For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,... (John 3:16) Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:36) ...that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
God's Christmas Gift to us will only mean something to us if we first believe in and have faith in Him, as the One True Living God; But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) Once we are sure that we believe there is a God and believe in the One True Living God, then we have to accept that the Bible is The Word of God; And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (II Peter 1:19-21)
How was the Word of God confirmed? For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. (II Peter 1:16-18) We believe the Word of God because it was confirmed by eye witnesses, and they themselves heard God confirm it by saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
LOVE: God's gift of love to us was more than just feelings, it was actions. For He so loved us that He gave us His only begotten Son, his beloved Son. But why did God deem it necessary to give us anything? When God created everything, including mankind, ...God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. (Genesis 1:31) But He also created us with freewill, and when Adam and Eve chose to believe the lies of the devil, they fell into transgression (I Timothy 2:14), which is sin.
We can not continue in sin and hope to have a relationship with God, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I [the Lord your God] am holy.” (I Peter 1:15-16) God so loved mankind that He wouldn't allow us to stay in our sinful condition without any hope of overcoming it, For the wages of sin is death,... (Romans 6:23); Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...” (Genesis 3:22)
Adam and Eve "ate" from "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil", in other words they believed the lies of the devil. God refused to allow them to then "eat" from "the tree of life", because afterwards mankind would remain in a state of being separated from God and live forever in that condition. God even promised the one who caused Adam and Eve to sin, the devil, "...I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
Who was this Seed God promised to send? Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. (Galatians 3:16) And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam [Christ] became a life-giving spirit. (I Corinthians 15:45) "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:17) Jesus answered and said to him, ... "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." (John 14:23, 15:11-13)
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God IS LOVE. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. We love Him because He first loved us. (I John 4:7-11, 19)
But God didn't stop with just loving us! He also gave us light, liberty and life...
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