The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Matthew 1:20-21,
"Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
These are the words of an angel that spoke to Joseph, the man Jesus' mother, Mary, was betrothed to. These two short sentences pack a lot within them.
When Joseph found his fiance to be pregnant (and not by him!) he had in mind to terminate their engagement "quietly" - not wanting to expose her to public disgrace and humiliation. God had other plans.
Mary was pregnant, not by a man, but by the Holy Spirit! This would make her the only virgin to ever give birth. Here is the most startling of miracles that authenticates the true origin of Jesus Christ. He was and is God's Son. His one and only Son (see John 3:16).
As a member of the Trinity, God the Son came into the world differently than anyone else. All people inherit a sinful nature as the descendants of fallen mankind, but Jesus Christ is different in that he did not have a human father. God was his father, therefore he was born sinless. This would qualify him to pay the ransom for the sins of all others, as he had no sins himself that needed to be paid for. This is why Jesus came in the first place, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:10.
It is in this way that Jesus would be able to save his people from their sins, the last point the angel made to Joseph. He was a sinless sacrifice that God the Father brought into this world to redeem a people for himself. God delivered an amazing solution that allowed himself to create a people, a family, a kingdom, for himself out of his love for mankind, without compromising his sense of justice. These are the chief qualities that God reveals of himself to us: his love and his justice, and he acts within the context of both of these qualities without compromising either.
"Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
These are the words of an angel that spoke to Joseph, the man Jesus' mother, Mary, was betrothed to. These two short sentences pack a lot within them.
When Joseph found his fiance to be pregnant (and not by him!) he had in mind to terminate their engagement "quietly" - not wanting to expose her to public disgrace and humiliation. God had other plans.
Mary was pregnant, not by a man, but by the Holy Spirit! This would make her the only virgin to ever give birth. Here is the most startling of miracles that authenticates the true origin of Jesus Christ. He was and is God's Son. His one and only Son (see John 3:16).
As a member of the Trinity, God the Son came into the world differently than anyone else. All people inherit a sinful nature as the descendants of fallen mankind, but Jesus Christ is different in that he did not have a human father. God was his father, therefore he was born sinless. This would qualify him to pay the ransom for the sins of all others, as he had no sins himself that needed to be paid for. This is why Jesus came in the first place, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:10.
It is in this way that Jesus would be able to save his people from their sins, the last point the angel made to Joseph. He was a sinless sacrifice that God the Father brought into this world to redeem a people for himself. God delivered an amazing solution that allowed himself to create a people, a family, a kingdom, for himself out of his love for mankind, without compromising his sense of justice. These are the chief qualities that God reveals of himself to us: his love and his justice, and he acts within the context of both of these qualities without compromising either.
For me, this is all just stunning!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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