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The name and mission of Jesus

By Austen C. Ukachi
17 December 2017   |   4:15 am
This Christmas season is an appropriate time to meditate on Who our Lord Jesus Christ is, and what His mission is to the earth.

Austen C. Ukachi

This Christmas season is an appropriate time to meditate on Who our Lord Jesus Christ is, and what His mission is to the earth.

In Matthew’s account of the angelic visit to Joseph in a dream, he stated what the name and mission of the new baby child, who was to be born, would be. In Mt.1: 21, we read, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Jesus came to deal with the sin question. Before the birth of Jesus, mankind battled with the sin issue; sin threw the whole of Creation into a state of chaos. The name Jesus, meaning saviour identifies Him with His mission on the earth. He came to save man from the burden of sin, and to reconcile man back to God. Jesus’ death on the cross was not only for the Jews, but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2; John 3:16).

We Inherited A Sinful Nature
We all inherited sin from birth (Rom 5:19; Psalm 51:5). That is to say, we have a sinful nature. Consequently, Romans 3:23 passes a damning verdict on all of us that, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Sin ruins a man; it paralyses man’s destiny because it puts our relationship with God in jeopardy. The Bible says the consequence of sin is death. With the sin question hanging over man, he needed a saviour, one who is not a sinner like himself, but one who is sinless and perfect. Only Jesus perfectly meets this requirement. The Bible states that Jesus was without sin (Heb.4: 15; 7:26).

The Consequences Of Sin
Some claim that once you are born-again you no longer sin, that the sin nature is done away with, that only your flesh sins, the spirit man does not sin. These sets of people deny that they are sinners. Another false teaching peddled around today claim that we don’t need to confess our sins. Since Jesus has already forgiven us all our sins, we don’t need any confession.

Unless we admit we are sinners, and still commit sin, we may not appreciate the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us. We must admit that we are sinners; we sin by omission and commission. (See 1 John 1:7-10).

God’s Substitutionary Sacrifice
The Apostle John describes Jesus as, “The lamb that takes away the sins of the whole world.” (Read Isa.53: 4-6). Jesus became the sacrificial lamb that took away our sins. Instead of our dying, He died for us. He took our place, while we inherited His righteousness (1 Tim.2: 5, 6).
Today, because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we have been redeemed. Psalm 32:1-2, says, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity. And in whose spirit there is no deceit.”
What Happens Now?

If Jesus has dealt with our past sins, what happens when we sin again? The Bible teaches us that we have an advocate in Jesus. 1 John 2:1-2, reads, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.”

Christmas is all about Christ, Who took our place on the cross and imputed to us His righteousness. Contact: pastoracukachi@gmail.com

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