“For unto you us born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
This sentence, culled from the angel’s message to the shepherds, gives the greatest message of the ages. It is the announcement that the long-awaited Messiah had arrived as it had been prophesied. It is the message that the Son of God had become flesh to live a perfect life and to ultimately offer Himself on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. I was thinking about this today and our title, “Why Christmas?” came to my mind. Why, indeed, did Jesus come to earth, to “be tempted as we are, yet without sin,” and to become the sacrifice for our sins. Here is what I concluded: We celebrate Christmas because God loves us. You know that my mind went immediately to John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This is not old news; rather, it is eternal, and ever relevant news. John 3:16 is as true now as when it was written. Wait, it was true before it was written. We can be saved and have eternal life in heaven because of the love that God has for us, and because of His “only begotten Son.” We celebrate Christmas because of God’s grace. Grace is defined as “God’s unmerited favor.” This means that we can’t earn that favor Ephesians 2:8-9 says that: “For by grace have you been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one should boast.” We can’t brag about what we have done to be saved, but we can brag about what God has done for us through His Son to save us. We say that gospel of Jesus Christ is the best thing that has happened to humankind, and it is true because God is the God of grace. We celebrate Christmas because of God's forgiveness. If God was not the forgiving God, no one could be saved. God’s love, and God’s grace are applied to His forgiveness. 1 John 1:8-10 explains God forgiveness: “If we say that we have not sinned, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” We can be thankful that He is the forgiving God, otherwise, we would all be in trouble. We can celebrate Christmas because of God’s presence. In Christ, God became a human being in order to be our Savior, and He promised to always be with us. We need to remember that the Christ who was born in Bethlehem was God in the flesh. The great thing is that He has not ceased to be among us. He promised that He would always be with us. Christ did not go back to heaven and say: “Thank goodness that’s over…” He continues to love us and to be interested in our lives from heaven. Remember these points about Christmas as you celebrate Christmas with your family and friends. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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