By
Ada Nicholson Brownell
The
church today is accused of being irrelevant.
Irrelevant? What is more
relevant than we’re all destined to die, but Jesus Christ came to get us off
this planet alive?
What
is more relevant than John 3:16? “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.”
The relevance of the gospel of Jesus Christ is never more real
than when death invades your life. When our oldest daughter died of cancer less
than a month after her 31st birthday, I knew there was hope because
of Jesus.
Jesus did something about death, and since then people have
been singing “Joy to the World! The Lord is come.” Not necessarily the words
written by Isaac Watts. The song wasn’t written until 1719.
But on that first Christmas, which became the dividing point of
time—B.C. and A.D.— a choir of angels sang a joyful song about tidings of
comfort and joy. The tidings were for all people, “for unto you is born this
day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
Why did humankind need a Savior? Because sin brought death.
God warned Adam and Eve that although they could eat everything
else in the Garden of Eden, they were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil or they would die.
“You won’t die!” the Tempter told Eve.
So
Eve ate, shared the fruit with her husband, and not long afterward they sat at
the gravesite of a murdered son. Eventually, death claimed them.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed, the Heavenly Father still loved
them. He created them for fellowship. So He designed a “just” way to restore
humans to righteousness and life forevermore.
He would bring a Redeemer to reverse the penalty of sin (Genesis 3:15).
But blood would be required, because sin is so serious and always hurts someone,
especially the sinner.[1]
Yet, death became the enemy of every mortal person, despite a
glimmer of hope with repentance and the sacrifice of bulls and goats. Bull and
goat blood wasn’t enough to thwart the Tempter—the Enemy who is delighted when
people fall into sin and are destined to eternal death away from God.
Then
God-the-Son slipped into a baby’s skin, and He landed in a straw-filled manager
surrounded by cattle, sheep and the smell of manure. A long, hard road stood
between the Christ Child and victory. He grew and demonstrated His love, but
people loved themselves more than God and killed Him. His blood trickled down a
splintery cross and He died. Hope seemed lost.
Three days later, Jesus’ walked out of the
tomb alive without even unwrapping the grave clothes. He told the Apostle John,
“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am
alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of
death (Revelation
1:17-19 ).
Isaiah wrote in his prophesies about the Messiah, that “Therefore
with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:2-4).
But we’re like Adam and Eve. We decide whether to obey God. It’s up to us
whether we accept the gift of salvation and the resulting joy.
Joyful singing about Jesus has erupted from mortal lips since His
birth and for good reason. And we’re still singing, “Joy to the World! The Lord is come!”
If you’re human, that’s relevant--and REAL!.
© Copyright Ada Brownell
No comments:
Post a Comment