“Are You then the Son of God?”, the Jewish Council asked Jesus at His trial. “You rightly say that I am”, He responded, but they did not believe Him (Luke 22:70).
Jesus’ identity is central to the Christmas story. If we miss who He is, then we will completely miss the wonder of the season.
Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians (4:4) “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son.” God the Son entered our world as a baby. Fully God, and yet fully human, He was wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger (Luke 2:12). It is a staggering truth, and a wonder too great for us to get our heads around. He came where we were, and the angelic realm could not remain silent as they burst into praise at the glory of it.
“There is born to you that day in the city of David, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord”, an angel told the shepherds (Luke 2:11). His lowly entrance into the world was for us. He came to rescue us from our sins. To redeem us (buy us back) out of the hold sin has upon our lives and from the judgement that will fall upon all that will not believe in Jesus.
Jesus came to pay the price for our sin by dying as our substitute. It is an even greater wonder than His arrival at Christmas, that God – His Father – was prepared to load our punishment onto His own sinless, perfect Son. The Father sent Him, and the Son willingly came, all because of their incredible love for sinners like you and me.
BUT … we will only receive the benefit of it – we are only ‘saved’ when we repent and believe in the Lord Jesus and in His redeeming work for ourselves.