The Gospel and the Meaning of Christmas
With the Christmas season upon us, I just wanted to get a few thoughts down and send them to you in the hopes that it will help you in your journeys. What do we think about when we say things like “good tidings” or “peace on earth?”
The best place to start is God—He is the holy and righteous Lord and Judge of the universe. First Samuel 2:2 says, “There is none holy like the Lord.” Hebrews 9:7 says that, “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” We will all stand before God one day, unholy as we are, and face His uncorrupted assessment of our lives.
Many people shrug this off, thinking something along the lines of, “Well, God knows my heart. I’m basically a good person—at least, I try to do what is right.” They trust that their good deeds will outweigh their bad. They are not sure, but they hope it is so.
But even that thought only provides temporary comfort. It’s not long from now that we all think thoughts or do something that we hope God won’t discover. It seems to come natural, but we begrudge the fact that He may be looking over our shoulders and into our hearts. It isn’t keeping with the warmth of the Christmas spirit. And it reveals something about what is really in our hearts.
God has a lot to say about our hearts, and it’s not a good prognosis. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.” The wisdom of Proverbs records that “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (14:12). Jesus said that “evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” come out of the heart (Mt 15:19), and who among us are not guilty of at least one of those indictments?
It seems that standing before a Holy God who knows the depths of our souls and the extent of our deeds is terrifying. It’s only our vanity that would tell us otherwise, so we come up with all manner of distractions so we won’t think deeply about this prospect. Even Christmas, the special time when we are “supposed” to ponder religious ideas like the Advent, has us busy with crowds and sales.
Some do turn to religion and church as a way of bribing their consciences. Some go whole hog, even going into seminary, while others just make certain they are in the pew every Sunday, giving money and time due to the preacher. Even so, many religious folk, claiming all kinds of pious deeds before Him, will hear Christ say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Mt 7:21–25).
So, where do the “good tidings” enter into the story?
Unfortunately, it only gets worse. Scripture not only warns that there is a Hell, but that we humans will inhabit it. Some in the last day will hear Christ say, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mat. 25:41), and we are warned that “Hell and destruction are never full” (Pro. 27:20, KJV). In fact, entire cultures are destined for Hell—in the example of Matthew 11:23, Christ warns that the city of Capernaum will be brought down into Hell. Revelation 21:8 states that “the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” This is a fearful list, for liars as well as murders, cowards as well as fornicators, will all go to Hell.
Being “religious,” as we have already looked at, is not enough to save us. Of the Jewish transgression of the Lord, the prophet declares, “Therefore Sheol {i.e., "Hell"} has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond measure, and the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude will go down...” (Isa 5:14). The Pharisees seemed to be without hope, as well, for Jesus asks them how they will escape their sentence to Hell (Mt 23:33).
Scripture is clear about the bad news facing man. We will all stand before a holy and righteous Judge who knows the secret corners of our hearts and knows our lifetime of deeds. Hell awaits those who deserve it, and we all do.
Wow, what a depressing letter! Where is the Christmas cheer? Well, it is necessary to first go through all of this in order to understand why the holiday brings peace to all peoples.
There is an all-important term in the Bible I want you to see. You have heard it in any number of contexts, but today I want to show you how the Bible uses it. The word is “gospel,” and it literally means “good news” or “good tidings.”
Consider the way we know it in the Christmas season. That starry night, when the shepherds were keeping their flocks, the angel appeared in the darkness and said, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Lk 2:10–11).
Understand, that from the beginning of time, God set a plan in motion to save those who, by His grace, realized their rotten state and wanted to get into a right relationship with Him. He does not want everyone to perish, but He is also righteous. He had to make a way to satisfy justice as well as extend grace to the brokenhearted. Throughout the Old Testament a Messiah was anticipated—One who would be both Savior and Lord.
As such, everything in history expected a coming time of gospel, of good news, when God could pardon our sins and wrongdoing and give us hope of a life spent with Him. That is why the angels’ announcement was so important: God could demonstrate His “love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).
The gospel or “good news” is the message that, while we deserve wrath and death, the “free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:26). As you know, Christ did not stay dead. He showed the world that He has the power to save us from sin and death by raising Himself from the grave three days after His crucifixion.
The gospel or “good news” is the message that Christ died, was buried, and raised again on the third day according to the Scripture (1 Cor 15:3–4). Perhaps you have wondered why Christians display the cross so much when, not only is it an instrument of torture, but it is also the manner in which the Lord was murdered. That is because it is a symbol of God’s divine love and power for us: its cruelty demonstrates the punishment that we deserve, that Christ bore on Himself; the fact that it is empty demonstrates that it did not have the ability to keep Him in the grave. It is a reminder that Christ is good news for all of us: that He died and rose again. Second Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
We deserve judgment—Romans 3:10–11, 23 say, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” However, God never leaves us without hope. While all sin, all can be “justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (v. 24). While all fall short of His glory, “free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:26).
What do we do? Obviously, the Bible would not spend so much time warning us of judgment if everyone is now allowed to go to Heaven. As such, there are many who try to keep the Ten Commandments, who try to balance the scales in their favor, but even those of us who actually have all ten memorized find that we still fall short. Some just try to be caring, giving to others.
Ephesians 2:8–9 comes to our aid in trying to discover the answer: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Not only does God realize our inadequacies in keeping His standards, but He does not want us boastfully waving our imperfect ways in front of Him as a ticket into Heaven! The key to our salvation in this verse is faith: for without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb 11:6).
What a relief this is to those who feel as though we have a debt before God that we cannot pay! This is good news—the justified live by faith. But, as another word we often use, what is “faith?”
Faith implies two things in the Bible: belief (which is obvious) and trust (which is not always so obvious). We obviously have to believe that a literal Jesus was born, died on the cross, and rose from the dead. Yet, much like a parachute in a falling plane, belief in a way to salvation is not the same as putting the thing on your body and taking the plunge. It is an all-or-nothing proposition: either the parachute will open and save you or you have placed your faith in the wrong object. Similarly, faith in Christ is meaningless unless you first—in His words—“count the cost,” denying your former manner of life (Lk 14:27–33), placing your full trust and hope in Him.
Consider the following. Scripture says that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved…. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Rom 10:9, 13). This confession requires belief, but it also requires your trust, implying another Bible word—repentance. To declare that “He is my Lord” is to declare that “I am no longer the lord of my life.” Therefore, to bow your head and heart before Him with such a prayer is a radical commitment that cannot be chosen without first counting the cost.
It takes a unique combination of humility and boldness to admit our human failings and need for Him. Sometimes we fall into thinking we can earn God’s favor through some spiritual community service. However, the Bible warns us that even our good deeds, our self-righteous acts, appear as cloths soiled with bodily fluids in His pure and holy sight (Is 64:6). In fact, if it were possible to justify ourselves before God, Christ would have died for no purpose (Gal 2:21). Considering how often and how hard we fail, it is a gracious and wonderful offer that He extends—not according to our works but according to His mercy (Titus 3:5).
It is not possible for us to balance the scales in our favor, no matter how much we do what a human priest tells us. Instead, we need to confess our sins directly to God, the One we have offended, and then confess our need for Him to be Savior and Lord. He has made a way out of our darkness, if only we confess our sin before Him and our need for His salvation. Like the father in the story of the prodigal son, He awaits the sinner with open arms. He stands ready to forgive all sin and create within you a new heart that will seek His ways. His gift to the world that Christmas morn—to you—is that you can be reconciled to Him, that you can become His disciple, beginning a journey of growth and discovery in the Bible through the power of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the way is rough, so “count the cost” before accepting this gift. However, His grace is already evident in your life in that you are alive and able to receive this word. All you lack now is to seek Him in repentance—speak to Him about turning from the futility of your current life to His wondrous glories and ways.
I hope this can be a blessing during your holiday preparations.
The best place to start is God—He is the holy and righteous Lord and Judge of the universe. First Samuel 2:2 says, “There is none holy like the Lord.” Hebrews 9:7 says that, “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” We will all stand before God one day, unholy as we are, and face His uncorrupted assessment of our lives.
Many people shrug this off, thinking something along the lines of, “Well, God knows my heart. I’m basically a good person—at least, I try to do what is right.” They trust that their good deeds will outweigh their bad. They are not sure, but they hope it is so.
But even that thought only provides temporary comfort. It’s not long from now that we all think thoughts or do something that we hope God won’t discover. It seems to come natural, but we begrudge the fact that He may be looking over our shoulders and into our hearts. It isn’t keeping with the warmth of the Christmas spirit. And it reveals something about what is really in our hearts.
God has a lot to say about our hearts, and it’s not a good prognosis. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.” The wisdom of Proverbs records that “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (14:12). Jesus said that “evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” come out of the heart (Mt 15:19), and who among us are not guilty of at least one of those indictments?
It seems that standing before a Holy God who knows the depths of our souls and the extent of our deeds is terrifying. It’s only our vanity that would tell us otherwise, so we come up with all manner of distractions so we won’t think deeply about this prospect. Even Christmas, the special time when we are “supposed” to ponder religious ideas like the Advent, has us busy with crowds and sales.
Some do turn to religion and church as a way of bribing their consciences. Some go whole hog, even going into seminary, while others just make certain they are in the pew every Sunday, giving money and time due to the preacher. Even so, many religious folk, claiming all kinds of pious deeds before Him, will hear Christ say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Mt 7:21–25).
So, where do the “good tidings” enter into the story?
Unfortunately, it only gets worse. Scripture not only warns that there is a Hell, but that we humans will inhabit it. Some in the last day will hear Christ say, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mat. 25:41), and we are warned that “Hell and destruction are never full” (Pro. 27:20, KJV). In fact, entire cultures are destined for Hell—in the example of Matthew 11:23, Christ warns that the city of Capernaum will be brought down into Hell. Revelation 21:8 states that “the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” This is a fearful list, for liars as well as murders, cowards as well as fornicators, will all go to Hell.
Being “religious,” as we have already looked at, is not enough to save us. Of the Jewish transgression of the Lord, the prophet declares, “Therefore Sheol {i.e., "Hell"} has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond measure, and the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude will go down...” (Isa 5:14). The Pharisees seemed to be without hope, as well, for Jesus asks them how they will escape their sentence to Hell (Mt 23:33).
Scripture is clear about the bad news facing man. We will all stand before a holy and righteous Judge who knows the secret corners of our hearts and knows our lifetime of deeds. Hell awaits those who deserve it, and we all do.
Wow, what a depressing letter! Where is the Christmas cheer? Well, it is necessary to first go through all of this in order to understand why the holiday brings peace to all peoples.
There is an all-important term in the Bible I want you to see. You have heard it in any number of contexts, but today I want to show you how the Bible uses it. The word is “gospel,” and it literally means “good news” or “good tidings.”
Consider the way we know it in the Christmas season. That starry night, when the shepherds were keeping their flocks, the angel appeared in the darkness and said, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Lk 2:10–11).
Understand, that from the beginning of time, God set a plan in motion to save those who, by His grace, realized their rotten state and wanted to get into a right relationship with Him. He does not want everyone to perish, but He is also righteous. He had to make a way to satisfy justice as well as extend grace to the brokenhearted. Throughout the Old Testament a Messiah was anticipated—One who would be both Savior and Lord.
As such, everything in history expected a coming time of gospel, of good news, when God could pardon our sins and wrongdoing and give us hope of a life spent with Him. That is why the angels’ announcement was so important: God could demonstrate His “love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).
The gospel or “good news” is the message that, while we deserve wrath and death, the “free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:26). As you know, Christ did not stay dead. He showed the world that He has the power to save us from sin and death by raising Himself from the grave three days after His crucifixion.
The gospel or “good news” is the message that Christ died, was buried, and raised again on the third day according to the Scripture (1 Cor 15:3–4). Perhaps you have wondered why Christians display the cross so much when, not only is it an instrument of torture, but it is also the manner in which the Lord was murdered. That is because it is a symbol of God’s divine love and power for us: its cruelty demonstrates the punishment that we deserve, that Christ bore on Himself; the fact that it is empty demonstrates that it did not have the ability to keep Him in the grave. It is a reminder that Christ is good news for all of us: that He died and rose again. Second Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
We deserve judgment—Romans 3:10–11, 23 say, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” However, God never leaves us without hope. While all sin, all can be “justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (v. 24). While all fall short of His glory, “free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:26).
What do we do? Obviously, the Bible would not spend so much time warning us of judgment if everyone is now allowed to go to Heaven. As such, there are many who try to keep the Ten Commandments, who try to balance the scales in their favor, but even those of us who actually have all ten memorized find that we still fall short. Some just try to be caring, giving to others.
Ephesians 2:8–9 comes to our aid in trying to discover the answer: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Not only does God realize our inadequacies in keeping His standards, but He does not want us boastfully waving our imperfect ways in front of Him as a ticket into Heaven! The key to our salvation in this verse is faith: for without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb 11:6).
What a relief this is to those who feel as though we have a debt before God that we cannot pay! This is good news—the justified live by faith. But, as another word we often use, what is “faith?”
Faith implies two things in the Bible: belief (which is obvious) and trust (which is not always so obvious). We obviously have to believe that a literal Jesus was born, died on the cross, and rose from the dead. Yet, much like a parachute in a falling plane, belief in a way to salvation is not the same as putting the thing on your body and taking the plunge. It is an all-or-nothing proposition: either the parachute will open and save you or you have placed your faith in the wrong object. Similarly, faith in Christ is meaningless unless you first—in His words—“count the cost,” denying your former manner of life (Lk 14:27–33), placing your full trust and hope in Him.
Consider the following. Scripture says that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved…. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Rom 10:9, 13). This confession requires belief, but it also requires your trust, implying another Bible word—repentance. To declare that “He is my Lord” is to declare that “I am no longer the lord of my life.” Therefore, to bow your head and heart before Him with such a prayer is a radical commitment that cannot be chosen without first counting the cost.
It takes a unique combination of humility and boldness to admit our human failings and need for Him. Sometimes we fall into thinking we can earn God’s favor through some spiritual community service. However, the Bible warns us that even our good deeds, our self-righteous acts, appear as cloths soiled with bodily fluids in His pure and holy sight (Is 64:6). In fact, if it were possible to justify ourselves before God, Christ would have died for no purpose (Gal 2:21). Considering how often and how hard we fail, it is a gracious and wonderful offer that He extends—not according to our works but according to His mercy (Titus 3:5).
It is not possible for us to balance the scales in our favor, no matter how much we do what a human priest tells us. Instead, we need to confess our sins directly to God, the One we have offended, and then confess our need for Him to be Savior and Lord. He has made a way out of our darkness, if only we confess our sin before Him and our need for His salvation. Like the father in the story of the prodigal son, He awaits the sinner with open arms. He stands ready to forgive all sin and create within you a new heart that will seek His ways. His gift to the world that Christmas morn—to you—is that you can be reconciled to Him, that you can become His disciple, beginning a journey of growth and discovery in the Bible through the power of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the way is rough, so “count the cost” before accepting this gift. However, His grace is already evident in your life in that you are alive and able to receive this word. All you lack now is to seek Him in repentance—speak to Him about turning from the futility of your current life to His wondrous glories and ways.
I hope this can be a blessing during your holiday preparations.
