity! But once we die, our eternal destiny is determined based on our actions while we were alive.

Loving and serving Jesus will grant you eternal life with God in heaven. The rewards for living a life that honors God will be that you will live today in freedom that only He provides and you are assured that you will live with Him forever in heaven.

The universe and everything in it are creations of Almighty God. As we are captivated by the beauty of God’s creation, we are limited by our senses. Our impression of what heaven will be like is limited by our experiences and present knowledge. But we do know that God created a heaven that far exceeds our ability to comprehend its beauty and magnitude. What we do know is that we will be in the presence of God for eternity. There will be no more temptation, sin, and death. We will live with God and will experience the wonder of worshipping Him forever.

You become a follower of Jesus Christ based solely on your personal relationship with Him.

You are not born into Christianity nor do you go automatically to heaven because of your family’s religious beliefs. You cannot go to heaven because you were born in a nation that considers itself to be “Christian.” You cannot go to heaven because you consider yourself to be a “good” person. The only way to heaven is for you to be in right relationship with Jesus Christ.

God gives each individual a free will. We decided if we will follow God or if we will follow someone else or another philosophy. Since we each have a free will, we will each be responsible for the consequences of our actions. We can please God by obeying Him and loving others. We know that we will go to heaven. If we choose not to please God and are unwilling to love others then we will not go to heaven.

The book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament portion of the Bible we read the following: “Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin” (Deuteronomy 24:16, NIV).

In Ezekiel, also in the Old Testament, expands this thought. We learn that a righteous person can live a life that honors God. But if the child of that person commits sins against God then the parent’s righteousness will not save the child. Each one is accountable for actions before God. In the same way, if the parent was unrighteous and dishonored God but the child was righteous then the child will be saved. Again, each one is accountable before God. You can read this in Ezekiel chapter eighteen.

God wants to be in a person relationship with you. While your family, your education, your friends, and your nationality may influence you positively or negatively, it is your personal relationship with God that decides if you are a believer.

Jesus and the devil are not equals and they are not brothers.

Jesus is the Son of God. He is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all powerful), and omnipresent (present everywhere). The devil is a created being. He disobeyed God and fell from heaven. He is not omniscient, omnipotent, nor omnipresent for he is not God. The devil has authority on this earth for a time but one day he will be judged and punished.

The devil is referenced as Lucifer or Satan. He is not the equal of Jesus. Some believe that the power of the devil is equal to the power of Jesus. This is not true and it is not taught in the Bible. Jesus is God. The devil is an angel who was thrown from heaven because of his sin. As an angelic being, he has power on earth but only for a time allotted by God.

Some believe that the sacrifice that Jesus paid for the sins of humanity was paid to Satan and not to God the Father. This is truth as it is not taught in the Bible. The payment that Jesus Christ paid for us was for our debt that we have to God the Father. God is holy. Our disobedience was a sin against God. The payment of our sins was made by Jesus and was given to God.

In the book of Matthew chapter four we read of the true account of Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Jesus fasted for forty days and forty night and then the devil appeared to him. The devil waited until Jesus was at his weakest in body. The devil tempted Jesus with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Jesus resisted the temptation by quoting the Truth of God’s Word. The devil was rendered powerless and left Jesus. The angels came and attended to Jesus.

The story of the temptation of Jesus by the devil shows us that Jesus has power over the devil. When we follow the example of Jesus then we can overcome the devil. We fix our heart on Jesus, stand on the Truth of God’s Word, and we resist the devil. He will then flee.

Jesus Christ brings enlightenment to us in many ways.

When you ask God to forgive you for not living a life that honors Him (this is called, “sin”) and then you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you will discover that you have a new identity. You are now cleansed from your past and are freed to start a right relationship with God. This relationship will enlighten you to be who God created you to be.

A result of your new relationship is that you will show your love for God by living each day a life that honors Him. The goal is not to attain a long and impressive list of good works alone because you are saved by your faith in Jesus. Yet, your works are an expression of your love for God. You are bound no longer to the things of this world because your life is dedicated to Jesus Christ.

Your new goals each day are to love God and to love others. In your daily routines, your goal is to be like Jesus. So, you pray and worship God, you ensure that your heart and motives honor Him, you read your Bible, and you live a life that is based on biblical principles. This will help you to imitate the life of Jesus and in doing so, you will be enlightened to discover truth love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

When you following the teachings of Jesus you are enlighten as to how to navigate the issues and relationships of daily life. For example, believers in Jesus are no longer given a spirit of fear. Instead, they are enabled with the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. Another example is that when people treat believers badly then believers are not bound to seek revenge or to hurt their offenders. Instead, they are empowered by Jesus to love their enemies and to pray for those who persecute them. This enlightenment draws believers closer to God and strengths their spiritual maturity.