Answers

Q:

My family came from a country that doesn't have many Christians, and I'd like to ask you a question. I understand Christians believe Jesus was divine, but isn't God supposed to be pure and holy? How could He have anything to do with a sinful world?


A:

Yes, Christians do believe that Jesus wasn’t only human but also divine — fully man and fully God. We’ll never fully understand this until we get to heaven — but at one point in human history God became a man, and that man was Jesus.

This is what we celebrate at Christmas. He was born in the humblest possible circumstances — in a stable outside a small town in an insignificant corner of the Roman Empire. But on that first Christmas night the King of the universe became a baby! As the Bible said centuries before, “‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ — which means, ‘God with us'” (Matthew 1:22-23).

Yes, we live in a sinful, impure world. But Jesus never let its moral and spiritual pollution touch Him; He was without sin — totally and absolutely. And by coming to earth He showed us that God hasn’t abandoned us, but He loves us in spite of our sin.

But Christ didn’t only show us what a sinless life is like. He did something that’s almost beyond comprehension: He allowed all our sins to be transferred to Him. Not only that, but He became the final and complete sacrifice for our sins by dying on the cross. Now God offers forgiveness and hope and new life to all who turn to Christ and trust Him for their salvation. May God help you understand this, and may you open your heart and life to Jesus Christ.