One of the most important, and yet most understood facts about Jesus Christ is that He is God and came to live as a man among the people of that specific time and place in order to do what only God could do for all mankind.
Matthew 1:23 says, "They shall call his name Emmanuel." That name, Emmanuel, literally means "God with us." Yes, it can be difficult to understand how that babe which lay in the manger so long ago could have been fully God and fully man. In fact, the only way for any of us to begin comprehending this crucial point is for God's Spirit to reveal this truth in His way and in His time to each of us. But this crucial point is exactly what God wants each of us to know and to trust!
The only way Christmas can make any real sense is to understand that God had a divine purpose in coming to this earth. He had created mankind to live in a close relationship with Him. Sin, though, totally disrupted that relationship and affects every person who has ever lived. God's sense of justice demanded that sin be punished, and His holiness requires that those guilty of sin could never enter into His perfect Heaven. As much as man might try, we can never be "good enough" to earn our way into Heaven, and so we faced a terrible dilemma.
Not only is God just, He is also love - not just loving - He is love! That love compelled Him to provide a way for the most important part of His creation - people - to experience complete forgiveness and restoration. And that is why He came to be with us . . . to be Emmanuel. He lived among us, without ever sinning, and gave Himself as the one and only sacrifice which satisfied His sense of justice, and proved His unfailing and eternal love.
Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man, was born to die! His death gives meaning to His birth, and His resurrection gives meaning to His death. I pray that this Christmas finds you trusting Jesus, and Him alone, as your Savior . . . as I do. I don't say that with any sense of bragging on my part because I know that it is only because of His grace (unmerited favor) that I know Him as my Savior and my Lord. I never did anything to deserve it. I simply trusted and received God's free gift of forgiveness and eternal life. That grace is available for all!
Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing.
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