Unwrapping the Real Gift at Christmas

Here is a riddle…what do Kanye West and President Donald Trump have in common? Now I know what you are thinking. You are thinking the answer is that they both love President Donald Trump! Though that certainly may be true, what they really have in common is that they both are sinners, and one has even admitted this! 

Now I’ll be honest, it’s really refreshing to hear today’s media talk about the moral failures in our president’s past. The reason why I say this is because it wasn’t too long ago that the conversation was more focused on morality being merely a personal preference, and the need for Christians to be more tolerant of people’s moral choices. But now, beliefs in certain kinds of moral values seem to be surprisingly resurrected again! And I am thankful for that. 

But actually it is not just that Kanye West or President Donald Trump are sinners.  According to the Bible, the bad news is that we are all sinners (Rom. 3:10) and this can be easily confirmed by anyone who’s willing to take an honest look at their life. But this bad news is actually the first step in getting us to the good news that we celebrate at Christmas time! Meaning that the important thing to remember is not just that we are all sinners, and because of this we are all in need of a savior. It is also crucial to remember that there is good news! This good news is that God was willing to pay the price to bring hope to all mankind by the sacrifice He made! 

This amazing thing that God did in our lives is often called “The Great Exchange.” God took our sins and placed them on Jesus, and in return He gave us the righteousness of Christ. This means that if Jesus Christ was standing in front of me right now, and someone asked God the Father, “Who is more righteous, David Geisler or Jesus Christ?”  God the Father would answer, “They are both equally righteous in my eyes!” That is the real gift at Christmas. 

Not only does this mean that there is an end of hostilities between us and our Creator, it opens the door to something much deeper and sweeter. (Rom. 5:1). Because we have been imputed with Christ’s righteousness, we can receive the gift of an intimate relationship with the Creator of the Universe!

So the next time you see a manger scene during the Christmas season, remember the significance of why Jesus came to earth. He came to be a ransom for us, to pay the penalty for all the sin that stood in the way of mankind’s intimate relationship with God (2 Pet. 3:9). Now the way He did this, which is the only way He could have done it, was in making the great sacrifice by paying the great price of having Jesus Christ die on the cross as an atonement for our sins (Rom. 5:8). His one death could atone for the sins of all mankind, because Jesus was both 100% God and 100% man. 

That is why at Christmas time for the last 5 years I have put up a handmade Cross on my fence. It is a reminder to myself, my family, my neighbors, and anyone who cares to know, that the significance of Christmas is not in the birth of Jesus, but in His death and resurrection. This gift of hope is not in the baby in the manger, but in the man on the cross. 

That man Jesus, who was tempted in all ways just like us and yet was without sin (Heb. 4:15), was also 100% God. The sacrifice he made was valuable enough to wipe out all of mankind’s debt, allowing us to have an intimate relationship with our Creator. This is the real gift that God wants to give all mankind, and the good news that He wants us to remember every Christmas!

His Servant,

David Geisler