Christmas has become a very commercialized holiday and for many the true meaning of Christmas has been forgotten. I really enjoy Christmas and I love decorating my home with Christmas decorations. This can be fun but we must not lose sight of the real meaning of Christmas. We are celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Paul states in Galatians 4:4, “But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son.” The Bible shows the timing of God is always according to His perfect plan. The world was ripe for His coming. The political situation had Rome ruling the known world. We had the Greek language as the world language of commerce. A Roman citizen was able to travel through the empire something that had not been possible before or since that time. It was the perfect time to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When we look at the moral and spiritual situation we find a world that needed a spiritual awakening. Judaism had become a legalistic system that was dead spiritually. Other cultures had pagan gods. Society was devoid spiritually.
The birth of Jesus was a humble birth. He was born in a stable for animals in Bethlehem. At the time His birth went unnoticed but His impact would later change the world forever. We read in Galatians 4:5 the purpose of Christ’s coming which was, “to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” As sinners, humanity was condemned by the law. But the birth of Christ changed all of that and salvation is now available when we accept Christ into our heart.
Christ took our condemnation by going to the cross and dying in our place. Verse 5 is very clear about Christ’s purpose, “to redeem.” Paul makes it very clear that Christ’s ultimate purpose was our adoption into the family of God. The sin of Adam and Eve broke our relationship with God. Jesus came to restore that broken relationship and make us part of the body of Christ. If we look at both redemption and adoption we realize that redemption is a legal act that delivers us from sin. This had to happen for the salvation of the world. Never take this for granted because our redemption came as a result of the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Adoption is an act of love. Paul states that Jesus came “that we might receive adoption.” If we look at Roman law we find that adoption meant that the person received the full benefit and status of a natural born child. At our adoption we become sons of God.
Christ came to earth over two thousand years ago. The event we celebrate on Christmas Day was just the beginning. Don’t let the commercialism of what for many is just a holiday take away the true meaning of Christmas. Remember that because of Christ we are now children of God and are heirs of eternal life. That is why Jesus Christ came to earth on that first Christmas Day.
Pastor Ralph