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DIVINE 

The writers of the gospel accounts, provided for us in the Bible, do not give us the date of the day when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Though they do place everything in their historical context. More importantly, they tell us who Jesus is. 

Luke (2:8-12 ESV) gives us this detail: 

[8] And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. [9] And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. [10] And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. [11] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. [12] And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 

Saviour! The Christ! The Lord! 

In fact, it wasn’t that day or night that was divine. It was the baby that was placed in that manger who is divine, literally. The Lord! God in flesh! The Father sending his unique eternal Son into the world. 

Before they were married, when Joseph had been pondering what to do when he was told that Mary was pregnant, before they had intercourse with each other, an angel of the Lord told him that the child in her womb was conceived miraculously through the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1:18-25. 

Mary had already been told by the angel Gabriel before she conceived: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35).” Luke 1:26-56. 

Centuries before, the Word of the Lord was declared through the prophet Isaiah that a virgin would become pregnant and give birth to a son who would be called Emmanuel, which means God with us. Matthew 1:22-23. Isaiah 7:14. 

John (1:1-4, 14 ESV) gives us this detail: 

[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. [4] In him was life, and the life was the light of men … [14] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

To Philip, in the hearing of his colleagues, Jesus said: 

“Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father … (John 14:9 ESV).” 

Normally, there had been nothing in his visual appearance that had indicated this (Philippians 2:5-11; Isaiah 53:1-3; John 17:1-5 & 24-26). Peter, James and John were given a brief glimpse of his majesty (Mark 9:2-9; 2 Peter 2:16-19), but even this took time to sink in. 

It had taken a while for them to fully understand. But they got there. 

Later, in one of his letters, John wrote, still full of wonder (1 John 1:1-3 NIV): 

[1] That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. [2] The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. [3] We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 

The one who God, the Father, sent into the world to save us from our sins, is the eternal Son of God. God miraculously provided him with a human body in Mary‘s womb through his Holy Spirit, the eternal Spirit of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is both God and human. Galatians 4:4-7. 

The importance of believing this cannot be overestimated. 

Consider the following words of Jesus: 

John 8:58 ESV 

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 

See Exodus 3:14. 

John 8:24 NIV

“ … if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” 

John 10:30 CSB

“I and the Father are one." 

Believing who Jesus is, is as important as believing what he accomplished by dying on the cross and rising again. 

God bless you with faith. 

FOR FURTHER READING 

John 20:24-31 

1 John 4:1-4 

2 John 1:7