Christmas season is here! What makes it exciting? To listen to mainstream media, it’s the gifts, snow, and idealized family time viewed through frost covered windows. It has become the “holiday season.” Mary and Joseph watching over their little Son in the manger has been mostly removed from public spaces. True Christianity stands apart from all other world religions in its central claim: that God Himself became an inseparable, eternal part of human history as the baby Jesus, who would mature and become the Savior of the whole world. The teaching that Jesus became fully human while remaining fully divine is not a peripheral teaching but the very heart of Christian faith. This truth is essential to Christianity, and when it is left out of the Christmas story, many are spiritually robbed and left destitute.
At the core of Christianity is the frightening truth that humanity is estranged from God by sin. The Incarnation of Jesus’ birth reveals God’s solution: He did not remain distant but came near to us, becoming genuinely human. Jesus’ humanity was necessary for Him to live in the same conditions as we live, without sinning, and then to offer Himself as a sacrifice on our behalf. As the Letter to the Hebrews explains, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14). Without becoming human, Jesus, being God, could not have died, and without His death, the power and penalty of sin would remain unpaid.
The Incarnation demonstrates that God plans intimacy with His people. By becoming human, Jesus experienced hunger, fatigue, sorrow, and joy. He walked among ordinary people, touched lepers, wept at a friend’s tomb, and celebrated at weddings. This shared humanity assures Christians that God truly understands their struggles. As Hebrews 4:15 declares, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” Knowing that Jesus became human gives believers confidence to approach God honestly, trusting that He listens with compassion. Christian living is marked by prayer and reliance on God who is not aloof, but deeply involved.
Jesus’ humanity also provides a model for how Christians are to live. His life demonstrates what it means to love God and neighbor in tangible ways. He forgave enemies, lived unselfishly, and embodied humility. Philippians 2:5–8 urges believers to absorb Christ’s mindset: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus… he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!” The Incarnation shows that holiness is not abstract but lived out in daily choices. For Christians, knowing Jesus transforms morality from a list of rules into a living relationship with the One who exemplified perfect love.
Finally, the Incarnation is the foundation of Christian hope. Because Jesus became human, His resurrection was not merely spiritual but bodily. This assures believers that their own future resurrection will be real and physical. The Incarnation affirms the goodness of creation and the human body, promising that redemption encompasses the whole person. In times of suffering, Christians who know the truth that Jesus, who shared their humanity, overcame death and now reigns as the risen Lord, have solid hope, not wishful thinking. This hope empowers them to endure trials with courage and to live with anticipation of eternal life.
Please, this Christmas place Jesus in the center of the celebration of His birth! Give everyone, but especially the children in your life, the hope that comes from knowing Jesus.
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