The Birth of Jesus, the Christ

There are several different Bible passages that discuss the birth of Jesus. This is my attempt to arrange them together into one coordinated document. I enjoy reading this every year at Christmas time, and I hope you enjoy it, too.

Isaiah 7

¹⁴Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9

⁶For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. ⁷Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Micah 5

²But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Luke 1

²⁶And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, ²⁷To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. ²⁹And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. ³⁰And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. ³¹And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. ³²He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: ³³And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. ³⁴Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? ³⁵And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. ³⁶And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. ³⁷For with God nothing shall be impossible. ³⁸And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Matthew 1

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. ¹⁹Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. ²⁰But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. ²¹And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. ²²Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ²³Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. ²⁴Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: ²⁵And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Luke 2

¹And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. ²(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) ³And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. ⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) ⁵To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. ⁶And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. ⁷And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. ⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. ¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. ¹⁵And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. ¹⁶And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. ¹⁸And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Matthew 2

¹Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, ²Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. ³When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. ⁵And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, ⁶And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. ⁷Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. ⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. ⁹When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. ¹¹And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. ¹²And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. ¹³And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. ¹⁴When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: ¹⁵And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

And so begins the most remarkable life ever lived on this earth.

Jesus, the Christ, Died for All

A BIBLE STUDY BY FRED KENISON

Revised and Edited by Merrill Douglass

The scriptures clearly show that Jesus died for everyone. Matthew 1:21, says, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” This was part of the message Joseph received from the angel before the birth of Jesus.

The question, of course, arises as to just who were “his people?” Does this mean only those who believe on him? Is it just the Israelites of his own time here on earth? Or, is there a broader meaning intended? Other scriptures dealing with this subject will provide the answers to these questions.

John 1:29 broadens the view of just who were “his people.” “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

The word world comes from kosmos, what we would call the cosmos. This means all sins, for everyone. Too many times this scripture is interpreted to mean that only the sins of believers were taken away, and not those of unbelievers.

Taketh away comes from airon, which means, “to remove the guilt and punishment of sin by expiation, or to cause that sin be neither imputed not punished” (Thayer, p.17).

John said that sin will be neither charged to man nor punished; that the guilt and punishment had already been removed. Considering this fact, all the preaching to the contrary must be in error. Either John did not know what he was saying, or those who preach that God is now judging your sins, or will judge your sins in the future, do not know what they are talking about!

According to John 1:29 Jesus either bore all the punishment and all the guilt, or he only bore part of it. The scriptures say all. If they heard this more often, more people might turn rejoicing to God with a better understanding of what the words “love” and “grace” mean. Instead, many people are mortally afraid of God and his punishment for their sins, or they feel a needless burden of guilt for their sin.

God demonstrated his love and grace to men in the passion of Jesus. It was not a partial fix, but a complete forgiveness of all sins of all men. Nothing any man can say or do will alter this fact one way or the other. Men’s sins were all forgiven, not when they ask, or pray, or believe; but when God, before the foundation of the world, gave his son to cover men’s penalty (see Romans 5:18 and Ephesians 1:4).

Jesus was the perfect sacrifice to bring about his Father’s will. Luke 2:10 says, “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”

Notice, it says all people.

Luke 2:13-14 continues: “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

This settled the judicial aspect of sin, once for all. God will never again act as a judge toward men’s sin; he will act only as a Father. Whether we believe this or not does not change the fact of what Jesus did for us, nor will it change the manner in which God regards us.

John 3:17 says, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

The words might be saved, come from soothe (aorist subjunctive passive), which means that the world absolutely will be saved. The word might, in this case, does not mean maybe, as it often does in English.

Notice, too, that in these scriptures God is not dealing with any man on an individual basis, but is dealing with the whole world, or all men, on a corporate basis.

In John 4:42, the Samaritan men told the woman at the well, “Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.”

Men may believe individually, but God saved them as a group. Salvation is not because we believe, but because God loves us.

John 6:51, in telling what this salvation of the world entails, gives another element of salvation: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life (zoe) of the world.”

Spiritual life, zoe, for all those in the world has been bought by the sacrifice of Jesus because of God’s love for all mankind.

I John 2:2 says that Jesus, “is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Jesus was the satisfaction for our sins, and it was done for us, not for God. Many believe the holiness of God required a sacrifice for sins, but that wasn’t it at all. Jesus’ sacrifice was done for us, that we might have “no more conscience of sins.” (Hebrews 10:2).

The next verses, written by John, confirm that God expended his judgment on Jesus. John 5:22-27 says, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.”

For those who believe that Jesus is the same as God, this passage is reduced to meaningless nonsense. Some maintain that judgment was only shifted from God’s right hand to his left hand, so to speak, and that God is still doing the judging. However, that is in direct opposition to the plain teaching of this scripture.

The doctrine of the trinity which claims that Jesus is God complicates the easy understanding of this scripture. The trinity is not, and never has been, a scriptural doctrine. It was only a theory developed by some men to supposedly help explain the complexities of God to men even more ignorant than themselves. God is not now judging any man, but has given life, zoe, to every man.

[For a detailed study on the trinity, see Monographs 10-14 in our book, What Scripture Says About Salvation. The full text of this book is available free at www.biblestudybooksfree.com.]

Paul also spoke about zoe, spiritual life, and said that the death of Jesus, the Christ, was for all men. In Romans 5:6 he wrote, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

Notice it says the ungodly, not just believers.

Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:12 says, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

Romans 5:18 says, “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”

It is not unusual to hear that all men were condemned because of Adam’s sin, but it is very unusual to hear that all men received the free gift of life because Jesus died. Most seem to agree about Adam, but have difficulty agreeing about the part Jesus played in regard to all men. If the sin of Adam brought condemnation to all men without their participation, then it is only logical to say that the righteousness of Jesus accomplished redemption for all men without their participation.

Paul reiterated this same theme in II Corinthians 5:14-21. “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

The words might be made, ginometha (aorist subjunctive middle deponent), means that men will become righteous. This does not mean maybe, as the English would indicate. Being a middle deponent means that men participate in the end results, the righteousness.

Hebrews 2:9 says that, “we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

Every man comes from pantos, which could also be translated as “every thing.” Apparently the results of Jesus’ death affected more than just men. This alternate translation might also help explain Romans 8:18-23. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

Jesus evidently died to redeem all of creation, not just men only. In that case, would the other parts of creation have to believe in order to be redeemed, as some teach that men must do?

I Timothy 2:5-6 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

Again, the word all comes from pantos, which may also be translated as every. No word follows pantos, so the translator must supply what the all, or every, means. Is it all men or all creation that Paul is talking about? Whether men or creation, Jesus is a ransom for “all,” not just for those who believe.

I Corinthians 15:45 says, “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”

The last Adam, or Jesus, was made a zoe kind of spirit, or life giving spirit. Just as men received soulish life from the first Adam, so have men received spiritual life from the last Adam, Jesus.

In Romans 11:15, Paul explained the meaning of Israel’s fall in relation to the Gentiles and God’s purpose in allowing it to happen: “For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?”

Notice that Paul said that through Israel and its failure to believe that Jesus was messiah, the world was reconciled to God.

The word reconcile means to receive one into favor. The whole world was received into favor through the fall of the Israelites because God then turned to the Gentiles to get a name (people) for himself. The basis for God reconciling the world to himself was his love, as demonstrated by the death of his son, Jesus.

Paul was not talking about whether or not the Israelites would go to hell, but whether they would lose their inheritance in the next age, the kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven. When Paul spoke of people being lost, or out of the way, he did not mean they were condemned to hell. He simply meant they would not spend the next age reigning with Jesus, but would spend it in outer darkness instead.

On the other hand, when Paul spoke of people being saved, it was always in relationship to entering the kingdom. “Going to heaven” was not part of his vocabulary. To him, salvation meant entering the next age, the kingdom of God, in a place of blessing with Jesus.

In Colossians 1:5, Paul told about the hope which is in the gospel or the truth of the gospel, not just any gospel. “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel. Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth.”

Much that is called the gospel today is not what the Bible calls the gospel. Paul referred to the hope laid up in heaven as something that is the truth of the gospel, something they heard about. The hope was not created because they believed it. It was something done by God and made a part of the good news. It was there to be heard by everyone. Its purpose was, and still is, to bring forth fruit in those who hear and come to understand the grace of God.

Notice, too, that hope does not come by the works of men, but by the grace of God, which is an unmerited favor, or something given to those who are undeserving.

Why don’t preachers simply tell people about the salvation God has already provided? Why do they insist on telling people what they must do to be saved, or go to heaven? If people must do something (accept, believe, ask forgiveness, etc), then they are under law again.

When asked, “How do you know you are saved?” most people talk about what they did: believed, were baptized, were confirmed, received the holy spirit, experienced the second blessing (as if there were only two), gave their hearts to Jesus, confessed their sins, or whatever else any specific denomination may require.

One of the more insidious aspects of organized religion is in convincing men that they must become deserving of this grace by what they do, or do not do. Grace is not only unmerited, it demands nothing in return. It does not even include the words, “Now that you are a Christian, you must do....”

Look carefully at what Paul said in Colossians 1:20-22. “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight. If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard.”

Paul never left the concept of grace, but went on to say that all things, both those on earth and those in heaven, were reconciled to God by the blood of the cross. He told the Colossians that they were included in the results of Jesus’ death.

As for the part faith plays, Paul said that if they continued believing the good news and were not moved away from it, they would be presented holy and unblameable and unimpeachable before him. A little study will show that this presentation will be at the return of Jesus, the messiah.

Faith retains, or keeps, what God has given to all men by grace, but faith never creates it. God is not changed when you believe; you are changed when you believe. Colossians 1:27-28 says, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”

Faith only unlocks the power of holy spirit which is already among you (en humen). When Jesus lives and works in you through the power of holy spirit it is his works, done through you, that make you pleasing to God. That was what Paul meant when he said,“Christ is all (things) and in all.” (Colossians 3:11).

I Timothy 4:8 says, “Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” I Timothy 4:10 says, “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men.”

Note this carefully! God saves (preserves) all men, not just believers. Paul also brought out again the hope of zoe which “now is, and...is to come.” At this time, men have only an earnest, or a down-payment, of the fullness yet to come.

Titus 2:11-14 says, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

This scripture shows that God expects those who believe the gospel to change the way they live. It says nothing at all about God changing towards people when they become believers, or of doing anything for them that he has not already done. The gift of Jesus was for the salvation of all mankind.

Just in case people got the idea that their faith had saved them, Paul wrote the following in Ephesians 1:3-7: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”

This is the good news! Before the foundation of the world, God chose everyone to be adopted through Jesus. Paul wanted them to understand what God had already done for them, that their salvation was of God.

Everything necessary for salvation was accomplished before the foundation of the world, which was a long time before anyone ever believed. We were chosen in him, and this was done at the good pleasure of his will, that men might give praise to the glory of his grace. Men’s sins were remitted by his grace. Truly men do have zoe, spiritual life, by the grace of God.

John 1:4 puts it this way: “In him (Jesus) was life (zoe); and the life (zoe) was the light of men.”

John 1:9 adds, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

In the Greek, a definite article “the” before a subject and a predicate noun (the life was the light of men) means they are reversible quantities. This means that we could say just as truthfully that “the light of men was the life.”

Because this is true, then every man was not only given light when he entered the world, but that light was also spiritual life (zoe). We begin to appreciate and experience the spiritual life when we believe, but we have had it ever since we came into the world. Our belief did not create it.

In light of the foregoing scriptures, the following two conclusions are valid. First, we either believe what God has already done, or we believe that God does something when we believe. The first case is the work of God through Christ. The second case is a synergistic type of salvation which demands that we do something, which becomes the basis of all denominationalism.

Second, people become lost, or out of the way, when they rebel against God who has already saved them. We become lost by choice, not saved by choice. Truly, salvation, which is life, zoe, is of God.

To summarize:

· The sin of Adam brought condemnation to all men without their participation.

· The sacrifice of Jesus brought redemption to all men without their participation.

· Jesus died to redeem all of creation, not just men only.

· Jesus was a ransom for “all,” not just for those who believe.

· Just as men received soulish life from the first Adam, so have men received spiritual life from the last Adam, Jesus.

[For more on this subject, see our book, What Scripture Says About Salvation. The full text of this book is available free at www.biblestudybooksfree.com.]