No Christmas Without Christ

Yesterday I enjoyed the nostalgia of watching a classic Christmas movie I had not seen for a very long time:  Miracle on 34th Street.  It was a delightful and humorous film that explores rationality, imagination and faith--though not faith according to a biblical definition.  In the movie faith was described as belief when common sense ends, yet the Christian faith is one according to knowledge of God that is logical and sensible even as He is.  The Bible reveals genuine faith is according to knowledge of what is, and it is wise to place our trust in all God reveals to be true.

It occurred to me throughout the film that Kris Kringle or Santa Claus took middle stage along with a pushback against commercialism.  The one figure that was ignored entirely was Christ, and this does not surprise me in a secular society.  But the fact remains there is no Christmas without Christ.  It may be "Eatmas" or "Drinkmas" or "Partymas" for many people ("mas" being "more" in Spanish), yet for Christians Jesus Christ really is the reason of the season.  The trappings, gatherings and obligatory celebrations or gifts do not make Christmas special:  it is Jesus Christ who is special being divine, and He is the greatest gift ever given or received.

For those who claim those who recognise Christmas unwittingly give honour to pagan traditions, Paul urged believers not to judge one another in their observance of a particular day in Romans 14:5-8:  "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. ⁷ For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. ⁸ For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's."  We are able to observe Christmas and Boxing Day as unto the LORD, and God can receive the same degree of glory from our lives even when, in a desire to honour our Saviour, intentionally allow them to pass without fanfare.

What freedom God has grated His children by grace through faith in Christ who has abolished death and brought immortality and life to light through the Gospel.  If we think it reasonable to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, it is perfectly sensible to acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ to earth as a baby--even if it isn't on the exact date.  I don't believe Jesus is more pleased with those who "celebrate Christmas" than those who choose not to celebrate it with a tree, stockings, gifts or going to church.  We please Him by grace through faith in Him, and Christmas is a unique opportunity to proclaim there is no Christmas without Christ.  Unless the Light of the World came we would be in perpetual darkness, and we thus thank God for His indescribable gift of His only begotten Son.

Growing in Grace

Luke wrote concerning Jesus as a lad in Luke 2:40, "And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him."  At the conclusion of the chapter he also remarked in Luke 2:52, "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men."  This is a amazing statement.  It is one thing for a person to grow in wisdom and physically from being a child to an adult, but it is incredible Jesus increased in favour with God and men.

Because God's grace is infinite, one might wonder how Jesus--the perfect Son of God--could possibly grow in it.  Luke made a connection in both of these verses between wisdom and grace.  Wisdom comes from God alone, and those who walk in wisdom look to God in faith, obedience and submission.  The observations of Luke emphasise the Son of God Jesus becoming flesh and was one of us in a human body.  There were limits of His mental and physical capabilities as a little child.  He lacked strength and dexterity to lift his head as a newborn or coordination to stand up as an infant.  His body needed to learn to speak and  His mind developed to comprehend figurative language.  Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:11 that when he was a child he spoke as a child, understood as a child, and thought as a child, and this was true concerning Jesus.

As Jesus grew in wisdom and understanding, He also increased in favour or grace with God.  Though God's grace is infinite, by faith according to knowledge man can receive God's favour and increasingly walk in it.  Peter exhorted followers of Jesus to this end in 2 Peter 3:17-18:  "You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; ¹⁸ but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen."  Jesus grew in wisdom, and perfectly understood God and His calling as the Son of God to seek and save the lost.  Unfettered from sin and selfishness, always walking in obedience and submission to His Father in heaven, Jesus provides us an example to follow that we also may grow in grace.

Lest we think God's grace upon Jesus was unique, it is imperative to remember that grace is unmerited, freely given out of God's goodness, love and mercy.  There has never been nor will ever be another Son of David and Messiah Jesus Christ, yet the grace given Him is extended and received by those who trust in Him.  Acts 4:33 says of the early church, "And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all."  God's grace has appeared to all men as it is written in Titus 2:11-14:  "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, ¹² teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, ¹³ looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works."

Jesus became wisdom for us, having been taught by the grace of God.  Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and lust and to live soberly, righteously and godly today, knowing we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus from sin and purified as His special people to do good.  Knowing Jesus and walking in obedience to Him is the practical way we can grow in grace every day.  Praise the LORD the grace of God that bring salvation has appeared to all men, and great grace is upon all who believe in the LORD Jesus Christ.  May we grow in favour with God and men because Jesus has become wisdom for us and remain steadfast by faith in Him.

God Loves Because He Loves

John 3:16 is a famous verse because it showcases the love of God for all people by sending His only begotten Son Jesus as Saviour.  "For God so loved the world..." it begins, showing the far-reaching range of the atonement provided:  all sinners included without exception.  It was not because God loved His Son, the Jews or those who kept His commandments, but because He loved every person in the world He gave His only Son.  Those who receive the gift of salvation by grace through faith are the beneficiaries of this incredible love.

From the beginning God's love has been on display, and this is especially seen in His dealings with the children of Israel.  Recently I read a passage I love very much, for it is a wondrous reminder of God's love is all of grace and not due to our worthiness.  Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 7:7-8, "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; ⁸ but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."  Simply put, the LORD set His love on the children of Israel because the LORD loves them.  It was not because they were many or mighty.  God would keep the promise He made to bring the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt.

Verses like John 3:16 show us God's love was not reserved only for the children of Israel, but for the ungodly--including Romans and all Gentiles too.  Paul explained this revelation of God's divine love for all in Romans 5:6-8:  "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  How wonderful it is to know God loves us because He loves us!  God has kept His promise to send the Messiah to save people from their sins and give eternal life to all who trust in Him.  Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of sin and provided the sure hope of heaven and eternal life through the Gospel because He loves us.

Because we could not deserve or earn such divine love, it does not depend on how we feel or what happens in the world.  Everything could seem against us, yet because God is He loves us.  Like other gifts God gives, we receive God's gift of love by faith in Him.  While God has offered His love freely, for many people it is like a gift that remains wrapped and not received.  We can be like little children quite taken with playing with bows and ribbons that we neglect to open and receive His gift of love adorned by grace.  Christmas is a great opportunity to remember and proclaim the goodness of Jesus Christ who loves us, the greatest gift ever given or that we could possibly receive.  God loves the world and loves us because He loves, simple as that.

The Source of Sin Within

"So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made."

Exodus 32:35

While Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the commandments of God written on tablets of stone, the people left behind in the camp quickly corrupted themselves.  They came to Aaron and demanded he make gods to go before them because they did not know what had happened to Moses.  Likely feeling pressure to placate the people, Aaron set about collecting gold from the people and molded a graven image.  Like doting parents who are led about by the whims of their children or a carer who shoves a dummy in the mouth of a fussy baby, Aaron gave them what they wanted and committed a great sin.  He facilitated the worship of idol and gave a golden image the credit for delivering them from slavery in Egypt.

It should be noted the children of Israel had been steeped in religious idolatry in Egypt.  As a infant grows accustomed to having a dummy in their mouth for comfort, the people had long worshipped gods of Egypt--even idols of their own making.  After their exodus from Egypt God revealed through the prophet Amos in Amos 5:25-26, "Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? ²⁶ You also carried Sikkuth your king and Chiun, your idols, the star of your gods, which you made for yourselves."  Instead of Aaron saying, "God forbid!  Having been saved by the living God who revealed Himself to us, we will serve Him alone!" he caved to the demands of the people and gave them what they were accustomed to:  idols made by the hands of men to worship and sacrifice to.

It is insightful God did not plague the people because Aaron made a golden calf:  He plagued them because of how they sinned with the calf Aaron made.  What Aaron did was wrong, but they were not punished for his sin.  They faced God's judgment because they bowed down and offered sacrifices to an idol in worship, having forsaken the almighty God who revealed Himself to them in power and glory on the mount.  Scarcely had the Law been given before it was completely broken by high priest and people alike.  God judging people for their own sin is in keeping with the principle seen in Deuteronomy 24:16:  "Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall the children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin."  Rather than blaming Aaron or the calf as the source of the sin problem, God justly dealt with each sinner individually.

Understanding this principle helps us to shift away from a tendency to legalism that imagines sinfulness comes from outside of us rather than originating within our own sinful hearts.  Many good things God gives can lead to sin by excess, addiction and obsession.  Paul exhorted believers, rather than being swayed by the doctrines of men that focus on not touching, tasting or handling, that we are to seek Jesus Christ and set our hearts on things above.  We are to mortify or put to death in our minds and bodies what God declares as sinful, putting off the old man, and then putting on the new man which is renewed in the image of Christ who made us new creations:  loving one another, giving mercy, being patient, forgiving one another, allowing the peace of God to rule in our hearts, to be thankful and let God's word to dwell in us richly by the power of the Holy Spirit.

If the children of Israel lamented under the weight of conviction and God's judgment, "I wish Aaron had never made that calf!" or "I shouldn't have given away those earrings!" they would have missed the point.  Their sin was not due to the calf being fashioned but because they worshipped it as god.  The molten calf was simply a means that exposed the idolatrous condition of their hearts.  If the judgment from God was rightly understood and received, they would have tossed Sikkuth and Chiun away as rubbish and worshipped God alone.  We, like the children of Israel, do not see how deep our sinfulness and idolatry goes unless God reveals it to us.  And even when He does, we can be like babies crying for our dummy because it is the only comfort we have known until now.  How good, gracious and kind God is to grind our idols into powder!  Instead of making us drink the metallic water like Moses did, God's grace fills our hearts and mouths with praise that honours and glorifies Him.