There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
For the propagation of the gospel in foreign parts and the enlargement of the church by the bringing in of many to it.
O let the gospel be proclaimed to the whole creation; Mark 16:15(ESV) for how are men to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? Romans 10:14-15(ESV) And who shall send out laborers but the Lord of the harvest? Matthew 9:38(ESV)
Let the people dwelling in darkness see a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them let a light dawn. Matthew 4:16(ESV)
Add to your church day by day those who are being saved; Acts 2:47(ESV) enlarge the place of its tent, lengthen its cords, and strengthen its stakes. Isaiah 54:2(ESV)
Bring your offspring from the east and gather them from the west; say to the north, “Give up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring your sons from afar and your daughters from the end of the earth.” Isaiah 43:5-6(ESV) Let them come with acceptance to your altar, and beautify your beautiful house; let them fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows. Isaiah 60:7-8(ESV)
In every place let incense be offered to your name, and pure offerings; and from the rising of the sun to its setting, let your name be great among the nations, Malachi 1:11(ESV) and let the offering of the Gentiles be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:16(ESV)
O let the earth be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 11:9(ESV)
For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.
Hebrews 9:24-25
The writer points out that the old system required endless repetition of sacrifice. The effect of these sacrifices never lasted very long. A man had to bring a fresh sacrifice every time he sinned, and once a year the whole nation had to offer the same sacrifice, year after year. The old arrangement required repetition. But the new arrangement is beyond time, as well as beyond space. The cross of Christ is a contemporary sacrifice, it was offered at one point in history, but the effect of it, the results and blessings of it, are available at any time, forward or backward from that point of history. What a great advantage this is over the old system!
I was born on the wind-swept plains of North Dakota. I remember as a boy sometimes seeing at night the flames of a prairie fire lighting the horizon, sweeping across the grass of those prairies. Such prairie fires were terrible threats to the pioneers who crossed the plains in their covered wagons. Often these fires would burn for miles and miles, threatening everything in their path. When they would see such a fire coming toward them, driven before the wind, they had a device they would use to protect themselves. They would simply light another fire and the wind would catch it up and drive it on beyond them, and then they would get in the burned-over place, and when the fire coming toward them reached it, it found nothing to burn and went out.
God is saying that the cross of Jesus Christ is such a burned-over place. Those who trust in it, and rest in the judgment that has already been visited upon it, have no other judgment to face. That is why Paul can write with such triumph in Romans 8: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, (Romans 8:1 KJV). In the realm of the spirit we have already been forgiven everything. We need now only to acknowledge wrong, confess it, and, the moment we do, forgiveness is already ours. We need only to say, Thank you for it, and take it.
Father, I pray that I may learn to rest upon this new arrangement and thus be equipped to enter into every situation, face any circumstance or any problem with the adequacy which is yours, available to me.
Life Application
Are we burdened with continuing self-judgment for sin which is forever covered by Jesus’ atoning sacrifice? How does confession of sins free us to experience His forgiveness and rejoice in the judgment He has borne for us?
23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
This section of verses that show Jesus’ life are focused on His attributes. In His earthly ministry we’ve seen Him as servant, teacher, shepherd, intercessor, and healer. We then looked at His attributes of omniscience, His authority, and now His sinlessness.
He came from glory where righteousness reigns. He descended to an earth that’s cursed where every single human is depraved, thoroughly drenched with a sin nature. He lived among us, sinlessly and perfectly fulfilling the Father’s commands for righteous living. He did this at every moment in every way. Not one blot, not one thought, not one act of anything less than perfection.
For this, He was reviled, mocked, hated, and killed.
In what sense did Jesus become “sin on our behalf”? Does that phrase mean that Jesus literally became a sinner on the cross? …
Based on the above passages, we can safely determine what 2 Corinthians 5:21 does not mean. It cannot mean that Jesus became unrighteous, or that He became a sinner, or that He took on a sin nature, or that He literally embodied sin. … So, then what does it mean? This brings us to our third point. … 3. The best way to understand Paul’s statement (that Jesus became sin on our behalf) is in terms of imputation. Our sin was imputed to Christ, such that He became a substitutionary sacrifice or sin offering for all who would believe in Him.
On the cross, Jesus took our sin upon Himself and purchased our salvation. We have “been justified by his blood” (Romans 5:9), and part of that justification is an imputation of His own righteousness. Paul puts it this way: “For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus is righteous by virtue of His very nature—He is the Son of God. By God’s grace, “through faith in Jesus Christ,” that righteousness is given “to all who believe” (Romans 3:22). That’s imputation: the giving of Christ’s righteousness to sinners.
Ligonier: Jesus’ Sinless Life Jesus lived a representative life. Jesus lived a sinless life, and it was, therefore, a life of representative sinlessness. Our Lord’s obedience stands in the place of His people’s sin. His law-keeping is counted as the law-keeping of those who have faith in Him.
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Thirty Days of Jesus Series-
Introduction/Background
Prophecies:
Day 1: The Virgin shall conceive Day 2: A shoot from Jesse Day 3: God sent His Son in the fullness of time Day 4: Marry her, she will bear a Son
Birth & Early Life-
Day 5: The Babe has arrived! Day 6: The Glory of Jesus Day 7: Magi seek the Child Day 8: The Magi Offer gifts & worship Day 9: The Child Grew Day 10- the Boy Jesus at the Temple Day 11: He was Obedient
The Second Person of the Trinity-
Day 12: The Son! Day 13: God is pleased with His Son Day 14: Propitiation Day 15: The Gift of Eternal Life Day 16: Kingdom of Darkness to Light Day 17: Jesus’ Preeminence Day 18: The Highest King Day 19: He emptied Himself Day 20: Jesus as The Teacher Day 21: The Good Shepherd Day 22: The Intercessor Day 23: The Compassionate Healer
Attributes
Day 24: Jesus’ Omniscience Day 25: Jesus’ Authority
Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food; but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord; and the Lord is for the body. Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. (6:13–14)
Food and the stomach were created by God for each other. Their relationship is purely biological. It is likely the Corinthians were using this truth as an analogy to justify sexual immorality. The Greek text says literally, “The foods the belly, the belly the foods.” Perhaps this was popular proverb meant to celebrate the idea that “Sex is no different from eating: the stomach was made for food, and the body was made for sex.” But Paul stops them short. “It is true that food and the stomach were made for each other,” he is saying, “but it is also true that that relationship is purely temporal.” One day, when their purpose has been fulfilled, God will do away with both of them. That biological process has no place in the eternal state. Not so with the body itself. The bodies of believers are designed by God for much more than biological functions. The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord; and the Lord is for the body. Paul had a better proverb in mind with that statement. The body is to be the instrument of the Lord, for His use and glory. Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. Our bodies are designed not only to serve in this life but in the life to come. They will be changed bodies, resurrected bodies, glorified bodies, heavenly bodies—but they will still be our own bodies. The stomach and food have only a horizontal, temporal relationship. At death the relationship ceases. But our bodies are far more than biological. For believers they also have a spiritual, vertical relationship. They belong to God and they will forever endure with God. That is why Paul says, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory” (Phil. 3:20–21). We need to take serious care of this body because it will rise in glory to be the instrument that carries our eternally glorious and pure spirit throughout eternity.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1984). 1 Corinthians (pp. 149–150). Moody Press.
“Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food,” but God will destroy both of them. The body is not for immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. a. “ ‘Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food.’ ” Beginning with a general slogan, “all things are permissible to me,” Paul now recites a specific proverbial saying: it pertains to food and the stomach. The composer of this saying, whoever he was, made it vivid by reversing the two nouns in its second half. Therefore, the public readily accepted the motto. But even though Paul acknowledges the truth of this proverb, he adds a comment to the motto in a manner similar to that of the preceding text (see v. 12). God has created a world that produces a variety of foods to sustain life. If not wasted, food terminates in the stomach of the one who eats. And conversely, a stomach receives food for the benefit of the consumer. This is how God designed his great creation. But God also sets limits. Food products that are subject to perishing, and human life, which is subject to aging, in time pass away. Both food and the stomach are temporal and lack permanence. b. “But God will destroy both of them.” Here Paul addressed the temporality of food and the stomach. To stress their fleeting nature, he states that God will destroy both. In this context, Paul does not elaborate on either eating foods offered to idols, Christian liberty, or eating and drinking to God’s glory. Elsewhere he addresses those topics (8; 10:23–33). c. “The body is not for immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” The message Paul delivers to the Corinthians is that they should not identify sexual appetite with an appetite for food and drink. J. B. Lightfoot notes that the Corinthians confused the prohibitions of two different categories, “meats and drinks on the one hand, and sins of sensuality on the other.” Food and drink should be consumed with moderation and discretion. But consumption as such is not a matter of morality, for anyone with sanctified common sense wishes to be and to remain healthy. Conversely, God’s command to shun fornication and adultery relates to sexual morality. God created the human body not for sinful pleasure but for his glory. He formed it in his image and after his likeness (Gen. 1:26), not for sexual immorality. The members of the Jerusalem Council knew that the Gentiles considered sexual immorality acceptable. Thus, to the decrees on food the council members added the moral law: “To abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from strangled animals, and from fornication” (Acts 15:29). Those Corinthians who flaunted their freedom in Christ considered themselves free to indulge in eating and in sexual gratification. But their sexual immorality violated the precepts of the Jerusalem Council and was a transgression of the Decalogue (Exod. 20:14; Deut. 5:18). God created man’s physical body for service in his creation (Gen. 1:28). He instituted marriage for the propagation of the human race and for the enrichment of the marriage partners. He sees the use of the human body for fornication to be absolutely contrary to this purpose (see 1 Thess. 4:3–5). Hence Paul notes that the body is to serve the Lord and, he adds, the Lord is for the body. To the slogan of the Corinthians Paul adds his own teaching. He parallels the rhythm and style of their slogan: Food for the stomach and the stomach for food. The body for the Lord and the Lord for the body.
As food and the stomach are meant for each other so the physical body and the Lord serve each other. Both food and the stomach are of passing significance, but the body and the Lord have lasting significance in relation to the resurrection. The parallelism should not be pressed to its logical conclusion, for that is not Paul’s purpose. Our physical body, created by God but stained by sin, will at death descend into the grave. It has been redeemed by Christ and will be raised as his body was raised. The Lord claims this body because it belongs to him (Rom. 14:8).
Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, pp. 194–196). Baker Book House.
Bring ye all of the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (Malachi 3:10)
Many read and plead this promise without noticing the condition upon which the blessing is promised. We cannot expect heaven to be opened or blessing poured out unless we pay our dues unto the Lord our God and to His cause. There would be no lack of funds for holy purposes if all professing Christians paid their fair share.
Many are poor because they rob God. Many churches, also, miss the visitation of the Spirit because they starve their ministries. If there is no temporal meat for God’s servants, we need not wonder if their ministry has been little food in it for our souls. When missions pine for means and the work of the Lord is hindered by an empty treasury, how can we look for a large amount of soul-prosperity?
Come, come! What have I given of late? Have I been mean to my God? Have I stinted my Savior? This will never do. Let me give my Lord Jesus His tithe by helping the poor and aiding His work, and then I shall prove His power to bless me on a large scale.
35. What is the meaning of, “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary?”
That the eternal Son of God, who is and continues true and eternal God,1 took upon Himself the very nature of man, of the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary,2 by the work of the Holy Spirit;3 so that He also might be the true seed of David,4 like His brothers in all things,5 sin excepted.6
1 Jn 1:1, 10:30-36; Rom 1:3, 9:5; Col 1:15-17; 1 Jn 5:20; 2 Mt 1:18-23; Jn 1:1-4; Gal 4:4; Heb 2:14; 3 Lk 1:35; 4 2 Sam 7:12-16; Ps 132:11; Mt 1:1; Lk 1:32; Rom 1:3; 5 Php 2:7; Heb 2:17; 6 Heb 4:15, 7:26-27
36. What benefit do you receive from the holy conception and birth of Christ?
That He is our Mediator,1 and with His innocence and perfect holiness2 covers, in the sight of God, my sin, in which I was conceived.
1 1 Tim 2:5-6; Heb 9:13-15; 2 Rom 8:3-4; 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 4:4-5; 1 Pt 1:18-19
Every year around this time the same questions arise, among both Christians and non-Christians: when and where was Jesus really born? Is Christmas secretly a pagan holiday? And what’s the deal with the chubby guy in red?
Since the biblical narrative often gets blended with extrabiblical tradition, art, and carols, I’m going to clear up the confusion with a bit of background info, a dash of mythbusting — and some surprising discoveries along the way.
What I’m not going to do is spoil anybody’s Christmas fun. Christmas is one of my favorite times of year, for a host of reasons extending from cozy family vibes to incarnational soteriology. I’m not going to tell you how you should or shouldn’t celebrate this holiday!
Instead, my goal is to add to the fun with some biblical context and historical facts that will help you understand and appreciate the “what” and “why” of many of our Christmas traditions — and make your own educated decision about which of them to include in your celebrations.
Was Jesus Actually Born on December 25?
Let’s get this one out of the way: the Bible does not give a date for Jesus’ birth — not in the prophets, not in the gospels, not in Paul’s letters. We don’t even get a season, though some scholars have tried to make guesses based on the fact that the sheep were out in the fields at the time (Luke 2:8), which possibly — though inconclusively — suggests warmer weather.
Indeed, the earliest attested dating of Jesus’ birth is given by Clement of Alexandria as May 20. But that was about 200 years after the fact, and Clement adds that it is disputed by other Christian groups.
It wasn’t until at least 300 AD that December 25 became the popular date.
Why December 25?
The most commonly repeated theory is that early Christians chose late December to replace pagan solstice festivals that happened around that time. Logically, that makes a lot of sense — after all, we do know that Christians occasionally adapted some aspects of pagan festival celebrations.
There’s just one problem: there’s no actual evidence for it among any ancient sources.
The truth is that we do not and cannot know on what day Jesus was born; Scripture is silent on the matter. But December 25 is as good a date as any to celebrate the birth of our Lord — especially with 1700 years of tradition behind it.
Why Do Orthodox Churches Celebrate Christmas on January 7?
Orthodox Christians calculate Christmas (and all other feast days) based on the Julian calendar, begun by Julius Caesar in 45 BC. That calendar was modified in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, creating the Gregorian calendar that all Western Christians eventually adopted.
It’s all pretty technical, but in most cases you can calculate the Julian date by taking the Gregorian date and adding 13 days — so, for Christmas, January 7.
Where Was Jesus Born?
Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem, just a few miles southwest of Jerusalem. This fulfilled a prophecy (Micah 5:2, cited in Matthew 2:5-6) that the Messiah would be born in the same town as King David (1 Samuel 17:12).
Judea at this time was under Roman occupation. Rome had established a puppet king named Herod, who was renowned for both his impressive architectural projects (such as the Second Temple and the city of Caesarea) and his incredible brutality (such as murdering several of his own children to prevent them taking the throne).
Because many Jews at the time unsurprisingly objected to being ruled by a tyrant installed by a pagan foreign power, revolt and rebellion were common — and so were messianic hope and expectation. Yet many expected the Messiah to be a warrior-king in the style of David who would deliver them from Roman rule (cf. Isaiah 9:6–7, Jeremiah 23:5–6).
What they didn’t expect was a baby born in a manger.
Was Jesus Really Born in a Manger?
Luke 2:7 says that Mary “wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them” (NIV). The Greek wordphatne is pretty consistent in its meaning, and nearly all English Bible versions translate it as “manger” or “feeding trough.”
It was probably a little different than what you’re picturing, based on most nativity scenes, though. Most mangers in ancient Israel were made of stone, not wood. And instead of being a barn outside of town, animals were typically kept on the first level of a house, with the human occupants on the second floor. (The Greek word katalyma, often translated as “guest room” [see above] in Luke 2:7, is the same word as the “upper room” for the Last Supper in Luke 22:11.)
So although certainly born in “humble circumstances,” as the NIV Application Commentary describes, it wasn’t quite as terrible as the open-air lean-to outside of town that we often see depicted in art and nativity scenes.
Why Were the Shepherds the First to See Jesus?
In Luke’s gospel, the first people to receive the Good News of Jesus’ birth outside of his immediate family were not priests, prophets, leaders, or kings, but shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem (Luke 2:8-14).
These shepherds are sometimes said to have been adolescent boys or girls, though I couldn’t find a source defending that statement. But what is clear is that they were among the lowest social classes in Judea at that time. Despite their positive depictions in much of the Bible (for example, Abraham and David were shepherds, and God is often described as a shepherd in the Psalms), they were considered unclean — as you might imagine from people who spent much of their lives sleeping in fields with their livestock.
So, just as God chose to be born to a young peasant woman in a stable, he chose to reveal that birth first to society’s outcasts. The clear message, of course, is of God’s care for the lowly and humble, the downtrodden and “unclean,” over against the rich and powerful.
It’s a theme that will appear over and over again in the gospels, throughout Jesus’ teachings and ministry, in his parables, his miracles, and perhaps most famously in the Sermon in the Mount.
And it provides an important lesson for us today. As easy as it is to look at the religious leaders of the Bible and wonder how they could be so blind and judgmental toward the same people God praises throughout his Word, instead we should remove the “plank” from our own eye, and ask, if Christ was born today, which of the people we look down on might he first announce his birth to?
When Did the Wise Men Visit Jesus?
Despite very common depictions otherwise, the magi or “wise men” in Matthew 2:1-12 almost certainly were not at Christ’s birth and may not have visited him until he was almost two years old. (It’s also unclear how many of them there were!)
Here’s how we know that:
The “magi from the east” (Matt. 2:1) likely traveled from Persia, or possibly Arabia, a journey that could have taken weeks or even months, depending on where in those great regions they came from (the Bible does not say).
In Matthew 2:11, the magi come to a “house” (oikos), rather than a stable or inn (katalyma), and they encounter a “child” (paidion) rather than a “baby” (brephos).
Upon learning he was duped, Herod ordered all children in Bethlehem under two years old to be slaughtered, “according to the time that he had learned from the magi” (Matt. 2:16, NRSVUE). If he had learned that the baby had just been born, he would have had a much easier time identifying him.
So, while we can’t know with certainty when the wise men reached Jesus, it seems likely that it was sometime after Jesus’ first birthday, but before his second.
Who Were the Magi?
The Greek word magos comes from a Persian word that originally meant “astrologer,” but could also have connotations of Zoroastrian priests or even sorcerers. (But probably not “kings” — sorry, John Henry Hopkins.) In this case, the priest/astrologer meaning is probably closest, making “wise men” a good general translation.
Interestingly, the Bible never says there were three of them. Because they brought three gifts (gold, frankincense, and myrrh), they were often imagined — or at least, conveniently illustrated — as three people. But there could have been more.
Who Was Saint Nicholas?
The historical Saint Nicholas was a bishop of Myra (modern-day Demre, Turkey), who lived from about 270–343 AD. Though little is known about his life, he quickly developed a posthumous reputation for miraculous interventions.
He was also known for giving gifts to children. One of the earliest stories about his life involves him saving three girls from being sold into prostitution by secretly chucking a bag of gold through their window each night for three nights. The money allowed their father to pay their wedding dowries and give them (hopefully) happier lives.
How Did Saint Nicholas Become Santa Claus?
It’s a long journey from 4th-century Turkish Saint Nicholas to our modern American Santa Claus, but a very quick summary goes something like this:
Legends of Saint Nicholas grew throughout the Middle Ages. He was very widely loved for his “wonderworking,” and eventually became the patron saint of children (and a lot of other people).
His feast day is celebrated on December 6. It became customary to give gifts to the poor (especially orphans) on that day, which later evolved into placing small toys in children’s shoes.
Clement Moore’s 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (more commonly known as “The Night Before Christmas”), based on those earlier traditions, gave us the modern legend of “Saint Nick,” complete with reindeer, red suit, and chimney.
Incredibly, today’s standard image of Santa Claus was developed by a political cartoonist to support the Union in the American Civil War. (You can’t make this stuff up, folks.)
A strong marketing push by Coca-Cola in the 1930s was instrumental in adapting the previous, more politicized Santa into the more commercially oriented Santa we know today.
No, Christmas is a thoroughly Christian holiday grounded in celebration of God’s historical incarnation as Jesus Christ, the Savior.
It’s possible that some of the traditions that developed around Christmas may have pagan (or at least not explicitly Christian) influence, but there’s no smoking gun:
The Bible is silent about what day Jesus was born — but the popular theory that Christmas was developed to replace a pagan holiday has little evidence to support it (see “Was Jesus Actually Born on December 25?” above).
Ancient pagans sometimes decorated their temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life — but it is actually the German Reformer Martin Luther who is credited with inventing the modern, candle-lit “Christmas tree.”
The modern Santa Claus (and his connection with gift-giving) is essentially a secular, commercial figure — but he is directly based on a real, 4th-century Christian bishop (see “Who Was Saint Nicholas?” above).
In short, although traditions like December 25, the Christmas tree, and gift-giving are not biblically supported, there are (debatable) Christian lineages to them. Christians can discern for themselves in prayer and good faith how they wish to celebrate the holiday — but they can certainly feel good about thanking God for the birth of his son!
Why Do Christians Celebrate Christmas?
Christians celebrate Christmas to give thanks to God for taking on human flesh in the form of Jesus Christ, a baby born to a young, poor woman in the small Judean town of Bethlehem more than 2000 years ago, and the prophesied Savior of the world.
In the words of the Nicene Creed, which says it much better than could I:
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
O Lord, how shall I meet You, how welcome You aright? Your people long to greet You, my Hope, my heart’s Delight! O, kindle, Lord most holy, Your lamp within my breast to do in spirit lowly all that may please You best.
Love caused Your incarnation; love brought You down to me. Your thirst for my salvation procured my liberty. O, love beyond all telling, that led You to embrace in love, all love excelling, our lost and fallen race.
Rejoice, then, you sad-hearted, who sit in deepest gloom, who mourn your joys departed and tremble at your doom. Despair not; He is near you, there, standing at the door, who best can help and cheer you and bids you weep no more.
Sin’s debt, that fearful burden, let not your soul distress; your guilt the Lord will pardon and cover by His grace. He comes, for men procuring the peace of sin forgiv’n, for all God’s sons securing their heritage in heav’n.
He comes to judge the nations, a terror to His foes, a light of consolations and blessed hope to those who love the Lord’s appearing. O glorious Sun, now come, send forth Your beams most cheering and guide us safely home.
It’s important to confess that we love being exalted and dislike being humbled. None of us enjoys moments when we are proven to be less than others, and we revel in situations where we are elevated. Acclaim, respect, appreciation, power, control, and position are seductive idols for us all. We hate to be embarrassed or shown to be weak. Being humbled is hard for us. Philippians 2 makes it clear that Jesus is not like us:
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:5–11)
As the apostle Paul calls the Philippian believers to live a life of humility, he encourages them to have the mind of Christ. Jesus, equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit in divine majesty, sovereignty, holiness, and power, willingly humbled himself. Paul assures us that Jesus wasn’t humbled, but rather willingly humbled himself. What did his willing humiliation look like?
He emptied himself. He took on the form of a servant. He took on human likeness. He became obedient, even to death on a cross.
Jesus didn’t come to earth in a display of divine splendor. From the manger to homelessness, mockery, rejection, and public crucifixion, Jesus’s life was a portrait of humility. He came to be not an earthly monarch but a sacrificial Lamb. Our justification and adoption as the children of God rest on the willing humiliation of the Son. We should be his humble and willing children. But, thankfully, our hope rests not on our willingness but on his.
Paul doesn’t stop with Jesus’s willing humiliation; he also points us to Christ’s exaltation. Humble Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father as the reigning King. The final defeat of sin and death and the delivery of the final kingdom of peace and righteousness rest on the exaltation of the Son. There will be a day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is, in fact, Lord.
Be thankful for the willing humiliation and great exaltation of the Son. The sacrificial Lamb is now a reigning King. Hallelujah!
Paul David Tripp (DMin, Westminster Theological Seminary) is a pastor, an award-winning author, and an international conference speaker. He has written numerous books, including Lead; Parenting; and the bestselling devotional New Morning Mercies. His not-for-profit ministry exists to connect the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life. Tripp lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Luella, and they have four grown children.
Every detail of Jesus’s birth was part of God’s plan before the foundations of the earth were set in place. So the promises and prophecies of his birth were detailed and specific.
The New Testament does not encourage us to puzzle our heads over the physical and psychological problems that the incarnatiton raises, but to worship God for the love that was shown in it.
Paul Tripp talks about his new book Everyday Gospel, compares it to his book New Morning Mercies, and shares how he’s praying for God to use it in the hearts of those who read it.
Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, (1:27a)
The second proper reaction to the Word of God is the willingness to apply it to one’s life without selfishness, with genuine concern for the welfare of others, especially those in great need. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is to serve them with love and compassion. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Katharos (pure) and amiantos (undefiled) are synonyms, the first emphasizing cleanliness, the second denoting freedom from contamination. James is not speaking of what may seem best to us, best to the world, or even best to fellow believers, but what is best in the sight of our God and Father. The genuineness of anyone’s religion is not determined by his or her own qualifications or standards but by God’s. The greatest spiritual mistake of the scribes, Pharisees, and other Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus was in that very regard. They had replaced God’s standards in the Law with their own man-made traditions. Of such men Jesus said, “You invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me’ ” (Matt. 15:6b–8). Episkeptomai (to visit) means much more than to drop by for a chat. It carries the ideas of caring for others, exercising oversight on their behalf, and of helping them in whatever way is needed. It is from the same root as episkopos, which means “overseer” and is sometimes translated “bishop” (see the NASB and KJV texts of Acts 20:28; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 2:25). Episkeptomai is used frequently in the New Testament of God’s visiting His people in order to help, strengthen, and encourage them (see, e.g., Luke 1:68, 78; 7:16; Acts 15:14 KJV; the NASB reading uses the expression “how God first concerned Himself about”; and Heb. 2:6 KJV; the NASB reading uses the expression “concerned about”). In speaking of the separation of the sheep and goats in the day of judgment, Jesus used the word to describe those who truly belong to and love Him, saying, “I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me” (Matt. 25:35–36, emphasis added). Actually, all of those ways of ministering could be included broadly under episkeptomai. To visit in a way that is pleasing to our God and Father is to meet as best we can all the needs of orphans and widows and any others in their distress. Generally, the neediest people in the early church were orphans and widows. There were no life insurance or welfare programs to support them. Jobs for either group were scarce, and if they had no close kin, or at least none who would help them, they were in desperate straits. But the principle applies to anyone in need. Because such people without parents and husbands are unable to reciprocate in any way, caring for them reveals true sacrificial love. God has always had special concern for orphans and widows and has commanded His people to reflect that same concern. David affirmed that “a father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, is God in His holy habitation” (Ps. 68:5). The Mosaic Law included the instruction, “You shall not afflict any widow or orphan” (Ex. 22:22), and,
“At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town. The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do” … “Cursed is he who distorts the justice due an alien, orphan, and widow.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.” (Deut. 14:28–29; 27:19)
Through Jeremiah, the Lord declared to Israel, “If you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever” (Jer. 7:5–7). Loving, selfless service to others, especially fellow believers, is also a frequent New Testament theme. Paul gave the command to “honor widows who are widows indeed” (1 Tim. 5:3), which included bestowing financial and any other help that was needed. John declares that
the one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.… By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.… We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.… We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1 John 2:10–11; 3:10–11, 14, 16)
Later in 1 John, he says,
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:7–12)
True Christianity is manifested from a pure and loving heart by the way believers talk and by the way they act. It is manifested by how they love and care for those who are in need, not by how they love and care for those they prefer, those who are close to them, or those with whom they share common traits and interests. Love is to be the central and most visible manifestation of salvation. And, as John makes clear, love for God cannot be separated from love for others, especially for fellow believers and most especially for those who are in … distress. The professed Christian who does not show such compassion has reason to doubt that he is born again. A truly redeemed heart reaches out to others (cf. Matt. 5:43–48; John 13:34–35).
WILLINGNESS TO APPLY THE WORD WITHOUT COMPROMISE
and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (1:27b)
The third proper reaction to the Word of God is the willingness to apply it to one’s life without moral or spiritual compromise. To keep translates a form of the Greek verb tēreō, indicating regular, continuous action. In other words, keeping oneself unstained by the world is the perpetual obligation of Christians, allowing for no exception or qualification. Those who belong to God are to be characterized by moral and spiritual purity, by unstained and unblemished holiness. Peter admonishes believers to “conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Pet. 1:17b–19). Neither James nor Peter is speaking of sinless perfection, a human spiritual condition solely manifested by Jesus in His incarnation. “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth,” the writer of Ecclesiastes assures us, “who continually does good and who never sins” (Eccles. 7:20). Although Paul could honestly say, “I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day” (Acts 23:1; cf. 24:16), he also confessed, “I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord” (1 Cor. 4:4), and “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want” (Rom. 7:18–19). Every Christian falls short of the Lord’s standards. Like Paul, we find ourselves doing things we know are wrong and not doing things we know are right (cf. Rom. 7:14–25). Even the most faithful and loving believer does not always show as much compassion as he should, love his fellow believers as he should, or love God as he should. James is speaking of the basic orientation of our lives, of our central commitment and allegiance. If that allegiance is right, then our deepest desire will be to love and care for others and to confess our selfish sin to the Lord when we do not. The genuine Christian cannot be happy or content when he fails to show compassion for others. It is not our perfection that proves our salvation but rather our hating our imperfections and seeking, with God’s help and power, to correct them. In his inmost heart, the genuine Christian longs to speak and do only those things that are holy, pure, loving, honest, truthful, and upright, things that are uncorrupted and unstained by the world. On the other hand, a person who does not have compassion for others, who is not concerned about living righteously, and whose satisfaction is found in his sin, cannot be a true disciple of Christ and child of God. Kosmos (world) has the basic meaning of order, arrangement, and sometimes of adornment. In the New Testament it is used figuratively of the earth (see Matt. 13:35; John 21:25) and the universe (see 1 Tim. 6:7; Heb. 4:3; 9:26). But most often it is used to represent fallen mankind in general and its ungodly spiritual systems of philosophy, morals, and values (see John 7:7; 8:23; 14:30; 1 Cor. 2:12; Gal. 4:3; Col. 2:8). That is the sense in which James uses the term in the present text. (See discussion below on 4:4.) With that meaning of world obviously in mind, John warns, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:15–16). Love of God and love of the world and the things of the world are totally incompatible and mutually exclusive. The phrase “the things of the world” does not pertain to such things as participating in business, being involved in social activities, or buying and using the material necessities of life. It is the overriding love of and allegiance to such things that are ungodly and come between men and God. Godly religion, that is, biblical Christianity, is a matter of holy obedience to God’s Word—reflected, among other ways, by our honesty in regard to ourselves, by our selflessness in regard to the needs of others, and by our uncompromising moral and spiritual stand in regard to the world.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1998). James (pp. 88–92). Moody Press.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. Scripture is not a book with concise definitions that can be applied to specific instances. The Bible teaches us the way of life that is pleasing to God and to our neighbor. Thus, James gives us not a precise definition in this verse but rather a principle. a. “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless.” When James says “God our Father,” he immediately introduces the family concept. We are God’s children because he is our Father. He expects us to pay due respect and love to him, to our brothers and sisters in God’s household, and to all people (Gal. 6:10). Within the family of God love is the prevailing characteristic because God himself is love. God sets the example. Here are a few random Scripture verses that illustrate this characteristic: A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. [Ps. 68:5] The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow. [Ps. 146:9] He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien. [Deut. 10:18] For the pagans run after all these things [physical needs], and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. [Matt. 6:32]
If, then, God sets the example, he expects his children to do what he does. If they follow God’s example, they demonstrate religion that is “pure and faultless.” These two adjectives show the positive (pure) and the negative (faultless) aspects; together they denote the essence of religion. And how do we practice our religion? James gives two examples: b. The first example pertains to the social circumstances and conditions of his day: “To look after orphans and widows in their distress.” Social conditions in ancient times were such that orphans and widows were unprotected because they had no guardian and breadwinner. God himself, therefore, filled that role. He exhorted the Israelite to be a protector and provider for the orphan and the widow (for example, see Deut. 14:29; Ezek. 22:7; Acts 6:1–6). The person who exhibits true religion visits the “orphans and widows in their distress.” He puts his heart into being a guardian and provider, he alleviates their needs, and shows them the love of the Lord in word and deed (Matt. 25:35–40). c. “To keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Even though James urges us to become socially involved in helping needy people around us, at the same time he warns us to stay away from a sinful world. Do we have to isolate ourselves from the world? No, we are always in the world but not of the world (John 17:14). Therefore, we ought not to imitate the ways of the world; rather, we ought to practice godliness. Writing about the coming of the Lord and the end of the world, Peter says, “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him” (2 Peter 3:14; and see 1 Tim. 6:14). In a sense James repeats what he said earlier, “Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent” (1:21). Members of God’s family have the word holy written on their foreheads. They “know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God” (James 4:4). They love and serve the Lord truly and sincerely.
Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of James and the Epistles of John (Vol. 14, pp. 64–66). Baker Book House.
Providence Baptist Church on RSBN featuring Pastor Dr Rusty Sowell live from Providence Baptist Church in Beauregard, AL Sunday Morning Worship 12/21/25
The assaults resulted in the beheading of 30 Christians, widespread arson, and the destruction of at least five churches and 100 homes. Many other Christians — including women and their daughters — were herded away. — Daily Express, Ocotber 8 2025, Mozambique.
[S]ince Boko Haram’s terrorist insurgency began in 2009, jihadist groups have torched and destroyed 19,100 churches, averaging nearly 100 each month. In that time, 125,009 Christians were slaughtered, as well as “60,000 Liberal Muslims… unless urgent action is taken, within the next 50 years Christianity in Nigeria is set to disappear.” — International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, August 10, 2o25, Nigeria.
“Since the law regarding night clubs and entertainment places passed in 2000, human trafficking and sexual slavery have been practiced with the approval of the state (including the police and other state institutions). Women and girls below the age of 18 are trafficked, abused as sex slaves and their passports are seized by the state [in charge of the Turkish-occupied territory in Cyprus]. The victims are sold in catalogs like property, like animals.” — Derya Dogus, Turkish Cypriot politician, X.com, September 28, 2025, Cyprus.
The family reported the rape to police, who “collected evidence, and the medical report confirmed the assault…. Despite this, Haroon [the Muslim rapist] secured pre-arrest bail, leaving the family vulnerable to threats.” — British Asian Christian Association, October 16, 2025, Pakistan.
The Muslims spray-painted “F**k Israel” and posted pro-Palestinian/Hamas stickers on the church. The Muslim Brotherhood-linked organization CAIR demanded that the charges be dropped against the three Muslims, because “graffiti is the language of the unheard,” and because vandalizing a church was a First Amendment right. — The Post Millennial, October 5, 2025, United States.
[A] 49-year-old blind Christian, Nadeem Masih, was arrested after a Muslim accused him of insulting Islam’s prophet, a charge punishable by death under Section 295-C of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. Masih, who earned a meager living providing a weighing scale for merchants, had long faced harassment from local Muslims…. In jail, Masih was beaten and coerced into admitting a false charge. — Morning Star News, October 31, 2025, Pakistan.
“We were simply holding a [Christian] burial service. It was meant to be a quiet, respectful moment to honor the departed. Instead, it ended with arrests. One of the women with us was told to pay nearly a thousand dollars or stay in prison.” — Persecution.org, October 20, 2025, Sudan.
“A battle over church assets started several years ago, with the government favoring Muslim business interests taking over assets owned by … churches in Khartoum and in other states of Sudan.” — Morning Star News, October 29, 2025, Sudan.
Quote: “I also believe we misread the relationship between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Muslim Brotherhood – derived networks when we treat it as a simplistic alliance of identical ideologies. The more dangerous truth is that theological differences do not prevent operational convergence. Iran is a Shia Islamist state; the Brotherhood is Sunni. Yet, where strategic utility exists, the relationship behaves like a pragmatic partnership whose centre of gravity is anti-Israel and anti-Western leverage. Hamas – born of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestinian branch – is the obvious junction point.”
🎙️AmFest should be a proving ground not a personality circus. TPUSA has built real infrastructure but it risks drowning it in spectacle if discipline gives way to clout and faction fights. Candace Owens brings heat and questions that expand the audience even when leadership flinches. Alex Jones brings raw energy that mobilizes but needs guardrails to convert noise into votes. Erika Kirk now runs a serious operation and that means transparency tone and trust matter more than theatrics. Steve Bannon understands machines win wars not applause lines. Tucker Carlson understands narratives move people when institutions fail. Put it together or watch it fracture. You do not win midterms on vibes or viral moments. You win by recruiting registering training and delivering turnout beyond the faithful. Treat AmFest like a war room not a pageant. Expand the coalition. Focus the message. Build local power. Action beats spectacle every time.
Join RSBN for full coverage for Day Four of Amfest including Tom Homan, Donald Trump Jr., and Vice President JD Vance. Tune in at 12:00 pm EST December 21, 2025
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