You may think, “How can that be? The season of celebration for Christ’s Advent should be the highlight of the year!” And you’re right. Every Christmas, God does amazing things in the lives of people that love Him, and for that we should all rejoice.
The difficult part, however, is that, in reality, there will be millions of people gathering in churches, hearing the truth of the Gospel, singing the carols of the faith, who will let the truth of Christmas go in one ear and out the other. That is difficult to watch because of what Christmas is. Christmas isn’t merely a nice story we tell every year. Christmas, in all its uniqueness and wonder, is God’s declaration of His only plan for the redemption and reconciliation of man to Himself. Christmas is God reinforcing the only way to salvation by sealing it with His miraculous signature.
There is no better example of that than the virgin birth. What purpose would cause God to bother with such intricate detail. The virgin birth is a central truth in the Christmas story because of its uniqueness. Only the virgin-born Savior is free from original sin, the hereditary condition of man passed from every father to every child since Father Adam.
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit so that He was born perfect, as any sacrifice for our sin must be. His extraordinary life and ministry followed the pattern of his birth. He was born sinless through the virgin birth, and he lived a sinless life in the face of an Enemy who sought to destroy Him. He was born holy and pure, and He died as a falsely accused criminal who remained sinless and perfect. He was miraculously conceived, and He was miraculously resurrected. The virgin birth gave precedence to the power and glory of God that would be displayed throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry.
The unique truth of Christmas points to the unique truth of our redemption through Christ’s sacrifice. Why? Only a person, sinless from birth to death, can pay the penalty for sinners. Jesus was uniquely born for that purpose.Not only did God establish the power and trajectory for the work of His Son on earth with the miraculous work of Christmas, God also set apart Christianity from any other belief. You’ve heard people suggest, even demand, that Jesus is only one of many possible ways to God. The uniqueness of Jesus’ birth disallows such conclusions. In the Christ child, God was declaring to us that there is no other way.
There is no amount of good works, no degree of managing our evil desires, no hedging of bets that will provide the forgiveness of sins we so desperately need. Our hearts even cry out for the forgiveness for which we long. Our nature, however, wants to believe that we can provide our own forgiveness. Our nature wants to make its own path, its own rules, and its own belief system. Our nature doesn’t want to embrace truth. Our nature doesn’t want to believe Jesus is the only plan for humanity’s salvation. The purpose of the Advent of Christ tells us that our nature cannot be trusted. Our salvation is accomplished in like fashion as the Incarnation—by God’s design, for God’s glory, and for our good. If there were another way, there would be no Christmas. Jesus would not have had to leave His Father’s side in glory for the womb of a virgin. Because Jesus is the only way, Jesus came to us in obedience to His Father.
Because Jesus is the only way, He was born in miraculous power. Because Jesus is the only way, we have Christmas.When you read the Christmas story this year, bring a fresh perspective of the truth of Christ. God’s purpose is revealed in every detail, even down to the young girl that carried our Savior in her womb. God is telling us that salvation has come in authority and power. God is telling us that salvation has come, and it’s only through faith in Jesus, who is the Christ, our Savior.
Dr. Michael Youseff
Well said! And Merry Christmas to you! Love, Melissa
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