Christ our Savior

It goes without saying that this time of year is a big event for Christians. Many people observe Christmas in the belief that around this time our savior was born. While we ourselves do not keep Christmas we do still believe that Jesus Christ like they do, is indeed our savior and our lives belong to Him through His redeeming sacrifice.

Jesus Christ came to live in the flesh for us and die for us. While mankind has worshiped many other gods and prophets none had ever done what He had done for all of mankind. Give Himself for everyone that they may believe in Him. Most of not all other gods and religions required something from their followers. Often people in worship of those gods gave far more than what Jesus was looking for from us.

In a conversation with Nicodemus a Pharisee who was trying to understand who Jesus was, Jesus tried to explain the big picture to him in ways he could understand it, Jesus Christ revealed Himself as to why he was here. It surrounds one of the most quoted scriptures of our time. This is John 3:16:

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Oftentimes our reasoning can be clouded by the ways of this world and we can trivialize or put the sacrifice God made in a much lower light and importance than it has. God’s sacrifice of His son was the most incredible gift he could give. They shared the closest bond that any two being ever shared. To watch Him go through what He did would have been hard for most people but for God it was a necessary thing to remove all barriers between us and Him. In dying for us he paid the penalty for our sins, allowing us to live the life we have free from the end result of sin and giving us eternal life. It is not something we can do through any of our own means. It does not come from rituals or observances but through unmerited grace. In return we love and obey Him as we believe in what He did for us and love Him in return.

Because of His sacrifice we now can live boldly with him as our savior and advocate before God’s throne. He also dwells in us through the Holy Spirit to give us an experience of what it is like to be in God’s family, even though we are still human. All these things through Him were given because most of all God loves us and will always love us. 

Your Brother in Christ,

Steve Koenig

Lakeshore Fellowship