I mentioned yesterday that the real reason for Christmas is to celebrate what God had done for mankind. He gave a Gift that He did not have to give - His Son - for people who were totally unworthy of that Gift. That well-known verse - Jn. 3:16 - tells us: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son."
God gave His Son to become one of us because, as God, He could not die, but in order to pay for our sins, He had to die. The manger and the Cross are inseparable. Jesus was not a mere Teacher or good example. He was and is God in the flesh (John 1:14). Why did He need to die? Because there was no other way to obtain our redemption! Only God could take on Himself the sins of the entire world and come away from it debt free afterward.
No other human or other being could ever pay such as debt. The result of Christ's death on the Cross is found in the rest of that same verse: "that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Christ is believed on by "receiving" Him into your heart and life. John 1:12 tells us: "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."
You see sin has Him outside your life. You have chosen to go your own way and disobeyed God's law. Now Christ is outside your life but asking to become your Savior but will only do so if you confess your sin and ask Him to save you because of His payment for your sin. It is a choice. You turn your life over to God and seek to serve Him on His terms and He will be most glad to forgive. Part of that great Gift is that God is even willing to make you one of His children once He saves you.
Faith (belief) enters in because you believe that He will save you when you ask Him to - because He promised that He would. He paid for your salvation, but like a Christmas gift, it is only yours if you receive it.
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Keywords: God, Christmas, gift, Christ, cross, sin, everlasting life