But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Galatians 4:4-5 (ESV)

 

Christmas is the gift of the Trinity.

The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit worked in unison and separately to bring about the birth of Jesus. The Father sent the Son into the world, who became flesh through the work of the Holy Spirit in Mary’s virgin womb. This crucial aspect of God’s salvation work is called Incarnation (from the Latin in carne, literally “in flesh”).

It is very humbling as well as comforting to know that God comes to us when we are utterly mired in sin and unaware of Him (Ephesians 2:1-7). God honours us by entering our broken and sin-shamed story in a most vulnerable way. The Son willingly became a child like us so that through Him we could become children of God.

The birth of Jesus as a child in the manger demonstrates that He came to share not just our humanity but also our vulnerability.

The purpose of the Incarnation was to redeem us from the law of sin and death and to make us all children of God. God withheld nothing in giving us with His only begotten Son, the Son withheld nothing in giving us with His life, and the Holy Spirit withheld nothing in giving us with His life-giving power to dwell in us. It is through this gracious act and purpose of salvation that we realise God has bestowed on us such worth, value, and significance that goes far beyond how we think and feel about ourselves.