Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Christmas Is Still About The Christ




As we near Christmas we continue to move through the season of the church calendar known as Advent, which means “coming” or “arrival”.  The Christmas season is a wonderous time of the year with the focus climaxing on Christmas day, which represents and celebrates the “coming” or arrival of Jesus.  But what does that mean, what should that mean to us who are Chrsitians and in a broader sense the Church?

Well, we can turn our attention to the gospel of “the one whom Jesus loved”, being the apostle John.  It was John who wrote these words under inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

The Word Made Flesh
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 (NASB95)

The Word, which is another name for Jesus, became flesh and lived in this world, but instead of being corrupted by the sin in the world John tells us that Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life as only He could.  Why, because as He was fully man, He was, as well, fully God and in this the world experienced not the goodness of a man, but the glory of the Son, “glory as of the only begotten from the Father”.  It was in this life that men were able to see a full manifestation of the grace and truth of God in human form.  Author Randy Alcorn speaks of the need that man has for both these essentials (grace and truth) in life.  He writes, Grace without truth deceives people, and ceases to be grace. Truth without grace ...truth without grace breeds self-righteousness and crushing legalism.”  

God, in sending Jesus to be the Savior of mankind, gave us a glimpse of Himself in human form and with that the world was able to see both grace and truth practiced and lived out before them.  The grace showed man the gift of Christ, freely given to the world, even though we did not deserve Him and what He came to do and give to us.  On the flipside, the truth is evidence that mankind needs a Savior, One who not only can, but has done a work that provides a way back to God because of the separation and lostness caused by our sin.  And without us recognizing and accepting this truth of God in Jesus, we will never come to know and experience His grace.

It is in this that we move ahead to John 3:16 and see what this glorious life of Jesus who was full of grace and truth did for the glory of the Father and the good of all who would become sons through a spiritual birthright by life in Christ.

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NASB95)

The love of God was expressed in this way, that Jesus (the only begotten Son—the only begotten of the Father) gave His life as a ransom in our place and took upon Himself the punishment of our sin.  In so doing, we by faith are able to have a relationship with God as Father through the work of Jesus who came full of grace and truth.  And if we will receive this gift of God in the person and work of Jesus through a repentant act of faith we “shall not perish”.

In the song “Born to Bleed” the chorus plays, “He was born to bleed away the sin that covers our guilty hands; born to rise from Calvary; born to save every man.”  This is the hope that is born from the truth of Christmas; the grace and mercy of God through the gift of His unique and only Son—Jesus Christ. 
                                                                                                     Merry Christmas!