ambassadors for the risen Christ ministries

by Shawn Brasseaux

As we reach the climax of the Christmas Season, we reflect on God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures, to remember the real miracle of Christmas.

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Long before the pagans hijacked Christmas, long before “Christian” leaders “Christianized” pagan Christmas beliefs and practices, and long before creation even existed, the triune Godhead—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost—assembled in a council. The Father had a plan to glorify the Son, the Son would execute the plan to the glory of the Father, and the Holy Ghost would cooperate with the Son to accomplish the Father’s plan, thus bringing glory to the Father and the Son. It was a magnificent plan, an ingenious plan, one that would span thousands of years. Christmastime is very significant in the Bible, for it involves the very linchpin of the whole plan!

By God the Son, the triune Godhead created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1). Colossians 1:16 KJV says, “…all things were created by him, and for him:” The governments in heaven and earth were to be subject to God the Son, Jesus Christ. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11 KJV). Ephesians 1:9,10 KJV: “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:” This was why God created angelic beings and mankind—they were to execute God’s will in heaven and on earth, respectively. In the end, it would make God the Son the Head (Ruler) of all creation.

There was a problem, however. When God placed Adam on the earth, he did not want to glorify God, and thus, he sinned against God. Adam sided with God’s adversary, Satan, who did not want God to receive glory either. With mankind corrupted by sin, he was no longer useful to God. But, in foreknowledge, the triune Godhead had already devised a plan of redemption, a way to restore mankind unto Himself. After it fell into sin, God left the human race a promise, that there would come a Man, who would do what Adam failed to do. Instead of cooperating with God’s adversary like Adam had, this “seed of the woman” would “bruise [Satan’s] head” (Genesis 3:15 KJV).

The candidate who could solve man’s sin problem had to meet two requirements. He had to be God, and He had to be man—He had to be a “God-Man.” It had to be God, because God’s righteousness had to be satisfied, but it also had to be man, for it was man who had sinned. The righteousness of God was offended, since “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 KJV). But, it was also a man who had sinned, “As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12 KJV). Again, the only solution was a God-Man!

Let us consider John 1:1-3,14 KJV:

“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not thing made that was made….
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

The “Word” is God the Son, Jesus Christ: He is the chief spokesman of the Godhead. Before the Holy Ghost conceived Jesus Christ in Mary’s womb, Christ had already existed as God—Christ’s human birth was not diminished deity, but rather added humanity.

Back in the pre-creation council of the Godhead, they ordained that it would be God the Son, or better known as Jesus Christ, who would take on the form of a man (see John 1:14 above). The Apostle Peter confirms, “[Jesus Christ], being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God…” (Acts 2:23). God had Christ’s coming planned all along, right to the exact moment in time! Galatians 4:4,5 KJV affirms: “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

Jesus Christ’s birth was not some haphazard event of nature. God the Father had preplanned the exact moment of the incarnation of His Son, Jesus Christ. Over a period of some 4,000 years, the three members of the Godhead worked to bring about the birth of man’s Redeemer, a plan they had even before man was created! Amazing! Philippians 2:5-11 KJV describes the humility of Jesus Christ as He became a man, as well as why He became a man (“when the fulness of the time was come”):

“5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Notice how God the Son, Jesus Christ, although fully God and fully man, willingly played a subservient role to God the Father. Jesus Christ never quit being God and He never stopped being man. When people normally think of Christmastime, they imagine the Baby Jesus in a manger, but they miss the overall plan! It was God Himself in that manger, the Creator of heaven and earth, being born of a virgin so He could one day die for man’s sins! How we hope you see that!

Many often fail to ask, “Why was Jesus Christ even born?” According to verse 8, why did God become a man? Ultimately, it was to be “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross!” From 1 Timothy 1:15 KJV, we learn: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came in the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” And 1 Timothy 2:5,6 KJV, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” The little Baby Jesus that was born 2,000 years ago of the virgin Mary did not remain an infant. He grew up to become a Man of 33 years of age, only to die for our sins, to suffer the wrath of God gendered by the wicked deeds of an undeserving race of creatures—us!

Romans 5:6-11 KJV gives us the good news of the grace of God:

“6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”

As someone once said, “The Lord Jesus Christ—heaven’s best—came to die for earth’s worst!” God loved us so much that He sacrificed His own Son for us! Christ’s precious, sinless blood was poured out to make atonement for our sins. This all happened while were still sinners, or technically, before we were even born. When we were not trying to make ourselves acceptable to God, God already came and did for us what we will never be able to do for ourselves—satisfy His righteous standards.

The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 8:9 KJV, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” We can be made spiritually rich through the finished crosswork of Jesus Christ on Calvary. Imagine that—the Lord of glory left that glory behind so that He could to this vile world and save us from our sins!

The good news about Christmastime is that the humanity of God the Son was conceived within Mary’s womb during this time of year. It was a virgin conception, with no human father involved, and ultimately, it would lead to the vicarious atonement of Calvary’s cross, to glory of God the Father. God sent His only begotten Son so that we lost, hell-bound sinners might have an opportunity to be reconciled with Him forever! But, it could have never been accomplished had the incarnation of Jesus Christ never happened.

All we have to do to appropriate the merits of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross to our account is to simply and completely place our faith in the bloodshed, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as sufficient payment for our sins. There are no works on our part: it is simple faith in Jesus Christ, and in Him alone. Remember, “The Word was made flesh” so we could have an opportunity to be “made the righteousness of God in [Christ]” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Thank you, heavenly Father, for your “Christmas present” to us—eternal life through your Son, Jesus Christ!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM arC MINISTRIES!

This entry was posted on Monday, December 24th, 2012 at 8:05 pm and is filed under Christmas 2012 - The Word Was Made Flesh. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.