Recent research from LifeWay Christian Resources reveals that 91% of Americans celebrate Christmas. And nearly all of those (72%) agree that the holiday recognizes a real, historical event, the birth of Jesus Christ at Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago.
But, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Americans can tell the story with confidence. Only about 22% nod to that. But even so, most Americans embrace the facts of history, and that it happened the way it is portrayed in the Bible.
So the What of Christmas is not at issue. Nearly everyone agrees it’s about Jesus.
But it turns out, we’re a bit fuzzy on the Why and the Who. Who was Jesus, and Why was He born in Bethlehem in the first place? The good news is that a whopping majority of Americans, 80%, agree that Jesus is God the Father’s Son. So, we’re off to a good start on the Who. But when asked what that means, we’re stumped. Less than half surveyed say Jesus existed prior to being born in Bethlehem.
Not surprisingly, confessing Christians are more ardent about Christmas, who Jesus is, and why He came. But not by much. LifeWay reports, “Among Christians, those who attend church four times a month or more,” around “63% agree the Son of God existed before Jesus was born.”
Let that sink in. Among people who profess to follow Christ, 63% affirm that He preexisted His birth in Bethlehem. But that means that 37% don’t.
More than a third of Americans who claim to follow Christ either deny his preexistence or simply aren’t sure. Either way, that’s not good.
What happened certainly matters. But the Why and the Who refresh us on the nature of God, how He works, and what that means for you this Christmas.
Jesus Before Bethlehem
The first three Gospels–Matthew, Mark, and Luke–paint the birth narratives that we are so familiar with. Joseph, Mary, the Magi, the shepherds. Crazy, murderous Herod. Glorious, emphatic angels. Those three Gospels give us the content for our Christmas pageants.
But the Gospel of John doesn’t depict the birth of Christ. Instead, John focused on the Who and the Why in the story of Jesus’ birth (John 1:1-18). In a similar way, the Apostle Paul pushed the purpose of Christ’s coming to the forefront in his one, concise statement that pictures God’s work at Bethlehem (Gal. 4:4-7).
When we mesh them together, we find God-ordained similarities that not only capture the Who and Why of Bethlehem, but also remind us of the way God works in our lives.
But first things first.
First, Who is Jesus?
The unique nature of Christ is the core of Christianity. So, we have to get this right.
The Bible teaches that God, by nature, is one God in three Persons. Each Person–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is God, co-equal in every sense. The Bible doesn’t try to explain this but takes it for granted and reflects it consistently (1 John 4:13-15, John 14:26, 2 Cor. 13:14).
Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, is God the Son. He came to earth and took on bodily form (became incarnate) in Jesus Christ. On earth, He was fully God and fully human.
So, Christ pre-existed His arrival in Bethlehem (Phil. 2:5-11). John intentionally wraps his depiction in the language of creation, to emphasize that when he talks about Jesus, he is talking about the God who created the world (John 1:1, 10).
Paul captures this in one key phrase: “God sent His Son” (Gal. 4:4). The word “sent” means “dispatched for a purpose.” Like a soldier sent on a mission, God the Father gave His Son an assignment that could be completed only in person, starting at Bethlehem.
The rest of the Christmas story hinges on this truth. Jesus Christ was, is, and always will be God (Heb. 13:8, Rev. 22:13).
Why does this matter to you?
The way God acted at Bethlehem illustrates three facts about His nature. Facts you can count on. The What gives us the Why. So, remember this at Christmas:
- God is punctual
For God, timing is everything.
Paul’s statement pivots on this truth. He declares that Christ was born “when the time came to completion” (Gal. 4:4). You might know the phrase as “the fullness of time.”
We could also read it as the “time was saturated,” like a bottle, filling to the brim, from a wide bottom to a narrow top. It’s not so much that the time on the clock hit its mark, but that everything that needed to be done to precede the coming of Christ had been done. Nothing else would fit. Or needed to. The timing was right. So, Christ was born.
At Christmas, remember, God is at work bringing about His best for you (Rom. 8:28). He knows what must be done and, even better, when it must be done. He is never early or late. And He is working out the perfect convergence of events to benefit you, history, and everyone else He has to account for (Eccl. 3:1, Rom. 5:6, 2 Peter 3:9).
- God is dependable
And the arrival of Christ at Bethlehem in God’s timing reflects God’s intentional nature. God is always proactive, always planning, always implementing His promises and orchestrating His purposes (John 5:17). And He always responds in keeping with His character.
Paul says that God sent His Son “to redeem those under the Law,” and so that we might “receive adoption as Sons” (Gal. 4:5). John echoes this, teaching that people who “believe in His name” have the “right to be called children of God” (John 1:12). That is His unshakable plan, implemented beginning with Bethlehem, so that all who trust Christ can be forgiven.
At Christmas, remember, God works toward His results, which are always in your favor. Never against you. Always for you (Rom. 8:31).
God doesn’t operate by accident, He is not falling behind in His plans, and He is not bothered by what makes you tremble (Matt. 8:23-27). Trust Him, and He will take care of you.
- God is personal
And that is really the main thing. If God is anything, He is intensely, consistently, persistently, involved in our lives (Jer. 29:11).
Your salvation was, and is, personal to your Creator. So, He wasn’t about to leave it to chance.
John paints a compelling picture of this personal involvement of your God, “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The image is that God the Son “pitched His tent” and lived with sinful humanity until the time was right for the cross, the completion of the grand work of God.
So, to follow Christ is not to join a religion. It’s to know your Savior, your Creator, personally (John 14:1-6).
This Christmas, remember, God knows you and cares about you personally. You are not a number on a spreadsheet or a face in the crowd. You are His creation.
And that baby at Bethlehem proves it.
That’s Who. And that’s Why.
Merry Christmas.
See, the virgin will become pregnant
and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel,which is translated, ‘God is with us’
Matt. 1:23