What If He Hadn't?

What If Jesus Hadn’t Come?  What if you hadn’t?

Can you even imagine what the world would be like if Jesus had never come? While it may be difficult, we can think of some specific ways the world would be different.

The greatest impact from a Christian worldview perspective would be the absence of redemption. We believe that Jesus was the long-promised Messiah who would take away the sins of all people. Without Jesus’ arrival and sacrifice on the cross, we would still feel the burden and weight of our sin. We sometimes experience that anyway, but we are able to remind ourselves that through Christ, we are forgiven and reconciled with God. We have hope even in the midst of our daily struggles as we remember that “the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23)."

Jesus' teachings provide a framework for moral conduct and ethical behavior. While we may think this is absent in our world today, this influence over the centuries still permeates our human relationships. We are aware of right and wrong, and we long for compassion, care, and love.

But what about us? What if we never existed? Would it make a difference? We only must turn to the classic Christmas movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” When George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) contemplates suicide, his guardian angel shows him a world where he had never existed. The world is significantly worse off, demonstrating the profound influence he has had in his community. When George sees this, he replies. “I want to live!” This is true for both you and I as well. We have profound influence on those around us. Jesus celebrates the value of each person and recognizes the inherent worth of every human life.

Finally, Jesus offers hope for the future, both in this life and the next. He tells us of a coming kingdom of God where suffering would cease and believers would find eternal peace and a joyful eternity with Him. Sometimes our daily life can seem difficult and often frustrating. Think of life as two if/then clauses:

• If Christ had never come ______
• Since Christ HAS come offering us love, redemption and relationship, we ______