OPENING THE GIFT OF JESUS
by John S. Barnett
The Covering for Our Sins
God, caring deeply for us, saw the gift that we “had to have” but one we could never purchase for ourselves. He provided the means to regain a relationship with Him and the eternal life that was forfeited by Adam and Eve through their disobedience. And so the Word became flesh; Jesus was born, died and resurrected. Fulfilling Old Testament prophesy, He lived a faultless life — as fully God and also fully and humbly as man — so He could offer Himself as a suitable blood sacrifice to cover our sins.
Through Jesus’ profound suffering and death on the cross, a new covenant was struck. He paid the price to secure for us our critical needs: forgiveness, justification, regeneration, reconciliation, adoption, redemption, and sanctification.
At Christmastime — or any time during the year that you choose to give or receive a gift — consider opening yourself to receiving the most important of all gifts: Jesus. Open yourself to the Word — peel away its layers. Understand the promise of it, and you’ll realize it truly is the gift you “had to have.”