Christ Our SubstituteSample

Christ’s Life Becomes Humanity’s Hope

On our behalf, God accomplishes what we could not achieve. We did not come to God; God came to us. We did not love Him; He loved us. We did not bring our lives to God; He brought His life to us. God’s love initiated our redemption; out of our need, we respond to His rescue. We must never forget that God is the initiator of redemption. People only need to respond to His offer.

The third scene of God’s Big Picture is a montage of several components that, together, form the beautiful portrait of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. The gospel—God’s Big Picture—is more than a word. It is the central concept of God’s eternal plan made visible in Christ. He, whose coming was prophesied throughout the Old Testament, was born at the precise time that God had promised through His prophets (Isaiah 7:14, Luke 1:31–33, Galatians 4:4–5). He came as a baby, born of the virgin Mary. The wonder of His birth brought joy to those who recognized Him as the Messiah.

When the eternal Master Artist could have simply destroyed the canvas and started over, He lifted His palette and brush and lovingly began restoring beauty to the human scene. He mixed the only color that could obliterate the harshness of death-gray—the red of His own blood.

The incarnation of God in Christ was a fusion of Deity with humanity. This perfect union—though difficult to comprehend—was necessary to accomplish the redemption of humankind. It was essential for Christ to be fully human so that He could bear the full punishment of our sin as our Substitute (Hebrews 2:14). It was equally essential for Christ to be fully God, for only God has the power to forgive sin, and declare people “not guilty.”

In His earthly walk, Jesus demonstrated how men and women are to live while on this earth. He succeeded where Adam and Eve had failed (1 Peter 2:21–22, Hebrews 4:15). He lived a perfect life, resistant to sin, consistent in His fellowship with the Father, and persistent in His mission to fulfill God’s plan.

Jesus was the supreme example of God’s original dream. He took on flesh and became human, thus affirming our flesh-wrapped humanity. Christ’s earthly life embodied God’s dream for humans to live free from the bondage of sin and to experience continual fellowship with Him.

God, Your plan of rescue is amazing to me. Thank You for helping me to see You in the face of Jesus Christ.