Redeeming Christmas
But when the fullness of the time had come, God
sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who
were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
- Galatians
4:4-5
The way we celebrate Christmas today is much different than
the way it was celebrated the first Christmas, or at the birth of Jesus Christ.
Christmas today has been sold. In fact there is very little of the scriptural
substance of the incarnation of God in Christ. Jesus is our greatest gift, and the
salvation from sin and eternal life offered in His name through the gospel. But
Christmas today has been sold; it’s all about buying and selling; about getting
and giving gifts. This year we’re going to try and redeem Christmas.
The Worldly and Religious Cover-Up of
Christmas
So different are our accumulated Christmas traditions that
they threaten to coverup the true
Christmas and its meaning.
The
world wraps Christmas in stuff. The world literally wraps up Christmas. In an
article How
much waste does the festive season create? It states:
227,000 miles of wrapping
paper is thrown away each
year. Instead of being recycled, 1 billion Christmas cards are also put in
the bin. 300,000 tons of card packaging is said to be used during the festive season, which is enough to cover
London's Big Ben almost 260,000 times. Americans spend more than $7 billion on wrapping paper each
year, according to Sundale Research.[1]
That’s a lot of waste
and it tends to box up and cover up a lot of what Christmas really means.
Religion
wraps Christmas in traditions. Our traditions can
cover up the true meaning of
Christmas. What do I
mean? Well, here are a few traditions, (many of which aren’t practiced
any more for various
reasons) but that covered up the true meaning of Christmas [2]:
- Putting
fruitcake under your pillow – “Fruitcake has gotten a bad rap as of late. But
placing fruitcake under your pillow actually has some pretty sweet
origins. "If you ate a piece of fruitcake—especially if it was from a
wedding—and put [the remainder] under your pillow at night, legend said you'd
dream of the person you will marry," . . ..
And this isn't the only antiquated
Christmas tradition involving love. Christmas revelers in the 17th century would also
do things like throw food at the wall to see if what stuck spelled the name of
a lover. They'd also toss shoes into a tree—and if they hung there, the thrower
would be married within the year.”
- Celebrating the
“Feast of the Donkey”
– “In
12th-century France, a donkey would be led in a procession through the
center of town to the local church, where a service was in session. The
donkey would remain next to the church's altar for the duration of the
service, and congregants would mimic its bray in a call-and-response with
the priest. This tradition, known as the Feast of the Donkey, was
accompanied by "raucous parties that usually got out of hand,"
says Earl. The celebration became such a problem that many towns
eventually banned it.”
- Electing a Child to Run the Church – “Derived
from the influence of Roman Saturnalia celebrations, social inversion was a popular
Christmastime practice centuries ago, . . . This would typically involve
the election of a "boy bishop," or child, to run the church in lieu of a
minister during the Feast of Saint Nicholas on Dec. 6. In the most extreme
examples, you'd wind up "with some three-year-old running around
leading the whole thing,"
Yes, the world wraps up
Christmas in stuff. Religion wraps Christmas in traditions. In this series we
are going to unwrap Christmas so we can see its full meaning and purpose. In
this series we are going to redeem Christmas and take it back from those who
would abuse and misuse it for their own selfish and deceptive ends.
“Christmas”
The word “Christmas” is not found in the Bible. The birth of
Jesus began to be celebrated in the church around the 4th century. But
where does the word “Christmas” come from? The word “Christmas” traces its
origin to the 12th century. In the article Why Is It Called Christmas? The Origin and Meaning of the Name
Explained by Jenni Fink (Newsweek 12/25/2019), states:
Church officials started celebrating Jesus' birth
in the fourth century, according to History.com, and Pope Julius I chose December 25. The
Bible doesn't mention the date of Jesus' birth and there's debate as to when it
actually took place. Some point to the shepherds' presence to argue that it was
likely spring since that's when they herd, and others claim the stars depicted
in the sky indicate it was a summer birth.
By the time the church decided to celebrate Jesus'
birth, there were already a number of festivities that marked the winter
solstice, including the pagan Saturnalia festival. It's possible Pope Julius I
chose December 25 because if it was surrounded by other holidays, it was more
likely to be embraced.
Initially, Jesus' birth celebration was called the
Feast of the Nativity and was celebrated in England by the end of the sixth
century, according to History.com. The first known use of Christmas, according
to Merriam-Webster, was before the 12th century and originates
from Middle English's Christemass
meaning "Christ's mass." Mass in Old English, according to Dictionary.com, references a church service.
Encyclopedia
Britannica explained that the term "Christmas" is of "fairly
recent origin," and Dictionary.com reported the Christ part of the word
Christmas derived from the Greek word Chrīstos, spelled Χριστός in Greek. This
explains why people abbreviate Christmas to Xmas.[3]
The “mass” of
Christmas. The association of Christ with the Roman Catholic mass is significant. The Catholic “mass”
includes the belief and doctrinal teaching of the transubstantiating of the communion
(or Eucharist) elements into the actual body and blood of Jesus therefore
bringing the actual presence of Jesus into the ritual as a re-sacrificing or
continuing of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. This is significant
because the Bible states clearly that the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the
cross was offered “once for all” not perpetually. Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on
the cross was so magnificent and powerful, sufficient and satisfactory that He
needed to only die once and for all, not perpetually or continually beyond
that.
Jesus said:
- John
19:30 (NKJV) - 30 So when Jesus had received the sour
wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing
His head, He gave up His spirit.
The words of Jesus “it is finished” are a
translation of a single Greek term tetelestai
and the grammatical form (Perfect/Middle/Indicative) of the word conveys
the idea of a completed act that has lasting effects. The atoning work of Jesus
was completed on the cross and it has continued powerful affects for all who
trust Him as Savior by faith.
The New Testament teaches in numerous places that
the atoning death of Jesus was a “once for all” act:
- Romans
6:10 (NKJV) - 10 For the
death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to
God.
- Hebrews
7:25–27 (NKJV) - 25 Therefore He is also able to save to
the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to
make intercession for them. 26 For such a High Priest was
fitting for us, who is holy,
harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the
heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high
priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the
people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
- Hebrews
9:12 (NKJV) - 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves,
but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having
obtained eternal redemption.
- Hebrews
10:10 (NKJV) - 10 By that will we have been sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Considering the testimony of Jesus Himself and
scripture, we must redeem Christmas and the cross of Christ from any notion
that His sacrifice was not sufficient and that it needs to be perpetuated or
repeated over and over again in some way.
But when interpreting the word “Christmas,” this
argument, though significant and essential, might not be an argument at all.
What do I mean?
Jakub Marion in his online article Origin of the Words Christmas and Xmas states:
The word Christmas comes
from Middle English Cristemasse,
which in turn comes from Old English Cristes-messe,
literally meaning Christ’s Mass.
Of course, we are not talking about the physical mass of Christ’s body. The
origin of mass, in the
Christian sense of the word, is not entirely clear. We know it comes from
Latin missa, but there are
several competing theories as to what missa is
supposed to mean. Some scholars say it is a form of the Latin verb mittere, in which case it would mean
“something that has been sent” (but it cannot refer to Christ himself because
“missa” is grammatically feminine).
Others say that it is a late form of Latin missio, meaning “dismissal”. This is
supported by the fact that Catholic masses are traditionally concluded with the
words:
Ite,
missa est.
which
would mean, “Go, the dismissal is made”, provided this interpretation is
correct.
Yet another explanation is that it is, in fact, the
Hebrew word missah, “unleavened
bread”, which God commanded to be offered with the Passover sacrifice in the
Exodus.
If this is the case, then the word “Christmas” does
not necessarily involve the aberrant doctrine of transubstantiation associated
with the Catholic mass. If that is the case, the name “Christmas” would be
redeemable!
The article goes on to address another confused
understanding of how we write Christmas as “X-Mas”:
The
name “Christ” - The origin of the designation Christ is
also not without interest. It comes from Greek Χριστός (Christós), meaning
“anointed”, which is a translation of Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ māšîaḥ (“anointed”) that has been incorporated into the
English language as “messiah”. Hence, “Christ” and “Messiah” mean essentially
the same, the former originating in Ancient Greek and the latter in Classical
Hebrew.
Xmas - Finally,
we get to the word Xmas (usually
pronounced the same as Christmas, but some pronounce it, rather incorrectly, as
/ˈɛksməs/). Many people believe that writing “Xmas” instead of Christmas is an
attempt to remove Christ from Christmas and may even consider it blasphemous.
However, “X” in “Xmas” is, in fact, not the English
letter “ex”. It is an abbreviation of the Greek name of “Christ”, Χριστός
(Christos), which starts with the Greek letter Chi. Abbreviating “Christ” as
“X” can be traced many centuries back, with some written documents dated as
early as 1100 AD.[4]
In light of this explanation, the word “Christmas”
is redeemable, we can use it to refer to the birth of Jesus, the incarnation of
God.
Redeemable and Unredeemable Aspects of Christmas
Traditions
How will we redeem Christmas from all the false
airs and notions about it? That we need to do so should be obvious to any
student of the Bible, or anyone interested in getting to the historical truth.
So, as we proceed, we will expose unredeemable human promotions and religious traditions
that have attached themselves to Christmas and undermined its truth. And we
will assert the redeeming scriptural truth Christmas that has literally changed
the world.
Why is This Important?
Because we are called to be
sanctified by God’s truth. Jesus described Satan as a deceiver and father of
lies (John 8:44). Much of the Bible is a warning against lies falsehoods and
half-truths. Deception keeps us from God’s truth. No one should want to be
deceived. Jesus said we should be sanctified or set apart unto God and His
truth according to His scriptural truth (John 17:17). We are told to have
nothing to do with the unfruitful works of darkness, but to expose them (Ephesians
5:11). This is part of the Christians
calling in life. So if there are lies and deceiving falsehoods about Christmas,
we should not only be aware of them, but we should expose them.
Because of the times in which we
live. The Bible clearly states that as we draw to the end of the age, the
Last Days, deception and falsehoods will be rampant. Such deceptions and
falsehoods attempt to keep people from God’s saving truths. Such lies hinder
and keep people from understanding and responding to the gospel.
The Bible states:
- 1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NKJV) - Now the
Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the
faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2
speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot
iron,
In
Jesus’ teaching on the End Times He emphasized guarding against deception
saying:
- Matthew 24:4 (NKJV) - And Jesus
answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you.
- Matthew 24:11 (NKJV) - Then many false prophets will rise
up and deceive many.
Because the path to our eternal destiny is affected by the
truth. Jesus said:
- Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV) - "Enter
by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads
to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is
the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few
who find it.
The
truth of God leads us to and keeps us on the narrow way spoken of by Jesus that
leads to eternal life. Lies and falsehoods lure us to depart from the narrow
way onto the Broadway that leads to destruction. Knowing the truth is eternally
significant.
Therefore,
in light of all this, it’s important to know and grasp the redeeming truth of
Christmas as well recognize the falsehoods connected to Christmas so we can
discard them.
Redeeming the Christmas Message
Today’s images of Christmas include Santa (Satan) Claus and
his elves working hard all year to then distribute toys to every child on the
planet in the course of one night. Christmas has been reduced to one big
business marketed bonanza. There are literally tons of giving, but very little
discussion of the True Giver and His greatest Gift Jesus. Just what is the true
Christmas message?
The central message of Christmas of Christmas can be seen in
two verses:
- Galatians 4:4-5 (NKJV) - 4 But when the fullness of the time had
come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to
redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as
sons.
By taking these two verses piece by piece we can clearly
capture the redeeming substance of what Christmas is all about.
But when the fullness of the time had come,
Jesus came according to God’s redemptive
plan. God predicted Jesus coming (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2). Jesus is the incarnation
of God, Emanuel – “God with us” (Matthew 1:22-23). And This incarnation to
place at just the right time according to God’s plan (Luke 1:26-38; 2:1-20).
God sent forth His Son,
Jesus is God’s Son, the Second Person of
the Triune Godhead. Jesus is not an angel (Hebrews 1-2). Jesus is God in the
flesh!
born of a woman,
God’s chosen method of the incarnation was
the virgin birth (Matthew 1:18-21; Luke 1:26-38, 46-56; Isaiah 7:14). This was
a supernatural birth and unlike any other birth in history. The account states:
- Luke
1:26–38 (NKJV) - 26 Now in the sixth month the angel
Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to
a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.
The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And
having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are
you among women!”
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and
considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel
said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And
behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call
His name Jesus. 32 He
will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will
give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign
over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
34 Then Mary said to the
angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
35 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.
36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son
in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For
with God nothing will be impossible.”
38 Then Mary said,
“Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”
And the angel departed from her.
born under the law,
Jesus was born under the Law on that He
fulfilled all genealogical requirements of the law (Matthew 1:1-18; Luke 3:23-38).
Jesus fulfilled all prophecies pertaining to Messiah.
5 to redeem those who were under the law,
Christmas
really is about buying and selling. The word “redeem” is at the heart of the meaning of Christmas. “Redeem”
(Greek exagorase –
Aorist/Active/Subjunctive of exagorazo)
means redeem deliver, buy back, rescue. It
is a compound word made of the prefix ek which
means out of, out from, and the word agorazo (from the agora or marketplace) which means to buy, to ransom, redeem.
A
redemption claimed by faith. The
grammatical for of this verb (i.e. subjunctive) conveys the idea that our
redemption is a possibility contingent
on our decision to accept the atoning work that Jesus has done on our behalf.
We must receive what Jesus has done for us by
faith. If we do not receive Jesus as our Redeemer by faith, then what He
has done for us remains unclaimed.
Sold
under sin. In light of
this word, Christmas really is about buying and selling. We are sold under sin.
The Bible states:
- Romans
7:14 (NKJV) - 14 For we know that the law is spiritual,
but I am carnal, sold under sin.
We are “sold under sin,” in the sense that we
are indebted and guilty before God and His just laws which we have broken. There
is a debt that must be paid to the just requirement of God’s law. Since only a
sinless One can pay that debt, Jesus is the one who had to pay that debt of sin
for us.
Redeemed
by Jesus from a slavery to sin. The word “sold” (Greek pepramenos
– Perfect/Middle/Participle of piprasko)
is an interesting one. It means having
been sold into slavery, having been sold to a master. This is a term that
conveys human trafficking only we sell ourselves to the master of sin. And
there is a willfulness to this transaction in that the word is a metaphor for being entirely under the control of the love
of sinning or addicted to sinning. Once
we start sinning, we won’t and indeed can’t stop. We will need help to stop. We
will need someone to open our eyes to our predicament. We will need someone to
und hackle our heart. We need a new Master. We need someone to redeem us from
this slavery. That Redeemer and new Master is Jesus. We were hopelessly
enslaved to sin, and Jesus holds the keys that can unlock us. The Bible speaks
unmistakably about this saying:
- Romans
7:24–25a (NKJV) - 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will
deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through
Jesus Christ our Lord!
That is a glorious
message of Christmas isn’t it? It certainly is.
In 1738, in response to his trusting Jesus
as Savior and being born again, (and no doubt also in response to his brother
John Wesley’s heart being “strangely warmed”), Charles Wesley wrote one of his
best-known hymns, And Can it Be.
John and Charles Wesley (along with George
Whitefield) went on to be instruments of God in a national revival in England
that’s credited with saving that country and having international influence all
the way to Europe and America. The lyrics to that hymn speak of the joy over
the unshackling from sin that the redemption of Jesus Christ provides. The
lyrics are:
And Can it Be
- And can it be that I should gain
An int’rest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
o
Refrain:
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
- ’Tis myst’ry all: th’ Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
- He left His Father’s throne above—
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For, O my God, it found out me!
- Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
- No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’ eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many songs or hymns
of such rich glorious substance in our day. But we can still sing timeless hymns
such as this. If you know Jesus as your Savior and Redeemer, rejoice this
Christmas over the unshackling from sin that Jesus has gifted to you.
Not
a ransom paid to the devil. It
should be mentioned that this debt paying or ransoming or redeeming that Christ
does is in no way a payment to Satan to gain our release. Jesus’ death on the
cross was not a ransom paid to the devil for our release. Jesus made a public
spectacle of Satan on the cross (Colossians 2:15). Jesus in no way negotiated
with Satan for our release. Jesus stepped in and paid our death penalty to God
who is Just Judge.
But there’s more.
God has a way of always doing “exceedingly abundantly” beyond what we ask or
even expect. And that’s scriptural:
- Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJV) -
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask
or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in
the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Yes and amen!
Jesus
redeemed us from the curse of the law. Because we have sinned we are under a curse. Jesus came to be a curse
for us, that we could be freed from the curse of sin. This is the message of
Galatians:
- Galatians
3:10–13 (NKJV) - 10 For as many as are of the works of the
law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are
written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11 But
that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” 12 Yet
the law is not of faith, but “the
man who does them shall live by them.”13 Christ has redeemed us
from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),
Jesus became a curse for us. He took and
paid our penalty for us.
Redeemed out from under the curse of the
penalty of God’s just law. Wonderful Redeemer and His redemption. But there’s
still even more!
that we might receive the adoption as sons.
Because of Jesus we can be adopted into the
family of God and spend eternity with God and all those who trust in Jesus as
Savior:
- Romans
8:14–17 (NKJV) - 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit
of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive
the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of
adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit
Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and
if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if
indeed we suffer with Him, that
we may also be glorified together.
As God’s adoptive children we have a
wonderful eternal inheritance in heaven (e.g. Acts 26:18). And we will go a
little deeper later in our study about the unity and family of God that we have
been blessed with in God’s redemptive plan.
This is the redeeming message of God in
Christmas. And what a gloriously wonderful message it is. Can you see why it’s so
important to redeem Christmas? If we don’t redeem Christmas, we will miss an
opportunity to rejoice and worship God for His gracious glorious gift of
redemption.
Unwrapping Jesus
our Redeemer. Christmas
first and foremost, is all about Jesus. You wouldn’t know it by looking at what
Christmas has become. But when we go to God’s word and unwrap the Christmas
account, we see very clearly it is all about Jesus, Immanuel, God with us:
- Matthew 1:18–21 (NKJV) - 18 Now
the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was
betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child
of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a
just man, and not wanting to
make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But
while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared
to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take
to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy
Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall
call His name Jesus, for He
will save His people from their sins.”
That last phrase, “and you
shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins,” speaks
to us about the redemptive mission Jesus came to fulfill. The name “Jesus” (Greek
Iesous) itself means The LORD is salvation. (Its Old
Testament equivalent is Joshua.)
The passage continues by
emphasizing the incarnational birth of Jesus as a fulfillment of God’s
prophetic word in the Old Testament through Isaiah:
- Matthew 1:22-23 (NKJV) - 22 So
all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord
through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin
shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name
Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
The birth of Jesus is a
fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies many of which were given by God eight
centuries (800 years!) in advance (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Micah 5:2).
Just think, “God with
us.” That really is incredible. Every religion claims a god. But what God actually
came to dwell among us? (e.g. John 1;14). And what God actually incarnated in
human history? Truly history became “His Story” when Jesus was born.”
And the prophets of
Jesus’ day were given a confirming word from the LORD about Who Jesus was. The historical
account of the gospels record:
- Luke 2:25–38 (NKJV) - 25 And
behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was
just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was
upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So
he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the
Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he
took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: 29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant
depart in peace, According to Your word; 30For my eyes have seen
Your salvation 31Which You
have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And
the glory of Your people Israel.” 33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things
which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said
to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child
is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which
will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through
your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” 36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter
of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a
husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years,
who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And
coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all
those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Jesus is our Redeemer,
and we need to redeem that incredibly blessed truth from all those who would
steal it away through alternative storylines and emphases.
Everything we are as
“Christians” is bound up in the coming of Jesus and His redemption. Every
blessing of God is connected to Jesus. And all God offers, He offers as a free
gift of his grace. The Bible states:
- Ephesians 1:1–14 (NKJV) - Paul,
an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in
Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and
peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just
as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be
holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined
us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good
pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His
grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.7 In Him we have
redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches
of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom
and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His
will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that
in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in
one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in
Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to
the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ
should be to the praise of His glory.13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were
sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee
of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the
praise of His glory.
What incredible riches
we unwrap when we unravel all the stuff and tradition that clutters the gifts
of God in Christ!
It’s interesting that there are two things that the devil and an
unbelieving world seek to attack and tear down when it comes to Christianity.
Those two things are the nature of Jesus and authority of God’s Word. That is
because if Jesus and God’s Word are diminished in any way, the household of God
is weakened. Christian equip yourself to defend the nature of Jesus; Jesus is
God! And equip yourself to defend the Bible; it is the Word of God! Don’t
shrink back or neglect these two things. These are two things we cannot
compromise on.
Someone has described God’s Holy Book the Bible in the following way:
THE BIBLE - GOD’S HOLY BOOK
This Book contains the
mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and
the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding,
its histories are true, and its decisions immutable. Read it to be wise, believe
it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you,
food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.
It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the
soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. Christ is it’s subject, our good
it’s design, and the glory of God it’s end. It should fill the memory, rule the
heart and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully. It is
given to you in life, will be open in the judgment, and be remembered forever.
It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and
condemns all who trifle with its holy precepts.”
What does the Bible
say about Jesus? The Bible points to Jesus as the Savior of the World, our
Redeemer. This year lets redeem Christmas, let’s take it back from those who
would try and rob us of the true treasure and eternal giftings Jesus brought
for us to receive.
