“You shall call His name Jesus: for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21, NASB).
These words underscore the purpose for which Christ was born. They were the words of the angel of the Lord speaking to Joseph in a dream. The angel was talking to him about the special child Mary was pregnant with as a virgin.
At the time, all of humanity was headed for self-destruction. All were bound by the power of sin. No one could deliver himself from that bondage. Eternal damnation was certain for all. But heaven intervened, and God sent His Son to save us.
For Christians, this is what Christmas is all about. I thank God for the special family time I experience during Christmastime. I thank Him for the expressions of love and the gift sharing. But these are not the real deal. Rather, God came down in the person of His Son to save us from our sins.
Many people today are in bondage to sin and want to be free. They don’t like the person they have become. But they are looking for deliverance in all the wrong places.
Being religious and faithfully attending a local church won’t save you from your sins. New Year’s Day resolutions won’t get the job done. More than good intentions are required. God has sent His Son as the only solution to man’s sin problem.
Sharing the Good News of Christmas
In his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul writes, “All these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18, NASB). Paul was talking specifically about himself and the other apostles. But that is also true of us as well. That is, that God has reconciled us to Himself and given us the ministry of reconciliation.
What is the ministry of reconciliation? It is the ministry of appealing to the lost to be reconciled to God. Every Christian should be involved in this work.
Accordingly, during Christmastime, we should become more proactive in telling others about Jesus. The ground is fertile for such conversations to be had. That’s because for Christians, Christ is what Christmas is all about. It is expected for people to talk about Jesus. And we all have family members and friends who don’t know Christ as their Savior. Christmas is a good time to share Christ with them.
Even family members and friends who don’t know Christ as their Savior travel across land and sea to be together for Christmas. It just seems to be something special in the air during Christmastime. For many, it’s the only time of the year they see some of their family and friends from afar. Let us be sure to share the good news of Christmas with the lost. They don’t have to live in bondage to sin. God has sent His Son to save us from our sins.
Copyright © 2024 by Frank King. All rights reserved.