Implications

Day Twelve                            

Implications                           

Romans 8:1-4

According to Bruce Milne, a well-known Bible teacher from Canada, there are four implications to be drawn from the incarnation of Christ.

First, Christ’s coming speaks directly to our need of salvation. After all, that is why He came. One of the fundamental claims of Christianity is that we cannot save ourselves. Our alienation from God is too great. His holiness cannot tolerate our sin. Our fallenness cannot look upon His righteousness. We are like oil and water. There is no way for a holy God to overcome the separation caused by human rebellion. Or, rather, there would be no way, without a sinless sacrifice to satisfy the Law’s demands and to pay the price on our behalf. Christ’s coming, born to a virgin in the City of David, does not save us; but it does set the stage for our salvation. Without Bethlehem there could be no Calvary. Our redemption was possible only because He came. When Christ became one of us, being clothed in human flesh, He opened up the way of our salvation.

Second, Christ’s coming affirms our significance. If God had not loved us, He would not have gone to the trouble of sending His Son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sin. If we had been nothing to God, our eternal condemnation would not have concerned Him at all. But God did love us, and He does love us, and He has promised to keep on loving us until His children have all come home. This is good news indeed. In our day, it is commonplace to regard human beings as just another type of animal. We are taught that chance has enabled us to live, and that chance could just as easily wipe us from the face of the earth. That cannot be so. We have significance because God affirms us. Our lives have value because we were bought at a great price.

Third, Christ’s coming shows how God identifies with us in our human life. No other religion can say this. For us, Jesus Christ is God with flesh on. He understands us because He has experienced human life, with all its frailties and failings, even though He was without sin. Our struggle is His. We do not have a God who judges us without knowing us; we have a Savior who has shared our sorrows.

Finally, Christ’s coming drives us to our knees in adoration. The shepherds got it right. They knelt before the majesty and mystery of His coming. And so must we. If you make time for nothing else this Christmas, make time for worship. Join with fellow believers as we sing, “O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.”

Mighty God, yet Child in a manger, I worship You. Before the mystery of Your matchless love, what can I do except to bow down to acknowledge both my sin and Your salvation. At Your feet I humbly fall, there to crown You, Lord of all. Amen.