Words fail me as I contemplate God's great love for us. Having studied and read scripture for many years, I am still overwhelmed by what God actually did in sending His Son and why He did it.
Man's sin must have been repulsive and ugly beyond belief to God. How could He bear to even consider mankind? Yet the LORD loved us. His unchanging plan is to make us His own. So we read in the Old Testament of example after example, time after time how God wanted man to see what sin did; how it separated people from Him. He sent His law through Moses. He spoke through prophets, judges, and circumstances. Still, even after seeing great deliverance and victories, man just did not stay the course and obey God. They followed their neighbors' gods and faded into their neighbors' culture. Compromise and 'just getting along' lead to God's judgement upon His people.
Read the scriptures to plainly see it was indeed impossible for men to please God and obey Him totally. Even amazing heroes of the Bible struggled and failed, like David, Samson, Solomon. We are allowed to see them and their failings to help us know how much we need a Savior to atone for our sins. If it was possible for man to be saved through obedience to the law, then Christ died for nothing! So this was the plan from the foundation of the earth. Jesus, taking on flesh, sharing our humanity with the emotions, struggles and trials - all that meant even when it meant death. Just so we could receive God's love and forgiveness.
Ephesians and many other books of the Bible tell us that this side of the cross, when God sees a believer, one who has a true relationship with Jesus Christ and bears the seal of the Holy Spirit, God looks upon one He loves dearly. He is seeing the image of His son, Jesus, in us. That is how He now sees us, as blameless and righteous, we who stand before Him covered with His love. So that is why I am astounded by what God has done in sending Jesus. There is truly no greater love than the Father's love for us! Let His love bless and enfold you this Christmas season. Doma
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