In order for God to save or rescue mankind from sin or debt [the wages of sin is death, a debt that must be paid, according to the Law given by the Lawgiver (God) to Moses], God Himself, out of His Mercy, by His Grace, had to come down in human form, to redeem the debt.
Christ comes from Christos, a Greek word that means “the anointed one,” or “the chosen one.” The Hebrew word meaning the same thing is Mashiach, or as we know it— Messiah. So, Christ is really more a title than it is a name, although the Bible uses it both ways.
Isaiah 7:14; Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel [God with us].
Job 19:25; I know that my redeemer [vindicator] lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth [on my grave]. A redeemer is a person who redeems, meaning someone who repays, recovers, saves, or exchanges something for something else.
Zephaniah 3:17; The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
The Bible can be summed up as a love story, the story of God’s love for man, His creation, His handiwork. And in order for a person to be saved, the person should reciprocate the love, that is love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Furthermore, the person should love your neighbour like themselves, including their enemies. Loving somebody is not just what you say, but most importantly, it is what you do, it is a way of life, how you live.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
