What is the meaning of Christmas? Why do Christians celebrate this annual event? Some may ask. And we born-again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have the answer. Christmas is a most joyful occasion for Christians around the world to observe and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The birth of Jesus is an announcement of God’s plan of salvation for humanity.
The celebration of Christmas goes back over 2,000 years ago when an angel announced: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). In full support of this announcement, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian Church that ”when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those who were under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons” (Galatians 4:4,5). It is most interesting to consider that God “delayed” the coming of Jesus until the “perfect time,” that is, the time appointed by God Himself for the world to receive His Son. Hence, the Scripture says, “when the time had fully come, God sent His Son.”
William MacDonald makes an important comment on Galatians 4:4 as follows: “In this verse we have, in a few words, a marvelous statement as to the deity and humanity of the Savior. He is the eternal Son of God; yet He was born of a woman. If Jesus had only been a man, it would be gratuitous to say that He was born of a woman. How else could a mere man be born? The expression, in our Lord’s case, witnesses to His unique Person and the unique mode of His birth” (Believer’s Bible Commentary, p. 1886).
Over some 700 years BC, God’s prophet Isaiah predicted that Jesus would actually be born. Isaiah made it known that “Unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). The prophet also explained the distinction between the “child” and the ‘Son.” We read, “The LORD Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Immanuel means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). The virgin birth of Jesus is foundational to our Salvation. It means that Jesus would not and could have a “sin nature” as we humans were born with, though “He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). All our sins were laid on Jesus, who bore them on the Cross. God who knew all about them laid them Him. And by believing, we are made right with God.
“Unto to us a Son is given.” God declared this about Jesus Christ, which is most significant. “You are My Son, today I have begotten you” (Hebrews 5:5), meaning that Jesus came to “restore” the believer’s relationship with His Father, (broken because of sin), and at the same time making us one with Himself as Paul explains, “that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ“(Romans 8:17). In other words we are “joint-heirs” or “co-heirs” with Jesus Christ. Think for a moment what the text is telling us, “Unto to us a Son is given.” It means that the wisdom and foreknowledge of God is evident here. “God has appointed Christ heir of all things through whom He created the world” (Hebrews 1:2). Therefore, since we are fellow heirs with Jesus Christ, we automatically share in all that Christ has inherited from His Father. Also, to be noted, “we are accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6), referring to Jesus Christ.
Christians will always find much joy in celebrating this great and grand occasion known as Christmas. The Bible says,”There were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, 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 2:8-11).This is indeed is a beautiful proclamation of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.