Emmanuel: God with us

When December arrives, the account of Jesus’ birth (what we often call the Christmas story) is recited in our churches and our homes. And what a glorious account it is, when our Savior and Lord came to live with us. Emmanuel – God with us.

14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. – Luke 2:11

But when the set time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. – Galatians 4:4-5

The nativity of Christ is not where the story ends. The Bible gives us many amazing truths about Jesus – truths which should comfort and sustain us, grow our faith, and help us see Jesus for Who He is. God with us, for us, and loving us.

Jesus is:

  • Our Savior:

Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. He came to save the entire human race – past, present, and future. Only those who choose to trust Jesus for eternal life will spend eternity with God, but in dying for us all, Jesus shows His love for each person. God loved you enough to give up His Son for you.

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! – John 1:29

14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again. – 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

  • Our Mediator:

We can’t save ourselves from our sin. We are born with a sin nature and commit sin from the time we are little children. That is why the hope of Jesus is such an amazing hope! Jesus did for us what we could not do – atone for our sin so that we could have a relationship with God. Sin separates us from God since God is completely Holy and Perfect (how can He allow imperfect things into His presence?). The sacrifice of Jesus opens the way for us to enter God’s presence.

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. – 1 Timothy 2:5-6

50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. – Matthew 27:50-51a

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Corinthians 5:21

  • Our Advocate:

Jesus is God. He is One with the Father and is in complete agreement with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He is Eternal, Perfect, and Holy. Since the incarnation (Jesus’ birth in a physical, human body) Jesus is also a genuine man. He has free will, He ate and slept and cried and talked just as we did. And Jesus understands us perfectly, since He spent time with us. With sinners, in this cruel, sin-tainted world. He knows exactly what it is like to walk in our shoes, tested and tempted – yet Jesus did not sin. We, however, do sin. And when we do, Jesus advocates for us on the basis of His sacrifice for us. We can be righteous since Jesus sacrificed Himself in our place – what amazing love.

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. – 1 John 2:1

Jesus came to us – to redeem us. Without Jesus’ physical birth, there could be no cross. Without Jesus’ death on the cross, no redemption and resurrection for us. Jesus took on true humanity to give His life for us. He was born to die.

With the sacrifice of Jesus and our trust in Jesus, we can pray directly to the Father for forgiveness of sin. And God has promised to grant us forgiveness since Jesus – our Advocate – has paid the price for our wrongdoing.

 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9

  • Our Example:

Jesus is our example in this life. He walked through this world without sin and although we will never come close to a sinless life (we have a sin nature) we can see how Jesus resisted temptation and use that to encourage ourselves in our struggle against sin. Jesus was not without His share of temptation and pain – He was fighting the most intense spiritual warfare (much more than we will ever have to). And He stood solidly in the Lord without wavering.

Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. – Hebrews 12:3

Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin. – Hebrews 4:14-15

The Bible tells us that Jesus represents God the Father. He said and did exactly what God wanted – every single time.

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. – Hebrews 1:3

49 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. 50 I know that His command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” – John 12:49-50

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on My own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in Me, who is doing His work. – John 14:8-10

When Jesus came into the world He came to save us. He came to die. At Christmas time and every other day of our lives, let us live for Jesus and with the hope that His life and sacrifice gives us!

“She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:21