By Nicholas Bass
The director of the Gambia Pastoral Institute has enlightened people that Christmas is the central part of the Christians’ faith that depicts the birth of the incarnation of God who became man and was given the name Jesus.
In an interview with this reporter, Reverend Father Peter Lopez talking about Christmas explained that Christmas is the feast that signifies the birth of God who became flesh in the likeness of a mortal man who came into this World to redeem man from the penalty of sin and death, for sin separated man from God that resulted in the sinful nature that now governs the deprave men who are worthless and helpless without God.
He narrated that Jesus Christ was born in the tiny village of Nazareth in Bethlehem and “God decided to take our human nature to save men from their sins. But this does not change God’s divine nature, for He is truly God in human nature. It is difficult for the human mind to understand this mystery.”
He went on that God’s incarnation into human nature was purposefully to save men who have fallen away from fellowship, redeeming man back to God’s wonderful glory.
“In the first chapter of John verses 1-5 state that, in the beginning, was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made. In Him was life and life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
However, he continued, in verse 14 of the same chapter, the Holy Scriptures reveal that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of Grace.
“This particular verse gives us the reality of God’s spoken Word to a virgin named Mary (Mariyam) who conceived through the power of God the Almighty, the seed of the Messiah(Jesus Christ ) who came to save man from sin by making salvation available for all but receive by faith in Jesus Christ.
“God is a wonderful God who took human nature to save the man who has fallen short of the glory of God. For sin originated from our forefather, Adam who sinned against God in the garden of Eden and God sent him out of the garden of Eden but before God sent Adam out of the garden of Eden He pronounced a judgment against Adam, Eve, and the snake (devil). But God gave a promise of the seed of the woman who shall bruise the head of the snake (devil) which signified the birth of a perfect Messiah (Jesus Christ ) who will deliver man from the power of sin and death and He shall overcome the devil’s power and authority in Genesis 3”, he noted.
Reverend Bishop Alieu Bayo who doubled as the pioneer of Banjul Bible Center and president of Gambian Pastors’ Alliance also underscored the prophetic history of the incarnation of the Word of God which was prophesied by Isaiah in the 9 chapter verse 6 states that unto us a Child is born, Unto us, a Son is given.
“This fulfills the promise of the Deliverer who was promised to crush the head of the Snake (Devil) and he will redeem man from the power of sin and death. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. This was a historical reality of the fall of Adam in the garden of Eden that resulted in the sinful nature of everyone that needs a perfect Savior to afford the cost for the payment of sin that will deliver them from eternal Hell Fire,” he explained.
He further stated that when Adam sinned against God in the garden of Eden, he did not accept his mistake but he said to God ‘it is the woman you gave me who influenced me to sin against you and the woman also blamed the snake (devil) that inspired her to sin against God.
“This is a sinful nature that is in every man that came from our forefather, Adam. To remedy this sinful pattern, God came into human history in the person of Jesus Christ to die for the forgiveness of sins. No one can work to please God to attain God’s eternal favor, for there is no amount of good deeds that will qualify anyone to be in God’s presence. However, Jesus came into this World to die for the sins of man and make salvation available for all and those who believe in His death, burial, and resurrection He gave them the right to be called children of God born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man but of God,” he pointed out.
He went on to say that for the Gambia to experience peace and development, there is a need to have the love of God that transients beyond human imagination which is only possible when we place “our faith in Jesus God to manifest God’s love to everyone irrespective of tribe, cultural background, ethnicity, age, and status.”
So, “let us celebrate this feast of Christmas with a mind of reflection on how God loves humanity and gave His only Son as a Lamb sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, ” Bishop Alieu Bayo advised.
