On December 12th, Julianna Pena – a +850 underdog – managed to defeat Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight championship. Amanda was the No.1 fighter in ESPN’s women’s pound-for-pound ranking and a winner of 12 straight fights. She was considered one of the greatest MMA women fighters of all time. Many UFC analysts suggest this upset defeat by Pena was one of the greatest upsets in MMA history. Some argue that Pena will not be forgotten after this past weekend’s fight.
As Christians, we know this MMA historic event will soon be forgotten. Although the excitement of the fight is still fresh in the minds of many, one story of one person continues to stand the test of time.
Today I want to talk about why Jesus’ arrival to earth is still remembered after all this time. He did not win a fight or an MMA belt, but He did redeem humanity.
Sinless Yet Human
Jesus Christ came in the flesh and is fully God. He arrived in human form to live a fully human life. He cannot take our place receiving the full punishment of sin without living and experiencing all that a human can encounter in a lifespan.
Jesus was born into a body that was not sinful. He cannot sin, but he obeyed the limitedness of his physical body. He did not use the power that he could have as God while on earth. Jesus’ body “contained” his power, in other words.
Contrary to popular belief, Jesus did not come into a sinful body; let me explain. He could not have been put into a fallen body because that would assume that Jesus Christ is sinful. 2 Cor. 5:21, Paul tells us that,
“God made him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (ESV)
1 Peter 2:22 tells us that Jesus,
“who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth…” (ESV)
The author of Hebrews, verse 4:15, states that we do
“not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (ESV).
Jesus Suffered For Our Sins
Jesus chose to take on the full weight of all sin of the world to save humanity from God’s punishment. The scholar, Wellum tells us that while Jesus did not possess the moral corruption brought on by the fall, He did suffer from the fall’s amoral effects. These effects are grief, weariness, prolonged hunger, opposition by enemies and even neighbors and family members…and the physical agonies of dying. Putting it differently, it is like a person having flu-like symptoms but not having the flu. Jesus felt the effects of the sin but is not sinful himself.
To close, Jesus Christ took on our human nature without human sin. Praise God! Our precious Savior is the only one who could take our place on the cross.
Jesus Christ came to this world to save you and me from the punishment of sin. Put your faith in Jesus Christ and He is faithful and able to redeem you from the hands of evil and darkness.
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. – Acts 4:12 (ESV)
