Born to Die (Part 2)

May I greet you with all the joy and wonder that my soul musters and the gospel merits, with a very happy and holy: Merry Christmas to you all!

If "merry" seems like a rather light and frivolous word to you on this holy and happy day, I can understand. The word's been cheapened much. Still take it as a starting point for your joy. Let your heart be merry and joyful and full of wonderful amazement and gladness as you consider the birth of Christ today.

Here's why. In Hebrews 10:1-10 we see the very essence of the Christmas event. Jesus Christ came into the world (Hebrews 10:5) to provide the sacrifice for sins that the animals previously sacrificed could not provide (Hebrews 10:4-7). The Son of God came into the world in a "body prepared" for Him by the Father. It was a human body, a real body, a body prepared.

But prepared for what? Prepared to die; prepared to be a sacrifice; prepared to be offered as a once-for-all atonement for human sin (Hebrews 10:8-10). I know of no text of Scripture that puts the meaning of the incarnation more starkly than this: the Son of God was given a body so He could give that body to sanctify or make us holy and forgiven. Animal bodies could not atone for human sin; only a human body could. So God the Father and God the Son devised this plan: the Father would prepare a human body for the Son which the Son would voluntarily inhabit so that He could offer Himself in that human body for human sin.

He had to be human for humans were the guilty ones. He had to be God (see Hebrews 1:3, 8, 9) because only God is of sufficient worth to atone for all the sins of His people throughout all time. This Sacrifice was so perfect, so complete, so adequate that no other sacrifice would ever have to be offered again (Hebrews 7:26-28).

So on this Christmas Day, let us join hearts and minds in glad and amazed worship as we consider that on that first Christmas Day this very thing happened: the eternal plan of God to atone for human sin was initiated by the Son inhabiting a body prepared for Him, a body which was given for one primary purpose, to be a sacrifice for sin.

Like no one ever before or since: this One was truly born to die. His body was created that it might be crushed. The Son was given by God that we might be forgiven by God.

It literally makes me catch my breath. I hope it does you to. That way we all can be one as we pause long enough to be very, very grateful and joyful today.

Yes: may God give you a very merry, a very holy and a very happy Christmas indeed!
Amen.

Tim Shorey