In Recognition of Christmas

In his epistle to the Romans, Paul writes, "While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom 5:6). That is remarkable. He goes on to talk about how it is reasonable that someone might give their life for a good person, "... but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8). That, dear reader, is a big "but". That same "but" shows up over in Ephesians. There Paul describes us as "dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience" (Eph 2:1-2). Again we read, "But God" where he says,

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Eph 2:4-7)

A really, really big "but". It constitutes a significant break between "what we're like" and "what God is like." It demonstrates the immensity of His grace and mercy and love and kindness.

In Paul's second letter to Corinth we read, "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself" (2 Cor 5:19). Adam's sin brought sin to all (Rom 5:12) and Christ's death reconciled us to God (Rom 5:10). Did you catch that? We -- sinners, dead, enemies of God -- were in conflict with God and God reconciled us to Himself through Christ's death. That's a huge distance to go, especially given our sin condition and the lack of any obligation on His part to do so.

This month we celebrate the Incarnation -- God became flesh. This month we celebrate the event that provided the only possible answer to our sin problem. This month we recognize the one true answer to global climate change, dirty politics, school shootings, rampant crime, sexual abuse -- the general sinful and depraved condition in which we find our world. That answer is Christ. "God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ." He reconciles us to Himself through Christ.

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (2 Cor 5:18-19)

Let that be part of your Christmas celebration and the rest of your year.