The modern view of the death of Jesus is that He died for our sins out of sympathy . The New Testament view is that He bore our sin not by sympathy , but by identification . He was made to be sin. Our sins are removed because of the death of Jesus, and the explanation of His death is His obedience to His Father , not His sympathy with us.

We are acceptable with God not because we have obeyed, or because we have promised to give up things, but because of the death of Christ, and in no other way . We say that Jesus Christ came to reveal the Fatherhood of God, the loving-kindness of God; the New Testament says He came to bear away the sin of the world.

The revelation of His Father is to those to whom He has been introduced as Saviour . Jesus Christ never spoke of Himself to the world as one Who revealed the Father , but as a stumbling block (see John 15:22- 24). John 14:9 was spoken to His disciples.

That Christ died for me, therefore I go scot free, is never taught in the New Testament. What is taught in the New Testament is that "He died for all" (not - He died my death), and that by identification with His death I can be freed from sin, and have imparted to me His very righteousness.

The substitution taught in the New Testament is twofold: "He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

It is not Christ for me unless I am determined to have Christ formed in me.

There’s a song in the air! There’s a star in the sky! There’s a mother’s deep prayer, And a baby’s low cry! And the star rains its fire While the beautiful sing, For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King.

A number of years ago a remarkable Christmas card was published by the title “If Christ Had Not Come.” It was based on our Savior’s own words, “If I had not come,” in John 15:22. The card pictured a minister falling asleep in his study on Christmas morning and then dreaming of a world into which Jesus had never come.

In his dream, he saw himself walking through his house, but as he looked, he saw no stockings hung on the chimney, no Christmas tree, no wreaths of holly, and no Christ to comfort and gladden hearts or to save us.

He then walked onto the street outside, but there was no church with its spire pointing toward heaven. And when he came back and sat down in his library, he realized that every book about our Savior had disappeared.

The minister dreamed that the doorbell rang and that a messenger asked him to visit a friend’s poor dying mother. He reached her home, and as his friend sat and wept, he said, “I have something here that will comfort you.”

He opened his Bible to look for a familiar promise, but it ended with Malachi. There was no gospel and no promise of hope and salvation, and all he could do was bow his head and weep with his friend and his mother in bitter despair.

Two days later he stood beside her coffin and conducted her funeral service, but there was no message of comfort, no words of a glorious resurrection, and no thought of a mansion awaiting her in heaven. There was only “dust to dust, and ashes to ashes,” and one long, eternal farewell.

Finally he realized that Christ had not come, and burst into tears, weeping bitterly in his sorrowful dream.

Then suddenly he awoke with a start, and a great shout of joy and praise burst from his lips as he heard his choir singing these words in his church nearby:

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem! Come and behold Him, born the King of angels, O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!

Let us be glad and rejoice today, because He has come. And let us remember the proclamation of the angel: “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10–11).

He comes to make His blessing flow, Far as the curse does go.

May our hearts go out to the unconverted people of foreign lands who have no blessed Christmas day. “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and SEND SOME TO THOSE WHO HAVE NOTHING PREPARED. This day is holy to our Lord” (Nehemiah 8:10).

For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.

That servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.—He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.—Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.