One would have to die to save man from eternal damnation, brought about by Adam´s sin. Since there was not one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10), the Son of God was chosen to be the Savior. By the work and grace of the Holy Spirit, the seed of life was implanted in the womb of the virgin Mary, and Jesus was born. He is God with the Father, but to come into the world legally, He had to give up His prerogatives and be born as one of us (Philippians 2:7).
Christ declared that God did not want sacrifice and offering; so He prepared a body for His Son. Thus, Jesus became flesh and dwelt in our midst. He is the Word of God, the eternal Word, who created all things. He passed by the door in the sheepfold, and therefore was like one of us, but with had a striking difference: because God was His Father, He had no sin (1 Peter 2:22).
The Master knew that holocausts and oblations for sin did not please the Father, for they were not enough to rescue mankind from the devil´s hands. He came to die in our stead, receiving our sins – transgressions, iniquities and other errors that kept us under Satan´s rule. We would not be delivered from the clutches of the enemy, without the shed blood of the One who had never sinned. But Jesus came and rescued us!
The Savior was born as a helpless baby in Bethlehem of Judea, when Herod was king. The danger was great, for that tyrant could have killed him. However, God’s love for us was so immense that He would not allow anything bad to happen to His Son. When Christ’s mission to teach us to do good was finished, He would be hung on a cross.
When entering into this world of injustice and all kinds of transgression, the Master stated that He came to fulfill the will of the Father (John 6:38). He knew the meaning of this, for the day would come when the Jews would deliver Him into the hands of the Roman Empire, and then the authorities would condemn Him to be crucified. The suffering would be immense, but only this way He would redeem us!
The Master did not give up the work for the benefit of mankind, so He let Himself be arrested and judged, knowing what His fate would be. But that was exactly what He came for, and then He surrendered himself to the evildoers. After being flogged by the whip of Rome, which tore His flesh, He was taken to the mountain of Calvary and nailed to the cross, where He declared that everything was fulfilled, and died!
Our good fortune was that the Son of God did not refuse such a long-suffering mission, but was steadfast to the end. Seeing that our sins were upon Him, when all sinners could be justified because of His shed blood, He gave the last cry, giving His Spirit into the hands of the Father (John 19:30). At that moment, we were saved! Halleluiah!
In Christ, with love,
R. R. Soares
Lord, Planner of our salvation! Even knowing the price You would pay for us, Your hand did not change Your plan, which included the death of Your only Son on the cross of Calvary. So much love You have for us, who are nothing!
You are perfect! When You have looked for a righteous man, You found none. But we rejoice that You sent Your Son to suffer for us. Now, saved, we understand how much it hurt You, but Your love prevailed.
Jesus came because Your holiness did not accept sacrifices and offerings, and to put an end to the devil's reign over men. Today, free from the clutches of evil, we are Your true worshipers. Amen!
and Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
(Genesis 11:23)