Today’s Readings: Romans 3:23; 5:8, John 1:1-3, 1 John 5:20
The Christmas Plan
Christmas was required in God’s plan because the righteous life he requires was not attained by Adam or any of his fallen descendants. God, prompted by grace, chose to fulfill the holy human standard himself. The incarnate Deity chose to live the life we should have lived – the perfect childhood, the spotless teenage years and the righteous adult life.
Had we been able to present to the Father the righteous life he requires so that we could perfectly enjoy his presence and his presents, God would not have needed to become a man and live among us. But we couldn’t, so he did. Were it only our sins that needed a payment, Christ could have arrived on the day of his crucifixion. But our deficiencies were more than our acts of transgression (doing the things we shouldn’t do), our problems included the “Romans 3:23” (failing to do the things we should do).
It is with gratitude that we celebrate his advent as an infant, because we know that as our sins were atoned for on the cross, so it was that all our human deficits began to be rectified by one perfectly-lived life starting that very night in Bethlehem.
(Devotional credit: Crosswalk.com Christmas Devotional)
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“God’s glorious standard.” from Romans 3:23 NLT
This part of Roman 3:23 really spoke to me this morning. All who bear the name of Christ are called to live holy lives in order to meet God’s glorious standard. Obviously we fail every day no matter how hard we try. I’m grateful that Jesus came to Earth and showed us what that standard looks like. I’m even more grateful that He was willing to take my place on a cross and atone for my sins.
O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.