Christmas in Five Words

By: Edward Cortez

 

God sent forth His Son…” (Galatians 4:4). Christmas can be summed up in these five simple yet powerful words. Between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament there was a period of 400 years of silence during which God did not speak to the people and neither was there any Scripture written. Just imagine not hearing anything from God through His servants and no revelation of His truth was made for hundreds of years. These were not only years of dreadful and deafening silence but years of darkness, uncertainties, and hopelessness.

“But when the fullness of time had come…” the verse begins, “God sent forth His Son…” (Galatians 4:4). The prophet Isaiah prophesied about this exact moment in history, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2). And in fulfillment of this prophecy some 700 years later, the angel of the Lord announced to the terrified shepherds, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10).

God’s timetable is always perfect. He is never late nor early. The text says, “When the fullness of time had come…” The timing of the first advent of the Savior couldn’t be more perfect. “Pax Romana” or Roman peace and prosperity prevailed all over the empire. Infrastructures were built and remote places became more accessible – a condition ripe for the spread of the gospel concerning the coming of the Messiah. There was an intense hunger for spiritual knowledge due to the fact that for 400 years the people did not hear from God. The Greek culture known as “Hellenization” spread and aroused a new interest for spiritual things.

And so, when the fullness and perfect time of God came according to His divine calendar, “God sent forth His Son…”

Five words that sum up Christmas. Five words that set into the motion the divine plan of God for the redemption of mankind. Five words that can change your eternal destiny. If God did not send forth His Son, Jesus, there won’t be any celebration known as Christmas. No Christmas lights and no Christmas trees. No Christmas gifts and no Christmas carols. And above all, there won’t be any hope for humanity. We will be lost and lost forever. The reason we celebrate Christmas is because Jesus came to redeem us and that we might receive the adoption to sonship through faith in Him (Galatians 4:5).

The value of the gift speaks of the great love of the Giver and the great worth of the receiver. God will not send His very best if you are not worth the very best. The greatest gift you can ever receive this Christmas is the gift of God’s Son. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Trust Him today as your Savior.