The Bible says:
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.
John 3.16 (NIV)
This is where Jesus comes in. You see, God is not simply just, he is also loving and merciful: he doesn’t want us all to die! But, justice must be served. He cannot simply ignore our sin, as if it never happened. Those of us who have been victims of injustice, abused, neglected, and maybe worse – we need justice to be done! So God needs to satisfy his holiness (the need for justice) and his love (his desire to be merciful).
This is where Jesus comes in.
When John says, ‘the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us,’ it wasn’t a holiday for Jesus. He became fully human, like us in every way (except without sin), but not on a whim, to see what it’s like, to take a break from heaven.
No: ‘Jesus’ means ‘God saves.’ And that is exactly why he came: to save us from sin, death, and shame.
When Jesus died on the cross he paid the price for our sin in full. He stood in our place and bore the punishment we deserve, so we don’t have to – he is like a judge, handing down a fair penalty, and then coming and serving that penalty himself. By dying and rising to new life he conquered death so his people need never fear it again. And in this supreme act of love he showed we do not need to be ashamed any more.
But there is even more…
Next: A greater gift…