Christmas 2020

December 25, 2020

 

Christmas Day! Merry Christmas!

 

What is Christmas all about? I am so glad you asked! We like the story of the baby being born, if we can ignore the ugliness of Herod’s actions…

 

Seriously, what did God hope to accomplish? “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.” [Titus 2:11 CEB] In Titus 3:4, this grace is described as “goodness” (or “kindness”) and “love.” Sometimes we have the image that God is some sort of Grinch, out to steal our joy. The reality is the opposite. Jesus came to bring us salvation, which provides joy beyond words.

 

Paul understood this effort would accomplish something, “training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” [Titus 2:12 ESV] Because sin has so damaged us, we need training to break away from what ii progressive, addictive, and aggressive self-destruction.

 

God wants us to live lives above the muddled, mangled, and messy world. This is going to require wisdom that only comes from being “self-controlled.” The word translated here means to have a “sound mind.” The word translated “upright” has the feeling of being “just” (see Micah 6:8). The concept of “godly” seems to be something modern society, including church culture, seems to be allergic too.

 

God had decided on a plan, “He saved us because of his mercy, not because of righteous things we had done. He did it through the washing of new birth and the renewing by the Holy Spirit.” [Titus 2:5 CEB] To make this salvation possible, it had to be made available to all. This was accomplished by mercy, not because of our efforts. Two things followed that mercy. Washing of new birth and renewing by the Holy Spirit. God does not intend us to stay dead in our sins. He wants us to be alive, thus the new birth. Our lives are continually renewed by the Holy Spirit.

 

This will have the effect, “He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.” [Titus 2:14 NLT]The effect of this salvation is our total commitment, zeal, and practice of good deeds. We are not designed to be useless. We are not to sit on the sideline and watch our world go to Hell. We are not designed to be self-absorbed in our own bubble. God as good stuff for us to do!

 

The reason for all this, “so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” [Titus 3:7 ESV] Hope in the New Testament is a confident expectation, not wishful thinking. We have a confident expectation of eternal life (Heaven).

 

Now you know the meaning of Christmas. The true reason for the season.