NOW, dear children, shall we have another little talk about God’s ways with Adam and Eve? When they had sinned, God told them of the dreadful punishment that must come upon them; and this punishment has been felt ever since, for death has come upon old and young; but while they must suffer because of their sin, God showed them the love that. was in His heart, by giving them a wonderful promise—a promise that brought in life in the midst of death.
He told the serpent that his head should one day be bruised by one of the woman’s children. This showed that God meant to give children to Eve, and it showed also that Satan would one day be defeated.
Thousands of years passed away, and many were born into the world and died and passed out of it, before the One who was to gain this victory, came.
One night, while some shepherds in the plains of Bethlehem were watching their flocks, an angel from heaven appeared to them, and a glory shone about them. This made the shepherds very much afraid, but the angel quieted their fears, telling them he brought them very happy news, for that day a little babe was born who was the Saviour—Christ the Lord.
While the angel was talking with the shepherds, suddenly a great many more angels appeared and they all praised God and spoke of glory and peace in connection with the birth of that wonderful child; and then they went back to heaven.
When the shepherds were left alone, they began to talk to each other about what they had seen and heard, and they said, Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that the Lord hath made known to us. So they went quickly and found the babe where the angel had told them He would be—that was, in a manger, a place where cattle are fed. When they looked at the little child and remembered that the angel had said that this was the Saviour, their hearts were filled with joy, and they praised God.
As they went forth they told these things to the people they met and soon the glad news spread. Then the shepherds went back to the fields to look after their flocks.
Now, this child Jesus, whose birth the angels celebrated, was the One who had been promised so long before, to Eve. He was the One whom God gave, and it is through Him that God gives life to all that believe. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
It was through man that death came into the world, but it is through Jesus, the Son of God, that life is given. And the life that He gives, is everlasting life —a life that will never end.
How is it, do you think, dear children, that God, who is holy and who must push sin, can receive poor sinners, and give them this wonderful life?
Listen, and I will tell you, for God’s word gives us the blessed answer.
If you believe in Jesus, all your sins have already met their punishment.
Jesus bore the dreadful load of your sins and mine when He hung upon the cross; there He took every stroke that was due to you and to me, for our wrong doings. Yes, He suffered more than we can ever know; and through His precious blood He has washed all our sins away from before God. Was not this great love! Jesus died; we live!
Through His death, we who believe in Him, get a life that will never end. Our bodies may die, for we are children of Adam; but our souls cannot die; and after a little, when Jesus comes, He will give us bodies that will never die; and in these new bodies there will be strength and power and beauty, such as they do not now have; they will be like the body that Jesus has in glory.
God has very great and wonderful blessing in store for those who love Him. Our sorrow and suffering, which are the fruit of sin, come through Adam, the first man; our eternal joys and blessedness come through Christ, God’s well beloved Son.
Is it not sweet to think that God gave the promise of this wonderful One, away back in the garden of Eden!
And now we can look back as far as the cross and say, Jesus has suffered for my sins, and I will be happy with Him forever, in the bright glory. R.
ML 10/22/1899