The Theological Significance of
Christ’s Birth
In
his best-selling book Knowing God J.
I. Packer discusses the way in which “so many make faith harder than it need
be.” They wrestle with the difficulty of the atonement, the resurrection, the
virgin birth, or the miracles. But Packer wisely notes:
But in fact the real difficulty, the
supreme mystery with which the gospel confronts us all, does not lie here at
all. It lies not in the Good Friday message of atonement, nor in the Easter
message of resurrection, but in the Christmas message of Incarnation. The
really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man –
that the second person of the Godhead became “the second man” (1 Cor 15:47),
determining human destiny, the second representative head of the race, and that
he took humanity without loss of deity, so that Jesus of Nazareth was as truly
and fully divine as he was human.[1]
What is it about Christmas that is so special?
Regrettably an honest answer for many of us would be time spent with family,
good food, an abundance of gifts, or the sounds and activities of the season.
These things are not wrong, far from it. They are reminders of the goodness and
grace of God. They are blessings from heaven meant to be enjoyed without guilt,
but none of them rise to the real significance of this holy day.
The Bible attaches a far greater importance to the reason
behind this season than any of the material comforts we associate with it. The
prophet Micah announced that from Bethlehem would come “one who is to be ruler
in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2).
This one would “stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in
the majesty of the name of the LORD his God” (Micah 5:4a). He would provide
security for his people, and his name would “be great to the ends of the earth.”
(Micah 5:4b) The one of whom the prophet spoke is the Savior, born in
Bethlehem, the one whose parents by divine instruction called Jesus (Matt.
1:21, 25).
Allow
me briefly to reflect on the three titles given to this precious child and
announced by the angel to a group of shepherds roughly two thousand years ago.
The angel of the Lord who appeared that night said, “Fear not, for behold, I
bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you
is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke
2:10-11). Savior, Christ, and Lord. These are not empty words. They are not
meaningless titles given to a figurehead lacking in real authority. They are
mighty declarations of the power, position, and purpose with which this Child
King came.
He
came as Savior. Jesus was born in order to die. He came “to seek and to save
the lost” (Luke 19:10) and “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
Jesus came because the entire human race was dead in sin, justly condemned by
the law, destined for eternal wrath, and helpless to change their condition (Rom.
1:18-3:20; Eph. 2:1-3). Jesus is Savior, not because he gave us a moral
example, not because he taught moral truths, not because he was a gentle
person, not because he was a great leader. Jesus is Savior because he died in
our place and rose again, breaking the power of death and sin. It was for our
sake that the Father “made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we
might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). The righteousness of God. Not man’s righteousness won by works or
established by his own piety or religious practices. This is the righteousness
of God, a righteousness of God and from God given to those who are unrighteous
but for God’s gracious work. Jesus is a Savior because we needed one. He is our
hope, the only hope of redemption and righteousness before God.
He
came as Christ. Christ is our English
form of the Greek translation of the Hebrew term Messiah which means anointed
one. Kings, priests, and, sometimes, prophets, were anointed in the Old
Testament as a symbol of God’s blessing, commission, and coming in the Holy
Spirit upon their new work. But Jesus is the ultimate Anointed One. He is
prophet, priest, and king, the one upon whom the Father has bestowed his favor,
the one who has the Spirit without measure, the one in whom the fullness of the
Godhead, deity, dwells. The Jews waited long for the coming Messiah, this
Christ who would redeem and lead Israel. They prayed for him, hoped for him,
and watched for him, but when he came, most overlooked him. They missed him
because, like many today, they expected something other than what he is; they
wanted him to do something other than what he does. They wanted a political
leader, not a spiritual savior. They wanted freedom from sinners, not
deliverance from their own sin. In the same way today, many miss Christ, the
real Christ, because they expect or demand of him something he is not and will
not do. His plan for us is not our best life now; it is eternal life, an
abundant life now, yes, but even more he provides the very best heaven has to
offer: eternal fellowship and joy with God in Christ.
He
came as Lord. It has been said many want Jesus as a Savior, but fewer want him
to be their Lord. Jesus said it would be so. He asked his hearers in Luke 6:46,
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” On the day of
Judgment many will stand before Jesus and say, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy
in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in
your name?” But he will declare to them, “I never knew you” (Matt. 7:21-23). He
is not Savior unless he also is Lord. He modeled obedience to the Father for us
(Heb. 5:9), and he calls us into an eternal relationship of heartfelt, loving
submission as a member of God’s family. We do not obey the Lord so that he might
love us. We obey because he loves us and to demonstrate we love him too.
Savior,
Christ, and Lord. The little baby lying in the manger is all three, or he is
simply another child. What does Christmas mean? Not presents. Not Santa. Not
family. Not food. Christmas, if we desire to call it Christmas at all, means this: that Jesus has come into this world,
that God has become a man, and that he has come to be Savior, Christ, and King.
-Joel M. Ellis, Jr. (Christmas Eve 2013)
