The Incarnation: Christ Before Bethlehem

It's so easy to romanticize the Christmas story and dwell on a harmless baby, cuddly lambs, and singing angels. But our focus should be on the important message of Christmas – that God became a man so that He could save us from our sins! He came to earth on a critical “search and rescue mission.”

Jesus of Nazareth did not begin in Bethlehem, nor did He end when He dismissed His spirit on a Roman cross 33 years later. He is the eternal Son of God Who just “changed addresses” when He was incarnated in the womb of a virgin mother. The Apostle John expressed it so sublimely when he simply wrote in the prologue to his gospel “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (1:14). That majestic phrase, composed almost entirely of monosyllables, speaks volumes about the condescension of Christ, His identification with our humanity, and His redemptive mission.

The true message and meaning of Christmas is not about our Savior's infancy, but about His deity. Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnate Son of God, had no beginning, nor will He ever cease to exist. He is the eternal God, the eternal Creator, and the eternal Light of the world! He is the Supreme Judge before Whom every man must stand to give account.

O, let us take off our shoes, for we are on holy ground as we “behold His glory”! Adore Him! Worship Him! Give Him your heart! Otherwise His birth in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago was in vain as far as you are concerned.