The Truth About Christmas


Most people appreciate, and even like, the Christmas story. It's a story of hope, a story of peace, a story of love. After all, what is more hopeful, peaceful, or loving than a new born Baby?!?! But is that all there is to it? Do you think it is just about a helpless Baby born in a stable and laid in some hay that was meant to feed farm animals. The story centers around a Baby born in the humblest of circumstances to a poor family with barely the means to even provide shelter. At first glance, it seems pretty quaint. Maybe even a little pitiful. That is until you realize exactly who the Baby is, and how this story fits into the backdrop of all of history.

You see, the Bible tells us that this Baby is in fact God come to earth (“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). - Matthew 1:23). The Bible tells us that the Baby's parents were to "call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) The Bible tells us that "though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:6-11)

If you know anything at all about the person of Jesus Christ, you must have some idea about why He had to die on the cross. It was to take the punishment that people rightly deserve for rebelling against God's moral law (1 John 3:4). Take, for instance, the first of God's Ten Commandments: You shall have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:3). You can see, as the creator of all that exists, God rightly deserves and requires that we worship Him and Him alone. God has given us our conscience (Romans 2:15), and it tells us that we most definitely have not loved God with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:35-40). At the very least, we've each made idols out of most everything in our lives and set them above the Most High God. At the worst, we've totally rejected God and even foolishly (Psalm 14) claimed that He doesn't exist.

To help you understand the gravity of our situation, consider 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9.
". . . when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction that comes from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might . . ."
Another enlightening chapter in the Bible is in the third chapter of the Gospel of John. This chapter contains what is probably the most famous Bible verse of our time:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
This verse is immediately followed by a most beautiful verse that clearly states the purpose of Jesus' leaving Heaven to come to earth.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.
John 3:17
This verse is in turn immediately followed by a verse that clearly states the problem for which Jesus came to intervene.
Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
John 3:18
Verses 35 and 36 of this same third chapter of John reiterates what verse 18 says.
The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
John 3:35-36
And finally, the solution to this problem of condemnation is foreshadowed earlier in this same chapter of the book of John when Jesus says to a religious leader named Nicodemus,
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God . . . Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
John 3:3;5-8
So, now that you're starting to get the bigger picture, let's consider the hope, peace, and love of the Christmas story. There is hope in the truth that Jesus was willing to suffer the punishment that guilty people, like you and me, rightly deserve. How wonderful that this truth makes it possible for the guilty to be at peace with a righteous and just God. Thus, God displayed His love for lost people by providing a way of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Maybe your asking, "Can this all really be true?" And that is a most important question to ask. In fact, the bigger question is, can the Bible be trusted? If not, then there's little chance that this story could possibly be true, the story about the King of all creation stepping off His throne to bare upon Himself the punishment that wicked people rightly deserve for offending Him. So I urge you, find out if the Bible can be trusted? I assure you, there is not a more important question for you to answer in your life.


If you have any questions and want to talk to a real person, go to this contact page for Grace Community Church in Maryville, TN, and send us your contact info. We would love to talk to you, when you are ready. And please take a few minutes to watch the video below of our favorite Christmas song.

Please take a few minutes and watch the two videos below. They each echo the theme of this site regarding the truth about the birth of Jesus Christ.