God Became Man
The Biblical Christmas story is so much more than just a story of the birth of a baby in a manger. In order to understand the full significance of the birth of Jesus, we need to return to the Garden of Eden to learn of the birth of sin. (Genesis 3) When Adam and Eve listened to the voice of the serpent (satan) and disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit, sin was conceived and brought about a breaking of the special relationship they had with God in the Garden. God's intended rule for man was forfeited to satan. It led to the struggle mankind still faces today between choosing good (righteousness) or evil (sin).
Adam and Eve's sin did not just affect them, it affected all of mankind. Romans 3:23 tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Then, we read in Romans 6:23a that "the wages of sin is death" (eternal separation from God).
What was man going to do? What could man do to enter into that special relationship again? It became very apparent that man could do nothing to be able to bring about the desired reconciliation between himself and God. God gave laws that had to be strictly followed. However, His Word declared that in the breaking of one law, man was guilty of breaking them all...futility for mankind with his sin nature. Animal sacrifices were made annually (Exodus 30:10) for an atonement. The animal to be sacrificed was to be spotless and without blemish. However, that ended badly as God's laws were still not followed. The only acceptable sacrifice would be that of someone who was tempted in all ways and yet without sin (spotless and without blemish). Man could not follow the law successfully, could never be good enough, and could not do a single thing to deserve to be reconciled to God.
That brings us back to the Biblical Christmas story - it is truly an amazing story! God knew there was no hope of mankind being able to bring about a successful reconciliation and yet, because of His great love for His creation, He devised a plan of redemption, where the penalty would be paid in full, once for all!
The Christmas story is the actual account of God becoming a man so that He could save us from our sin. Matthew 1:21 (New King James Version), "And she (Mary) will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS (the Son of God, the Savior of mankind, God incarnate. Jesus = Jehovah is salvation), for He will save His people from their sins."
So, who is Jesus? Jesus is God. The Scripture reveals to us that He was in the beginning and will reign for all eternity with God.
John 1:1-3, 14 (New American Standard Bible 2020), "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. ... 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
John 8:58 (NASB20), "Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."
Through Jesus, we have seen God. John 14:7-10a (NASB20), "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." 8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me?"
Then we see that Colossians 2:9 (New International Version) reads. "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form."
Revelation 11:15b (NASB20) reveals, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." Hallelujah!
This knowledge makes the birth of Jesus Christ even more astonishing, because we realize that God came down from His glory, so that we could be reconciled with Him!
The Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, prophesied that a virgin would bear a Son and call His name "Immanuel," which literally means, 'God with us.’ (Isaiah 7:14). Then, when Joseph, Jesus' earthly father was visited by an angel in a dream, he was told that the baby would be called Immanuel. (Matthew 1:23.)
We see in John 3:16 (NASB20), "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life." Then in Matthew 3:16 and 17 (NASB20) we read, "After He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and settling on Him, 17 and behold, a voice from the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." These verses clearly establish that Jesus is God's Son.
Let us look at the words Jesus spoke to His disciples in Matthew 20:25a and 28 (New Living Translation), "But Jesus called them together and said... 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. "The Greek word for 'ransom' in verse 28 is lutron, which means "to loose". The word signifies a release from slavery brought by the payment of a price. As I mentioned earlier, sin demands a price paid because of the penalty of death, that was on us because of sin. 'Lutron' defines the price paid canceling our debt.
Hebrews 2:17 and 18 (NLT) shows us why He left His glory..."Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested."
Then we are told very plainly that Jesus fit the criteria for being the perfect sacrifice needed to pay the penalty for our sin in Hebrews 4:14-16 (NKJV), "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." He was without sin, that means, He was the spotless and unblemished sacrifice needed!
The penalty for our sin is death, but praise God, we see in Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT), "You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross." Yes! Jesus paid the penalty for our sin by the shedding of His own blood! His perfect sacrifice was the only one that could be acceptable to God to pay the debt for our sin, once for all!
Okay, wait a minute, we were talking about the Christmas story! Without the Christmas story, the Son of God coming in the flesh, we would not have a salvation story. Likewise, the Christmas story would not be complete without Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension to His present day position of being seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us.
Christmas is a celebration of God's love and our gift of eternal life with Him, through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
If you have never chosen to accept that wondrous gift, please, do not wait another day to do so! It will be the best decision you have ever made in your life!
Have a blessed joyous time celebrating the birth of Christ!