Christmas and eternity

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Our eternal God is there before eternity past, and he created the world and the universe for man to live in, with him. God is a relational being and man was created, in his image, to have a loving, meaningful relationship with him. And that was supposedly for eternity future, too. But man sinned, succumbing to temptation, disobeyed his Creator and prevailed on his own will rather than following the Lord. God has said, “you will surely die.” (Gen. 2:17).

But Adam and Eve didn’t die immediately. The Bible has surely defined the result of sin as spiritual death, a total separation from the presence of God. For eternity. The Scriptures graphically depicted this as “gnashing of teeth,” “in endless torment and suffering” “in a place of fire and brimstone.” Yet immediately, God made the first promise of redemption. He told the tempter - the serpent, “And I will make enemies of you and the woman, and of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise Him on the heel.” (Gen. 3:15). This was the first promise of man’s salvation through Jesus.

God’s plan of salvation is the single theme of the entire Bible. The promise of the Savior was repeatedly prophesied and promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the book of Genesis. He will be an heir to King David’s throne, and the Psalms are replete with those promises. Prophets of old all foretold of the coming of Jesus long before he was born – Micah, Isaiah, Daniel, Hosea, Jeremiah, Zechariah, among others. They all prophesied of the coming of Jesus, his birth, and of his death on the cross, in ways too accurate to deny. Even to the very town he will be born – in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2).

God is eternal – he knew what will happen, even before the world was created, and what will there be in future. Christmas was part of his divine eternal plan, that of salvation and redemption. That’s the reason Christmas, and how we celebrate it, is important to God. Is it just a season? A specific date? A holiday? Parties, bonuses, and gifts? An excuse for decorating, playing carols, many of which don’t have anything to do with Christ himself or his gift of salvation from the penalty of sin we have died to after God created us? Or is Christmas a time for humility and repentance, for thanksgiving and joy, and of worship to the sovereign and eternal God who created us in his image, to have a loving relationship with him for eternity?

Christmas is a good time for self-reflection and renewal. The God of eternity ordained it, so we may be saved, forgiven, reconciled, and restored into a loving relationship with him. But it’s a personal choice, a personal intention, that no one can do for us. Jesus was born, lived, and died for us and for our sins. We need to repent, and accept his gift of redemption and eternal life, turn around and live a life he wants for us. That is the meaning of Christmas. And eternity.