Bible Studies for Life: December 22
Looking Forward to Love • John 1:14-18; 3:14-18
By Sydney Charlton
One of the most exciting aspects of the holiday season is giving gifts to those who are important to us. Gift-giving requires special intentionality. We must know someone well to know what to search for. What do they love? What are their hobbies and interests? What is something they’d enjoy, but would never purchase for themselves?
There is a special delight in witnessing someone unwrap the perfect present! The recipient is aware of the thought behind the gift and likely knows what lengths it took to secure such an item. Love and deep appreciation abound!
In a much more grandiose way, this is what God has done for us! Knowing that mankind desperately needed a Savior, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to make redemption from sin possible. God’s deep love for humanity compelled Him to give the gift no one could create or save money over a lifetime to purchase. Jesus Christ became the sacrifice for our sins.
Love for friends and family members may cause us to save money to purchase gifts during the holidays, which means we must sacrifice buying things that we may want for ourselves. But the love of Christ caused Him to deem mankind worthy of laying down His life. This is a gift we cannot earn; it’s one completely undeserved and given out of His grace toward us. We know the love of God because of Jesus’ sacrifice, and that is the best gift we can receive this holiday season!
John 1:14-15
Christ came as the Word made flesh. The Word has always been because the Word is God (John 1:1, ESV). This is difficult for our feeble minds to comprehend fully, but knowing that the Word of God has always existed because God is not a mere created being like us reminds us that the Word has power and authority.
Christ’s coming in the humble way He did, and living a sinless life among mankind reveals God’s glory. God’s beauty, perfection, and greatness is displayed through Jesus’ presence on earth.
Christ, altogether holy and blameless, came as Emmanuel to dwell with us so He could fully identify with humanity (Matthew 1;23, NIV). Christ lived among sinfulness but never sinned. He dined with crooks but never committed a crime. He was blasphemed and bullied yet He never spoke a cross word.
God’s glory is revealed in the person of Christ because He came for those unworthy and unlovable so that we may know God’s perfect love completely.
John 1:16-18
The grace of God is extended to mankind through Jesus. God’s unwavering love toward humanity caused Him to send Christ on our behalf. Jesus Christ died a death due to us, but God’s grace toward us made way for us to never know such devastation. He could have left us in our sin, desperate for a Savior, but God chose to extend grace to us through the person of Jesus. What a gift! What a Savior!
John 3:14-18
John 3:16 is one of the most well-known Bible verses, and for good reason. The full measure of God’s love for humanity cannot be understood. When we read John 3:16 we become captivated by this truth: God loved mankind so much that He made a way for people to have eternal life by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sins of everyone who would believe in Him. Through Him, we can experience salvation from sins rather than condemnation for sins (v17).
What would compel God to give such an extravagant gift? Love. Only the perfect love of God would cause Him to send Jesus to die on a criminal’s cross for the sins of man.
You may not receive many tangible gifts this holiday season, but the best gift anyone can receive can be yours! God gave us the greatest gift when he sent His Son Jesus to the world. He came for us, and when He did, love and grace were made known to mankind perfectly. Forgiveness of sins made possible through Jesus Christ, God’s greatest gift to us, is available for you today!
Charlton is the OneHope Missions Assistant at Crossgates Baptist Church, Brandon.