This post is all about the story of Christmas.
Merry Christmas! I love to say it because this time is truly a merry time. Christmas is such a wonderful holiday, and its not because of the gifts, music, or decorations. All of those things are great additions to this season but I oftentimes find that many of us (including myself!) get carried away and neglect what is at the heart of Christmas.
Christmas is all about Jesus’ birth. But why did Jesus come down from heaven? And how was He able to be born as a human if Jesus was God himself?
Here we will dive deep into the story of Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas.
What is the true meaning of Christmas?
How did Jesus come to earth?
…….
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1, 3, 14 NKJV
Jesus was not the product of two humans, like the rest of us are. He is not the product of any human at all. Jesus is God himself.
This explains why Mary (the mother, or human who carried Jesus into the world) had to be a virgin. There had to be no possibility for anyone to think that Jesus was born from man. Jesus, the human, was created in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit.
“And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35 NKJV
So God in his supernatural power, formed himself into a human body through the Holy Spirit. Jesus was God in his Spirit and lived in a natural human body.
This is how the Trinity of God is explained. God is the Creator of the World, King and Ruler Supreme. God is also His Holy Spirit, able to live in us and dwell in a holy vessel. This Spirit of God put on flesh, and became a human, Jesus. Jesus was 100% God and 100% human. Jesus was God in the flesh.
How was this possible? Was God still able to rule in heaven? Yes, God is omnipresent: everywhere all at once (Psalms 139). It is an incredible thing to understand; God is all powerful and able to do all things.
We dive further into the trinity of God in another post (see here for the link when I post it!) but the basic understanding of Jesus’ birth is this: God was able to become human by his Holy Spirit.
So why did Jesus come?
Jesus came to die
“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”” Matthew 1:21 NKJV
In the old testament, God declared “The soul that sins will surely die”. (Ezekiel 18:20) Why? Sin is corrupt, destructive, evil. Sin reproduces and is stubborn and kills anything it touches. It is the opposite of everything that is good, and of life itself.
The only problem here is that we were all born as sinners because of Adam and Eve. Once they disobeyed God and sinned, that sin carried through to the entire human race. See how relentlessly corrosive sin is?
So, once we were born, we were destined to die. God knew something must be done because he doesn’t want anyone to die in their sin.
Someone must take the place of everyone who has sinned and die in their stead. This is the only way to defeat sin; what is evil must be eradicated.
However, the next problem arose: who will go and die? If any one of us would die for another, it wouldn’t work. This is because all of us has sinned at some point in our lives and if we die, we would be dying for our own sin. Only someone completely innocent who doesn’t need to die for themselves can take the place of sinners.
Jesus was the only one who could do it.
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”” Acts 4:12 NKJV
No one else in this world could live a perfect life. It is impossible! We sin so easily that even our thoughts can condemn us if we are not careful! Only God himself is pure and holy and it was only God who could do it.
God had to become human (incredible and mind-blowing, right?) and die for us so we can be saved. Just think about that for a second. God, the Creator of the Universe, the All Powerful, the All Consuming, Mighty Ruler and King, stepped down from his glory, and came among us and allowed himself to die by his own people, to save them. To save us, a wicked and unruly people! This is what is worth celebrating! This is worth singing and dancing and praising God! Our souls will live, and we don’t have to die anymore! Our Creator loves us so much that He would sacrifice everything so we can be with him again.
The details of Jesus’ birth (such as the three wise men, King Herod, and his family) is important but we will discuss those in a later post. The salvation Jesus gave us through his arrival here on earth is what truly matters and what holds the true meaning of Christmas.
Jesus’ life was an example for us
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:17 NKJV
When Jesus came here on earth, He was on a mission. His entire life, not just his death, was prophesied to bring redemption to the world. Everything He did on earth was to show us the way. Jesus lived, so we could know how to live too. Every miracle, every teaching, and every behavior Jesus did was an example and proof of salvation.
Another key reason why Jesus came to earth was so that he can relate to us on a personal and deeper level. Jesus understands us, and how difficult this sinful life is, because He lived it himself.
“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.” Hebrews 4:15 NKJV
Jesus’ arrival on earth was multifaceted. He came to show us how to live, to fulfill the previous scriptures from the Old Testament (explaining the commandments, and bringing together all people to God, not only the Jews), and at the end of his life, he died so we don’t have to! This is why it is so powerful when Jesus declared “It is finished.” (John 19:30) As He died on the cross. Everything is now complete in Him.
In conclusion, Christmas is one of the best holidays we could celebrate as Christians. This is the heart of our salvation (besides Easter, of course!). All of our hope and life’s essence is wrapped up in Jesus and his powerful arrival and journey here on earth. If He didn’t come here and die for us, where would we be?
Merry Christmas, Saints! I hope wherever you are and however you celebrate, you never forget to thank Jesus and appreciate him for the incredible things he has done.
Want to know more about salvation? Click here to read why we must be baptized in order to be saved.
