Humanity was made for harmony with God, one another, and creation, but sin entered and brought death, estrangement, and a world riddled with hostility. Through the ages God preserved a people and set in place the sacrificial system to show both the costliness of sin and our need for a deeper rescue. That rescue arrived in Jesus. He did not merely teach; He reconciled. He unlocked access to God that we could not open ourselves, and He moved us toward peace with one another.

At the center of the good news: the great exchange. Our sin was imputed to Jesus; He bore the just judgment of God. His righteousness was imputed to us; we are made right, not just better. Because of this, the soul finally feels its worth, hostility loses its grip, and a new creation life begins even now.

Looking at Joy to the World, which is surprisingly not about Christmas morning but about Jesus’ return. Rooted in Psalm 98, it celebrates the day when the consequences of His birth, life, death, and resurrection are fully realized—when creation itself sings because sin and death are judged and undone. Scripture tells us the scope of His rescue: Jesus removes the penalty of sin, breaks the power of sin, and will one day remove the very presence of sin. Revelation 21 gives us a foretaste: no more tears, mourning, pain, or death—only life, light, and freedom with God among His people.