Even Good People need a Savior

Joseph was a descendent of King David. He could trace his line in the genealogies even back further, all the way to Adam. He had the credentials that the Jews expected for anyone who would be associated with the Messiah

Joseph was a good, moral person (Matt 1:19)

Joseph was a good man who was not mean-spirited or vindictive. When he discovered Mary was pregnant, his plan was to quietly divorce her. He cared enough about her that he didn’t want to add to her embarrassment

Joseph was a model citizen ()

Joseph was a person who obeyed the commands of his government. When the Emperor established a census, Joseph made the arrangements to travel to Bethlehem with his pregnant wife. He didn’t try to file for a hardship waiver or refuse to go.

Joseph was a religious person ()

Joseph was a faithful Jew and he was observant of the Law. He ensured Jesus received circumcision on the 8th day as proscribed in the Law (). He also took his wife and child to Jerusalem for the ceremonial cleansing after childbirth which would have been around five weeks (). Even though he did not have much, he presented the appropriate sacrifice of the 2 turtledoves.

Joseph was a religious person

Joseph was a Responsible person

This quality of Joseph is inferred by the fact that God entrusted Joseph with the responsibility of being the Foster Father to the Messiah. That was a huge responsibility! Not a job that is assigned to a slackard!

We aren’t in line to be a Foster Parent to Jesus, but we are a lot like Joseph

We can have the proper family connections

There are many who think having good moral family connections is a good thing. Many are counting of having a grandfather who was a Baptist Pastor or a a father who served as a deacon to carry weight on the Day of Judgment. The problem is that God doesn’t have grandchildren, He only has children. Having a Christian heritage is a privilege that not all have, but it doesn’t automatically get you a free pass into heaven

We are good moral persons

This is a very common thought. The basic idea can be illustrated by a set of scales. As long as the good outweighs the bad, it will work out for good. And since most people don’t rape or kill others, but actually do some positive things like giving food to hungry folks and donating blood the scales will tip in their favor. This model suffers from a severe misunderstanding of the nature of sin.

We can be model citizens

As citizens of the USA we show our allegiance by following (most of) the laws of the land, at least the ones we think are necessary or not stupid. We are honest at tax time, we use our seat belts and never exceed the posted speed limits

We can be very religious

This is a factor that definitely weighs in our favor. We make sure we are members of a church even if we don’t attend often. We will make appearances on the Big 3 - Christmas, Easter, and Mother’s Day, and we may do God a favor by showing up on a couple of “extra” Sundays. And we give financially because it is expected, and hey, God may bless our generosity!

We can be Responsible

We aren’t going to be given the job of Foster Parent for the Messiah, but we are responsible people. We can be trusted with weighty issues such as parenting and pillars of the community. We have jobs and we provide as best we can.

All people, no matter their situation, status, or high moral character, need a Savior (; 4:25)

While the Scriptures do not present us with the conversion stories for Mary and Joseph

Most of us are familiar with the miraculous conversion account for the Apostle Paul. His Damascus Road encounter with Jesus is powerful and explicit. However, Scripture does not present everyone’s story, so we do not have such an account for Joseph (or Mary).

the Scriptures do not present us with the conversion stories for Mary and Joseph

A rule for interpreting the Bible is to allow the clear, explicit passages to shed light on those areas that are less clear. For instance, the Bible is very clear that every human who has ever lived, is living now, or will live in the future is marred with a sin nature which results in sin ()

The Bible is equally clear that the only plea for a guilty sinner is the provision made by Jesus in His substitutionary death on the Cross (). Jesus is the ONLY path to a relationship with the Father (), and the Name of Jesus is the ONLY Name that grants salvation ().

Therefore, at some point in time both Mary and Joseph were brought to a clear understanding of their individual need to repent & believe that Jesus was indeed their Savior. If Mary and Joseph needed to trust Jesus as the Messiah, as the Precious Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, then so do we. Not one of us is considered righteous based on family connections, moral standing, meritorious citizenship, or our church attendance. We all need a Savior!

If Mary and Joseph needed to trust Jesus as the Messiah, as the Precious Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, then so do we. Not one of us is considered righteous based on family connections, moral standing, meritorious citizenship, or our church attendance. We all stand in need of a Savior!

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