The Christmas Gift

God's Gift. This "Christmas Gift" to the world was our "Mighty God" and our "Eternal Father" (Isaiah 9:6). I was amazed when our first baby was born. My wife and I were excited and amazed all at the same time. There was nothing like that baby. She was so soft and so very small. You could hold her in two hands. If you touched her skin it was softer than cotton. If you stroked her skin, your finger left an imprint. She was beautiful, fun, and so very dependent. Unbelievable! Baby Jesus was just like that with His soft skin. Yet, He was our all-powerful Mighty God.

Before He was born in the human realm, He existed as the Eternal God. This baby which had just been born in water and blood had existed before His mother existed - before she was born. He was the Eternal God. This baby had planned His own birth into this world. He had selected His own parents. The angels who gave the great news to Joseph, Mary, and the shepherds out in the field had been sent by Him. This baby was no ordinary baby. He was the eternal living God. In the New Testament, we are told that He has "life in Himself" (John 5:26). To say that the baby was eternal means that He self-existed before all of us, and He will exist after us. Eternal is eternal. That is why He will be the Prince of Peace forever and ever.

Gift Opened. Some thirty-three years later Jesus was an adult and finally revealed Himself as the true "Christmas Gift" by dying on a wooden cross for the sins of the entire world. He planned His own birth. He did not come just to live here, or to have a fun time. No! He came into the world to tell us about God (John 14:9), to teach us the truth, and to heal many as a sign that He was God. The Apostle John says,

. . . many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. (NASB) John 20:30-31

Conclusion. This "Christmas Gift" eventually died so that He - God - could forgive our sins. He was the gift. His death was the gift which permits God to forgive our sins. Today, God is still offering "gifts." He offers to each one of us the gift of forgiveness that gives us life with the Eternal One.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (NASB) Eph. 2:8-9

The gift of forgiveness is given when we believe that Jesus is God and want Him to forgive our sins. We want to encourage you to click on the words at the link called "Do You Believe?" It is the ultimate Christmas story and explains what it means to believe in Jesus. He offers peace (John 14:27), joy (John 15:11), and eternal life (John 10:28). The first "Christmas Gift" was an expression of God's great, awesome, incredible, and wonderful love.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (NASB) John 3:16