Reflection 1 Essay

Introduction
The two topics that I decided on were Redemption and the Virgin Birth. They have really been a foundation of my Christian walk. It really is the story of the beginning and the end of the life of Christ. He was born of a virgin and was without sin and then He had to be crucified in order for us to be redeemed by His blood. What a beautiful picture of God’s love for all of us.

Redemption
“The process by which sinful humans are ‘brought back’ from the bondage of sin into relationship with God through grace by the ‘payment’ of Jesus’ death. Redemption is one of the pictures or a metaphor that the New Testament uses to give insight into God’s gracious saving work in Jesus.” Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms, 100-101
Biblical Foundation
"By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers."
1 John 3:16 ESV
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Galatians 2:20 ESV

Practical application
As a Christian, we all know that we have been separated from our Heavenly Father because of our sinful nature. The Bible says that we had broken our fellowship with Christ and that the wages of sin is death. We will never be able to buy our way into Heaven by the good things that we do. But what is so beautiful, is that God provided us a way to be able to spend all eternity with him without having to do anything. This is where the Bible talks about a Lamb that was to be slain on our behalf. All of our sins were placed on the shoulders of our Savior and He took all of them for us.
Abraham said that “God will provide Himself the Lamb” and he was letting the people know that there was going to someone coming that was going to take all of their sins away and not have to be bound by the Law of Moses. John the Baptist also said that “behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”
When we ask the Lord into our hearts and fully trust in Him, He is taking away all the past hurts, habits and hang ups that we have had and are writing our name in the Book of Life. Christ has paid the debt in full for our sins. And in reverence to the things that He has done, we get baptized and use it as a symbol of the burial and the resurrection…a new birth.
And now because we are without sin, we now are able to dine with Christ at His table. All of our sins have been forgotten about and Christ said that “as far as the east is from the west your sin has been forgotten.”
Christ’s Crucifixion, burial, and the raising of His body was necessary for us to be saved and I feel very thankful for all the things He has done for me past, present, and future.

Part Two

Virgin Birth
” The doctrine that holds that the Holy Spirit without the participation of a human father conceived Jesus in the womb of Mary”
Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms, 120

Biblical Foundation
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
John 1:14 (KJV)
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."
Matthew 1:18 (KJV)

Practical Application
The birth of Jesus was necessary so that it could fulfill prophesies that were told. It was foretold that the Messiah need to be a descendant of David. It was also told in Isaiah that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. If this paper could be longer I would be able to make a large list of all of the prophecies that could be found in the Old Testament but we don’t have the time. To me the most important promise was made in the book of Genesis. It says that after creation was made and Adam and Eve sinned, God made a

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