WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER MOST SIGNIFICANT ABOUT CHRISTMAS? For some people, visiting with relatives could seem particularly important. Others might regard the season's atmosphere of good will as most noteworthy. Perhaps a few would even admit they like the opportunity to ask for things they wouldn't dare to request at any other time. But Christmas is far more than just an event or a December holiday with time off from work. It is a personal promise from God to mankind.

     The significance of this special day is embodied in two scriptural names and applies to believers every day of the year. In the first chapter of Matthew, an angel of the Lord told Joseph that Mary, his betrothed, would bear a son conceived of the Holy Spirit. He instructed Joseph to name the child "Jesus" (v. 21) and announced that the birth would fulfill Isaiah's prophecy, "' . . . they shall call His name Immanuel,' which translated means 'God with us'" (v. 23, referring to Isaiah 7:14). Notice that the passage did not say, "Joseph, you are to decide what He will be called." The unborn child already had a predetermined name, which indicated who He was and what He was to do.

     If we examine the two names in this passage—Jesus and Immanuel—we will be able to understand what really took place the night our Savior was born. The name "Jesus" is the more familiar one; it is a Greek transliteration of the Old Testament Hebrew word "Joshua," meaning "the Lord is salvation." When the angel said, "You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (v. 21), he was pointing to the significance of that original Christmas: God provided for your sin and mine, as well as for the sin of the whole world—past, present, and future.

     Seven hundred years before Christ's birth, Isaiah's prophecy was a word of hope and encouragement to Judah as it faced a great crisis. The prophet's message was an indication of what God was about to do then as well as what would ultimately be fulfilled in the Messiah's advent. Immanuel, a name full of promise, was God's way of assuring the Old Testament saints He was with them.

     Taken together, these two names encompass what we need our entire life: Jesus, the pardoner of our sins, and Immanuel, the divine presence within us to help and guide every moment of every day. The names and the promises inherent in them are the foundation for every facet of the Christian life.

     So how did God engineer that first Christmas to fulfill the promises of Jesus and Immanuel? His method was the Incarnation, a term familiar to us all, but one that most people understand only vaguely. On the night Christ was born, the eternal God, motivated by love, entered into the human family. He was supernaturally conceived of the Holy Spirit, and physically born to a virgin. Jesus never ceased to be God, and He remained perfectly sinless in His being.

     If the Incarnation did not take place exactly as it did, then we would still be living in our sin. According to Scripture, the punishment for sin is death. (Romans 6:23) The Bible also says that God rejects any imperfect sacrifice. (Deuteronomy 17:1) Jesus, because of His absolute sinlessness, is the only one who could save us by offering Himself as payment for our sin-debt. You and I could not die for each other's trespasses because we ourselves have transgressed against God and owe a penalty that must be paid.

     Back in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve fell, sin tainted the entire human race. So you might ask, "If Jesus was human as well as divine, how did He avoid having a sin nature like the rest of us?" Philippians 2:6-8 explains that in order to redeem mankind, God chose to humble Himself in the person of Jesus Christ, taking on the form of a bondservant. That is, the almighty Sovereign of this universe voluntarily laid aside His glory so that He could be born physically like any other baby. Being conceived of the Holy Spirit, He did not inherit the sin nature and was therefore able to offer Himself as the acceptable perfect sacrifice our sin-debt required.

     Christmas was not just the birth of a baby; it was the birth of God in human flesh. Jesus Christ was God before He became that infant. And He was God at His conception, in His childhood, and throughout His manhood. He always has been and forever will be the eternal God of this universe. Jesus was born into this world for the purpose of dying in your place and mine: He placed His body upon the cross by an act of His own will. Had He not been almighty God, His death would have been no more noteworthy than that of the two thieves crucified alongside Him. His incarnation made it possible for us who live here on earth to live there in heaven with Him eternally. That is what makes Christmas so significant.

     Apart from the birth of God in human flesh, there is no salvation, no hope, and no future for anyone who has ever lived. Unless God became flesh, every one of us would have to stand before the Lord with all of our sin resting upon us—and our sins would separate us from Him. (Isaiah 59:2) So the Incarnation is the promise of Jesus—"the Lord is salvation"—for every person in the world.

     AS WONDERFUL AS IT WAS THAT CHRIST willingly came to die for our sins, that was not the full extent of God's awesome plan—He had far more in mind than simply our future well-being. He also promised us His presence, which was fulfilled in the birth of Immanuel. Jesus was "God with us," the incarnate Deity, who physically lived and walked among men to show us what the heavenly Father is like.

     But more than that, God was concerned about mankind in every age, not just those living in the first century. So before His crucifixion, Jesus encouraged His disciples—and through the Scriptures, likewise encourages us—with the promise of God's indwelling presence. He said that when He went away, He would ask the Father to send the Spirit of truth, who "abides with you and will be in you" to teach, remind, comfort, and guide every step of the way. (John 14:17,26)

     Far better than God simply being "with me" is God being in me, for me, to me, and through me! And that is His promise to every believer—the incomparable, supernatural, immeasurable God will take up residence inside us and be everything we need. That is a large concept to grasp!

     The other night, as I walked by my study window, I noticed a star shining brightly in a crystal clear sky. I stood there for a moment and thought, "God, I don't know how far it is to that star or how large it is. I don't know how much light or heat it produces. But this I know: God, You created it, along with trillions of others like it, each one perfectly made and exactly in its proper place. I am awed by how great, how immeasurable, how mighty You are. And it awes me to think that You, God, could condescend to live in my heart, right here in Atlanta, whether I am preaching a sermon or driving the expressways, whether I am seated at a table or talking with a friend."

     The God who made that shining star is living on the inside of me and you, and we don't have a single need He can't satisfy. Just imagine: Once He is within you, there will never be a time you have to take a step without Him. (Hebrews 13:5) That's what Christmas is all about: God coming to live within and through each believer. That is why we can say, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). In other words,

When you are sick, the Great Physician
     is with you to heal you.
When you are weak, the Great Strengthener
     is available to strengthen you.
When you are discouraged, Jesus is present
     to encourage your heart.
When you are tempted, He is there to overcome
     through you and for you.
When you are rejected, Christ Jesus is at hand
     to remind you of His acceptance.
When you are struggling financially, He is there,
     assuring you that He is your Source.
When you face decisions at work or at home,
     Jesus is close by to provide wisdom.
When you walk through the valley of the
     shadow of death, He is right by your side to remind you
He will be your sufficiency
     when no mere man is adequate to comfort and assure.

     In light of the wonderful promise of God's redemption and presence, believers should be confident and courageous—what cause have we for worry or fear when the sovereign, almighty God is with us? We should be reassured because He is adequate to calm us through any trial that comes our way. And we should feel at peace because there is no storm that He is powerless to calm.

     So this year, as you gather together on Christmas morning, I encourage you and your family to kneel and give thanks to almighty God. The Incarnation is the very essence of Christmas. There's nothing wrong with the gifts or festivities, as long as they don't crowd out what belongs in first place: Christmas is about God breaking into humanity, shattering time, and becoming life and hope and help to all mankind.