The Greatest Gift God Could Ever Give

By Robb Brunansky

Published December 9, 2025

Christmas is a wonderful time for us as believers to worship our Lord and remember the true reason for Christ coming into this sinful world some two thousand years ago. Matthew’s Gospel clearly lays out the reason for the season, writing, “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Here in this verse, the angel Gabriel is speaking of Mary giving birth to a baby boy. His name will be Jesus, which means “the Lord saves.” This baby will be named Jesus because of the saving work He will do later in His life on earth.

There are two wonderful truths about this salvation.

First, Jesus will save people from their sins. The word Gospel means good news, but the good news implies that we are in a dire situation – some bad news. This bad news is our sin. We’ve all sinned by disobeying the Law of God, by loving something else more than God, living for ourselves, and doing evil things to our neighbors, co-workers, friends – and even to our own family members. There are no exceptions – all humanity has fallen short of the Lord’s perfect standard. And it’s not just that we are sinners, but that our lives are full of sin. In fact, sin defines who we are apart from Christ. We are people with a sinful nature apart from Christ. Sin dominates us. Scripture says that people who commit sin apart from trusting in Christ are the slaves of sin. These facts are just the reality for people who are born sinners. We are born imprisoned in sin and unable to save ourselves by anything we might do to get us out of this mess.

However, the good news, the gospel, is that Jesus has come to save people from their sins. That truth means He has come to grant forgiveness. To forgive someone means to release them from the guilt they own for their wrongdoing and not to charge their sins against them. Jesus came into this earth to forgive people their sins. One way He saves from sin is by forgiving sin. Christ also saves from sin by granting righteousness. He makes people right in the sight of God. This righteousness is not merely that the Lord no longer sees a person’s sin, but that He sees a person as having done everything He has commanded us to do. God doesn’t just wipe the slate clean, so to speak, but He writes obedience on the slate after wiping away our sins. This divine result is why Jesus had to come as a baby, live an obedient life, die on a cross, and be raised from the dead to save people from their sins. Christ’s obedience and shed blood are the grounds and merit upon which a person might stand before the Lord and be saved. Without Jesus’ blood and righteousness, and only His blood and righteousness, no one would ever have any hope before the great Judge of the world, the God of the universe.

Notice, too, that Jesus came to save certain people. The angel describes them as “His people.” What these words imply is that not everyone ends up being saved. Some people are saved, and certain people are condemned. There are many people who are raised to life, while other people are raised to condemnation. Jesus doesn’t save everyone. Salvation is not universal. It is reserved only for His people.
Some may ask, “Well, who are His people?” The Bible makes it clear from start to finish that the people of God are those who believe in Him, repent of their sins and trust in Him, and turn away from disobedience to trust in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, to save them. Believers in Jesus are His people. The apostle Paul highlighted this truth when he wrote, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26). We know we are part of His people when we have faith in Jesus the Messiah. Salvation, then, comes to those who repent and believe. It doesn’t come to everyone. If we believe in hell, and we understand some people will spend eternity there, then we know that salvation is not universal. God’s command to sinners to turn from their sin, believe in the gospel, and have life through Jesus’ name, is universal. Not everyone repents and believes, though. Not everyone has life through Christ. Only those who believe in Him have eternal life and are saved from their sins.

The good news of the gospel is that God would have those who call upon His name repent of their sins and believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. These people know full well that God has forgiven them of their sins and declared them righteous through Jesus’ blood and righteousness. This Christmas, all believers should reflect on and celebrate their reception of the greatest gift God could ever give to anyone: His one and only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas!