Jesus Was Given So We Can Be Forgiven

During Christmas, songs about Jesus’ birth, the manger scene, the shepherds, and the wise men, abound. Why do we celebrate this account with such fanfare? Who was Jesus, and why is it important to understand that He was sent, or given to us, by God?

Centuries earlier, a prophet named Isaiah spoke of who Jesus Christ would be:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

Have you ever wondered why Jesus is called the Son of God? A “son” is someone who is born out of someone else. Jesus was the One sent by God, via the physical body of Mary, to be born into this world. He was fully divine; the Bible teaches that Jesus was actually God in flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). God had manifested Himself in the world as also fully human, with the name “Jesus”, meaning “savior” – because He would provide salvation from sin (Matthew 1:21). He was also called “Immanuel”, which is Hebrew for “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Jesus was the Child that was born, and the Son that was given to us.

Jesus Gave His Life on the Cross

In the New Testament, we are told what Jesus accomplished:

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

How is it that we can be forgiven of sins through Jesus’ blood?

First, we should understand that sin must die if it is to lose its power. From the moment of Adam’s and Eve’s sin of rebellion in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 2-3), sin and all of its negative effects (rooted in separation from God) entered the DNA of humanity and has been passed down to every generation since. The only way to get rid of it is to put it to death.

The Bible states that Jesus “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). The idea here is that Jesus Christ, because He was fully human, was able to take our sins and become the representative for all humanity, willing and able to die in our place. And, because He was fully divine and perfect (unaffected by sin and its power), He could overcome the power of death, as well. After dying on the cross, He rose from the grave. So now, because He lives, He has become our way back to God’s presence.

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18).

Forgiveness

Through Jesus Christ, we have deliverance from the power of sin. He has paid the debt that is required (death) to get rid of the slavery that sin has put us under!

When we say that Jesus forgives sin, there is much to be considered. In the Hebrew and Greek languages – the languages in which the Bible was first written – the words used mean to “lift, carry, take” and “to send away”. So when we think of Jesus offering forgiveness for sin, we can picture Him lifting the burden of sin off our shoulders, and putting it on His, or of taking our sin and sending it far away.

“He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust” (Psalm 103:10-14).

Your Opportunity to Be Forgiven

This promise, however, is only for those who understand that they are condemned because of sin, and for those who desire to be rid of it. Turning away from sin is called repentance. Confessing your sins is the first step back toward God, and God does the rest!

“ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

This is purely a gift, because we surely can do nothing to earn it:

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Are you ready to confess that you need to be saved from your sin? Are you ready to trust in Jesus Christ, the One given to save you from sin and set you free? He alone offers forgiveness and the gift of eternal life.

“Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Romans 4:7).