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Thinking of the Cross at Christmas |
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Written by Chris Beckham
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Wednesday, 30 December 2009 |
Thinking of the Cross At Christmas In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. (I John 4:9, A.V.)
John the Apostle, in the verse quoted above, states that the birth of Jesus was for a reason—and that reason was for Him to go to the cross in our behalf. We obtain true spiritual life through Jesus Christ.
This tells us something important. The Incarnation of Jesus Christ, which we so cheerfully and joyfully celebrate at this time of the year, is not the major note of the Gospels. The atoning work of Jesus on the cross is. Christmas is a preparatory day of celebration, preparatory to the greatest feast of the Church, which is Easter.
Christmas time is not without its charms, though. We do well to consider the fact of God’s love at this time of the year. If we read through First John in the New Testament, we will find that the theme of God’s love is repeated again and again. John tells us that God loves us, so He sent us Jesus. We should note that not only does God the Father love us, but God the Son, Jesus, loves us, so He willingly came. And the application of this love to our hearts is made through the Holy Spirit. The entire Trinity is lovingly disposed toward us, and wishes for us to be saved from our sin.
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