God With Us

 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

(John 1:14 ESV)

 

As we gather to celebrate Christmas, we know what it is that we’re celebrating. We know that we’re celebrating Jesus. We know that we’re celebrating his birth.

 

We do so because, even though he was born into the world like you and me, he’s no ordinary man. We know and believe that he’s the Savior. He’s the Savior, promised by God, from the very beginning.

 

He’s the Savior, sent by the Father, to die on the cross. He’s the Savior, sent by God, to pay the penalty of our sin. He’s the Savior, sent by God, to deliver us from sin, death, and the devil.

 

Yet, although this is true, there is much more to it. There is so much, in fact, that it’s mind-blowing. And John highlights this in the first chapter of his gospel.

 

In verses 1 & 2 of this chapter, he writes: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”

 

Here we find that, although Jesus was born into the world like any other baby, this was not the beginning of his existence. We find, in fact, that he’s always existed. He was there in the beginning, when all things were made. He, in other words, preexisted all that’s been made. We find, then, that Jesus is eternal.

 

We find that Jesus is not a mere man. We find that he’s God himself. The Word, John says, “was God.”

 

Yet, although Jesus is God, he and the Father are two distinct persons. He was with God, John says. So, they are not two manifestations of one person. They are two persons who, together with the Holy Spirit, are one God.

 

In verse 3, John says: “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

 

We tend to think of God the Father, alone, as the creator. But, according to John, so too is Jesus. All things were made through him. Nothing was made apart from him. And this, again, assures us that Jesus is God.

 

“In him was life…” John tells us in verse 4. Jesus, he says, is the source of life. He’s the one who gave life in the beginning, and he’s the source of eternal life.

 

This is the person we celebrate at Christmas. And this person, who is the eternal God, the creator of all things, and the giver of life, became flesh. As we see in the above verse, he became flesh and dwelt among us.

 

God became man. The creator became like his creation. The eternal became finite. The immortal became mortal. And he did so that he might die. He did so that he might pay the penalty of our sins.

 

Even though it’s beyond comprehension, may this reality be part of our Christmas celebration. Let’s celebrate God made flesh. Let us celebrate God who provided for our salvation by the sacrifice of his Son.