For unto us a child is born, and unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6).
Another one of the blessings of Christmas is that there will be many Christian scholars and teachers who will once again seek more light into the wonderful hypostatic union of God and Man through the incarnation and virgin birth. This should bring a strengthening of our faith. There is much insight remaining to this precious and distinct miracle as revealed by the Holy Scriptures.
Another benefit will result from the blessings of Christmas in that still others will be brought to a need to investigate their own conscience about believing in the Christ Child as more than a baby. They will be brought to the judgment bar of decision of what to do with Jesus of Bethlehem and Nazareth.
These two extremes, a greater insight into the miracle birth of Jesus, or, a greater distance will be decided by others in rejecting the biblical claim of Him both as a "child" and a "son," as Isaiah prophesied Him to be. Jesus was born a "Child"; He had always, back in eternity, been a "Son." Isaiah makes this very clear: A Child was born; a Son was given. Jesus was born in time, space, history, having always, and eternally, preexisted as God's Son.
Modern Christmas Belief
The question to ask is "What makes Christmas an important day"? Although nine out of ten people in America identify themselves as Christians, only one-third (33%) of Americans said, this Christmas Season of 1996, the birth of Jesus is what makes Christmas important for them. It was also asked why is Christmas so important to them if not because of Jesus? Forty-five percent said it gave more family time to them. Six percent gave other, personal reasons; five percent gave nothing as a Christmas purpose; five percent said they didn't know why Christmas was important at all; three percent spoke of Christmas as a holiday, a day off from work; and three percent spoke of Christmas as a time for clubs and parties simply for a fun-occasion.
It is hardly believable that a Christmas in the United States of America could be appraised as the above statistics reveal. However, we are assured by these statisticians that the margin of error would only be plus or minus three percent.
Whatever the reason for this lack of the knowledge of the biblical purpose of Christmas, there remains the fact that America is more and more a secular society instead of a country founded by puritans and pilgrims of the Holy Scriptures and the Protestant faith.
Why Such a Change in America's Christmas?
Many true answers could be given of this radical change in the meaning of Christmas in America, and this writer chooses to respond with what he believes brought about the greatest change in our modern twentieth century in the light of the Christmas of the New Testament Bible.
This writer does not seek an answer outside of Christianity itself. We have always had infidels, lampooners, atheists, agnostics, and secularists. The change in our understanding of Christmas lies in our time as a change in the very definition of Christianity itself. A central illustration would fall into the very lap of Dr. Billy Graham. He has changed the definition of Christianity, and brought an easy believism and cheap teaching of the grace of God to our country. Of course, many others were of the same mind and heart and were seeking a leader of this sort. Also, they wanted this change to have the countenance of respectability and accommodation so that Christianity, as a religion, would not be utterly rejected. These greatly desired the Christian face, particularly. The American world of pastors and churches were seeking a fresh, new (neo) approach to what they had come to believe as an unlovely period produced by the fundamentalists and literalists of the Word of God.
This neo-christianity took us away from the biblical base of inerrancy, infallibility, and the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures which had formerly caused the triumph of the Bible through the dogmatics of the early councils and creeds, as well as the doctrinal power manifest through the Protestant Reformation
This situation has become so acute that the biblicist now seeks to make the Gospel plausible, if not credible, to an audience which has become estranged from the historic Christian faith. The vacuum had to be filled with something in its vortex, and the charismatic liveliness, the liberal's unsupernaturalness, and the Roman Catholic beauty of form in tradition swallowed up those who had any vestige of Christian likeness. The power of the Christ-Child is not thought of as formerly. An ecumenical fellowship has sprung up like a "green bay tree," and marks the spot where the Cross of Calvary use to be.
The Children Suffer the Most
Geneva (AP) _ From the brothels of Asia to the construction sites of Egypt, nearly twice as many children are working full time in developing countries as previously thought, the International Labor Organization of the United Nations said Tuesday (November 11, 1996).
I read this extended article in a English newspaper in Seoul, South Korea, when I was on a preaching-teaching mission there last month.
The article goes on to state that
"these latest calculations from the U.N. labor agency show that 250 million 5-to-14-year-olds are employed—half of them full time, up sharply from earlier estimates of 73 million full-time child workers. The ILO report found nearly 153 million children are working in Asia, 80 million in Africa and 17.5 million in Latin America. Three areas of the harshest forms of child labor were stated as: slavery, prostitution, and work in hazardous industries. It is said that an international sex network takes Latin American children to Europe and the Middle East, and southern Asian children to northern Europe and the Middle East."
Of course, this is not the only tragedy or root of child abuse. The abortion clinics function without interruption by our own government in the United States and child prostitution increases and increases in our own midst. There is also the violent abuse of children by some parents, and this is not to be construed as one and the same as child training and discipline. They are entirely different, as the Word of God reveals.
The deterioration of the public proclamation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus in the pulpits of America must take this blame upon them. Whenever the public preaching according to the literal truths of the fundamentals of Christ are neglected there will always arise error and weak religion if not an entirely secular concept of religion itself.
The Power of the Gospel is Ever the Same
No one must take the conclusion because of the integrity of these words that the Gospel itself is lacking in the world. The power of the Gospel is ever the same; there will never be a time when it will not be preached, set forth, witnessed to, and fail to live out itself in the lives of God's people. We are encouraged: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come" (Matthew 24:14). There is both the power and the admonition here: first, the preaching of the Gospel will continue to the very end of the age; and second, however, there is a distinction implied here that although the Gospel is preached it does not mean that the Gospel will be believed and lived equal to that preached power.
There may be a public demise of the clarity and orthodoxy and orthopraxy in our time, but there will never be the complete deficit of its preaching and practice by a remnant that will certainly be evident in the world.
This identifies and demands that the fundamentals will always be available to the individual who desires to know and believe the biblical Gospel. We must remain true to this acknowledgment.
A Child is Born
Many years ago I asked one of my apologetics classes, in my early teaching ministry, "Why do we believe in the incarnation and virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ"? Remember now, this question was asked in an apologetics class. Of course, several good answers resulted from my students: "Because the Bible reveals it;" or, "Our mothers taught us so; or, "because theologically there is no other way for the Son of God to become flesh and die for us on His Cross;" or, etc.
However, the answer I was seeking in an apologetic class was singularly important: "We believe in the incarnation and virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ because it is a historical fact." Yes, it is a genuine fact of history; "a child is born,..a son is given." That is the truth. The Bible, itself, simply prophesied it; but history records the event after the fact. This is why we should remember Christmas every year as it returns in the rhythm of the calendar of the years.
Why Is A Child Important to the World?
There are any number of theological views concerning the infant child, and all of them have signification. In my own faith, the child is quite an important member of the human family.
In the case of David's child, the offspring of the sin with Bathsheba, David was indeed comforted by his own faith and hope in God's destiny for both of them.
But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me (II Samuel 12:23).
The dead infant was not only to meet David in the fact of death one day, but also in the destiny of heaven.
Of course, the words of Jesus are wonderful and worthy of our consideration concerning the infant child, too.
Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3).
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 18:10).
But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:14).
It is impossible to read these words and not be enlightened, instructed, and encouraged by the study of the infant child. We are also enabled to see that the coming of Jesus into the world as "a child" was a worthy entrance. He Who came from heaven speaks of children as entering into heaven. He Who speaks of angels which accompanied Him on occasions on earth speaks of children in heaven when "their angels do always behold the face of" God the Father. He Who brought "the kingdom of heaven" to earth, and fulfilled it, indeed, yea, "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2b), announced to all that children, one of the stages of human life, would also be in "heaven."
It may well be finally said that all the abortions of violent men will one day triumph in heaven. We are told that six out of ten babies born will die before two years old. This, too, could cause the multitude of Christians to swell in number, possibly "innumerable," granting to the grace of God a larger number in heaven than in hell. Innumerable is used only relative to man's ability for mathematics. In fact, it appears that the only creatures who will be in heaven are "the children of God." This is especially distinctive in view of the fact that even adults have to be converted, and become as little children, in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus was born a child. This is remembered in the phrase, "Jesus of Nazareth," because Jesus was conceived there, in spite of the fact that he was born in Bethlehem. He was a baby before Bethlehem, yea, in the Seed the Holy Spirit did conceive. God always said He would bless Abraham's seed, and this especially included the Seed of Messiah. The word for "babe" (Luke 1:41 & 43) is a Greek word brephos and is the very same word used of the "Babe" in the Manger. A babe is the same whether pre-natal or at birth.
So, unto us a child was born for the redemption of children and the children of God.