Scripture to Read: Matthew 1:18
God used Matthew, just as God used Luke in the Gospel of Luke, to show us that Christ was fully human and fully God. Jesus was completely human because He was born of a woman, and Jesus was, and of course, is, 100% God, because the seed planted in Mary was from the Holy Spirit. The only way Jesus could be the perfect sacrifice for our sin was that He had to be 100% human. Jesus had to be able to live a completely sinless life in order to pay the full price for the sin of all mankind. Jesus came for that purpose, to destroy the works of the devil (1 Corinthians 15:26, 54-57; 1 John 3:5, 8) and to completely abolish sin and death. God also uses Matthew to confirm that Mary was a virgin. God clearly lays out for us in verse 18 that Mary and Joseph had not been together. It’s a reference to the fact that they had never had sexual relations. We’ll see another reference later, but for now, we know that God is confirming for us that Mary was definitely a virgin. As we think about the miracle that took place, God choosing to come to earth as a baby, to live in an earthly dwelling in order to face every temptation as we do, yet never to sin so that He could pay the price for our sin is overwhelmingly astounding! The fact that God loves us that much is truly hard to comprehend.
Challenge & Application
What was the most significant thing your learned from the devotion today? What did God reveal to you about how much He loves you? Who can you share this truth with, who also needs to know how much God loves them?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!