"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus;
for he shall save his people from their sins."
Matthew 1:21

Jesus was not born like all other children by natural generation. Joseph was not his physical father. Whatever modern criticism may say, the record of the birth of Jesus as stated in the Gospels presents the Eternal Word who "was with God" and "was God". (John 1:1), becoming flesh (John 1:14) in a Virgin's womb by the Holy Spirit and under the overshadowing "power of the highest" (Luke 1:35) The Word of God gave a chaste exalted story of the nativity. The Gospels present Jesus as Divine. If God was actually becoming incarnate, conception would have to be in a virgin's womb, it could not be otherwise. The immaculate conception, the virgin birth, the angelic choir and the wise men's star present a blending of the simple and the sublime.

He is presented in the Gospels as sinless in life. He is shown as a sinless Savior against a backdrop of a sinful world. We see him as a Savior who came to save sinners and was only able to do so because, He himself was sinless. He was never conscious of sin in himself - never did He confess sin. John declares, "In him is no sin." Peter says, "He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." Paul said, "He knew no sin." Pilate declared, "I find in him no fault at all." Judas had to own that he had "betrayed innocent blood."

Jesus's death was vicarious, redemptive and substitutionary. We must not put the death of Jesus Christ on a general par with other great and good men. He took our sins and our guilt upon himself and died as a sacrifice in our stead. The sufferings of Christ were different from those of any other as presented in the Gospels. The agony of the garden and the bloody sweat were not the result of extreme mental and physical anguish but caused by the sinless soul of the Son Of God coming in contact with the world's sin. It was not the crucifixion and the awful thirst, others have suffered as much and more. The cross was a travesty unless He who hung there knew no sin but was a sacrifice for our sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. This is the only sensible explanation of His unique suffering. Without a sinless life and a virgin birth as antecedents such a death is impossible and meaningless.

His resurrection is very important to the believers. This aspect of his person and work is inseparable from his supernatural birth, life and death. Jesus was all that He himself claimed and all the Gospels portray him to be. His resurrection was the vindication of his sinless life and a redemptive death. More than this, it was an absolute necessity. Those who evaluate the resurrection see its inseparable connection with the person and work of Christ. This truth like any other spiritual truth becomes real on the basis of faith.

Happy Holidays
Joe K. and Jewell E. Ballard

"Christmas Greetings" was part of a long-ago holiday greeting sent to each family at Christmas time. Please forgive any typing errors. They are a result of this typist and not in the original pieces of work.

Permission to reprint received from Jewel Ballard.

Clip Art, Clip Art, Clip Art!
Topic specific clip art links of everything from 4th of July, abilities and disabilities, airplanes, Alaska, astrology, backgrounds, icons, Kwanzaa, knights, and mice to military, monsters, people, snakes, special occasions, and other clip art and holidays.

Clipart Mountain
Clipart of fairies, frogs, backgrounds, food, houses, Valentines, butterflies, city scenes, and much more.

Christmas Family Clipart
Clipart of Christmas candles, Christmas trees, ivy, and more, plus family stories, links, and more.

ABKL Designs
Clipart of holidays that includes Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and more, plus food, animals, cactus, and much more.

Background from Web Clip Art

© 1996 - 2002. Bobbie Peachey
[email protected]