What would have happened if Jesus never came?
What if there had been no announcement of “Joy to the world,” no “Angels from the realms of glory,” and no occasion for a “Silent night”?
Here are ten ways life would be different if Christ never came:
- No potential for a truly abundant life. We’d have to settle for mere existence. In John 10:10, Jesus declared, “I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.” But without Jesus, there’s no such thing.
- No access to God in prayer. In John 14:13, Jesus declared, “And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” We would never have this promise—because we couldn’t ask in Jesus’ name—if He hadn’t come.
- No hope for supernatural peace. We’d have only the flimsy veneer offered by our shallow culture. But in John 14:27, Jesus assured us, “Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you.”
- No possibility of forgiveness. Ephesians 1:7 points out, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace.” Unless Christ had come, we could kiss all that goodbye.
- No chance to become righteous. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says of Jesus, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
- No one to rescue us from what Paul called, “the body of this death” (Romans 7:24). Jesus said of Himself, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Apart from Christ, we would still be lost. All of us.
- No reason for hope. 1 Peter 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” But if Jesus never came, there’d be no hope for hope.
- No spiritual armor. We couldn’t put on the belt of truth or the helmet of salvation—Nor would we have the breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6:17). In fact, if Jesus had not come, we would have no armor of any kind.
- No “Great Commission.” In fact, we’d be OUT of commission. We would have no calling, no gospel, no possibility to make disciples—because we ourselves wouldn’t be disciples!
- No possibility of reaching heaven. We simply would not have a way to get there. The Jesus who did come said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me” (John 14:6). Without Jesus, though, there’s literally no way.
Without Jesus, nothing would resemble anything of the faith that is everything.
Thank you, Lord, that Jesus did come, that we can sing joy to the world, that sin and sorrow no longer reign—all because Christ came “to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.”
That’s what I call a Merry Christmas!
