“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:8-14)
Merry Christmas. For many, Christmas is just one of many holidays where we simply gather with family and friends, exchange gifts, and reminisce on what we’re thankful for. Those are all great things but could there be more to this wonderful day than just that? There is, and His name is Jesus!
Today, many Christians celebrate the fact that God became flesh and dwelt among men (John 1:14). Because of our sinful and fallen state (Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:23) there’s nothing we can do to reach God or somehow work our way to heaven (Isaiah 64:6).
The purpose of Christ coming to the world was for God to reach down to man and offer us a way out of the penalty of our sin – God’s wrath poured out on us (Revelation 20:11-15). To this end, Jesus left His glorious domain in heaven, took on flesh, condescending to our level in order to reconcile humanity to God through himself. He came to pay the sin debt we couldn’t pay so that the death sentence we rightly deserve would be transferred to him while his righteousness would be transferred to those who believe (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The significance of this day is for everyone to consider. As we use this holiday to exchange gifts, God himself presents the gift of eternal life for anyone to freely receive. It’s our choice to either reject this gift and pay for the penalty of our sin ourselves or accept it by placing our trust in the one who’s already paid it all in full (Romans 6:23). Have a blessed Christmas!
If you have not placed your faith in Jesus’ finished work on the cross, I implore you to do so today (2 Corinthians 6:2)! The bible makes it clear that our life is like a vapor so tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for anyone (James 4:13-14). We’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:23) and due to this there’s nothing we can do to save ourselves or somehow work our way to heaven (Isaiah 64:6). Because God is holy He must judge sin. The penalty of this sin is death and ultimately the Lake of fire (Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:11-15).
But God, in His love has provided a way to escape His wrath through Christ (John 3:16-18, John 14:6). Jesus paid for our sin penalty by taking God’s wrath in our stead on the cross (Romans 5:8). He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the 3rd day (1 Corinthians 15:1-5). Although God offers humanity the gift of eternal life through the shed blood of His son, it’s our choice to either reject this gift and pay for the penalty of our sin ourselves or accept it by placing our trust in the one who’s already paid it all in full (Acts 16:30-31, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9). I encourage you to make the right decision about Jesus today! It will be the most important decision of your life, for eternal life.
But you do know that Jesus was not born on Christmas ..
Hello Judy. I appreciate that you took the time to read the article and comment on it. The focus of the article isn’t the date of Christ’s birth but rather the significance of Christmas and its focus being the salvation we have in Him.
Hello
Just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your articles, and I read them always even got one of my daughters to scribe to your news letter.. Keep up the good work spreading the Good News .
God Bless You
Thank you sister. That’s very encouraging. It’s all by God’s grace that I can be a blessing to you and your daughter in that well.