As we approach the celebration of the birth of our Savior, let us not forget the reason for His birth. Christ taught, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38), “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).
Why was Christ born? To save us from ourselves.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “and no unclean thing can dwell with God” (1 Ne. 10:21).
Therefor, “it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.
“For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice. Now there is not any man that can sacrifice his own blood which will atone for the sins of another… therefore there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world.
“Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away. And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal.
“And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption” (Alma 34: 9-16).
Before His crucifixion, Christ said to Pilot, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth” (John 18:37) Pilot replied, “What is truth” (John 18:38)?
The truth is, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:16-17).
That is the reason for the season. For that gift, I look up and shout Hallelujah!
The Lord will change you, with time, if you allow Him.
New England in a lot of ways never really got over puritanism. I think the puritan roots of New England largely explains why this kind of left-philosophy has gained such a strong foothold. The morality is different, but the inclination is the same.
Note to media: guys who wear 2 foot tall hats, golden robes, and addressed as “Your Holiness” don’t generally worry about opinion polls.