By Russell S. Miller
“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich” (IICor.8:9).
When the “wise men” came to Bethlehem with “gold” and “frankincense” and “myrrh” to honor the newborn King, the Lord Jesus was hushed away to Egypt. Herod sought to murder the “young Child” (Matt.2:1-10)! He was “despised and rejected of men” in the land of Israel, and amongst His own people, “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not” (Isa.53:3).
“He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:10-12).
The Lord Jesus, Possessor of Heaven and earth—the One who created the gold and the silver and the precious stones, and all the wealth of all the earth that men greedily covet after, became a man, and suffered and bled and died, as a common criminal—such poverty!—for the sins of all mankind. Jesus Christ was betrayed into the hands of wicked men for “thirty pieces of silver.” The very One who dwelt in indescribable GLORY subjected Himself to the plight of common humanity, and worse:
“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
“But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
“And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil.2:6-8).
In his first epistle to Timothy, Paul declares “THAT CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS” (ITim.1:15). God wants to give you greater riches than silver and gold, greater riches than all the treasures in this world, greater riches than money can buy; God wants to give you eternal life, and the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in knowing Jesus Christ as your Saviour.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom.6:23).
What a predicament, “guilty before God” (Rom.3:19), and bankrupt—we had nothing with which to pay the debt of our sins against God!
“But God, who is RICH in mercy,” sent His Son to pay our debt of sin, “that ye through His poverty might be rich” (Eph.2:4; IICor.8:9).
“For He hath made Him to be sin for us, [Christ] who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (IICor.5:21).
“But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (ICor.1:30).
This is the gospel by which ye are saved, “how that CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (ICor.15:3,4).
If you will simply believe this wonderful good news, and trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour, God will save you from your sins and He will give you the “riches” of His grace. And a Blessed Christmas will be yours indeed. Won’t you do it today?
“BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED, and thy house” (Acts 16:31).
