For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:6-7
This was not to be just any child, this was to be a child given to God’s people, a son, but not any Son. He was to be a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The increase of this child’s government and of peace there was to be no end. This Child was to sit on the throne of David and over his kingdom, he was to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. This was to be no ordinary child and this was to be no ordinary son that would be given us.
This young baby was born of a virgin and when she gave birth to her firstborn son she wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And as she did there were shepherds nearby out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 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 among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:8-14
This child was truly born, born as any other child was born, born as any other man that ever lived upon the face of this earth. He is therefore born fully human just as any child would be. This baby, however, is God’s Son, he is not just born, but given, begotten of his Father from before all time, begotten – not made, being of the same substance with the Father. Yes to us a Child is born in all His humanity, however the prophecy also reads to us a Son is given. This little Child was the Promised Messiah given to mankind by a loving God. This baby was the Son of God. Given because God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
This child who now is the centerpiece of our faith, wrapped in swaddling clothes in Bethlehem’s manger has been given to us. He has been given to us who are born again through His birth, death and resurrection. He has been given to us as an unmerited gift of a loving God. Paul tells us in Colossians that God gave this Child to us who were dead in our trespasses and the uncircumcision of our flesh, God made us alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. That is who this Child is. This Child is the Almighty One, Our Advocate, the Perfecter of Our Faith, the Bread of Life, the Beloved Son of God, the Faithful and True, the Good Shepherd, Our Great High Priest, Immanuel, the Lamb of God, the Light of the World, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Lord of All, our Mediator, the Messiah, the Mighty One, the One Who Sets us Free, Our Hope, Our Redeemer, the Risen Lord, The Rock of Our Salvation, the Sacrifice for Our Sins, Our Savior, the Son of Man, the Son of the Most High, the Supreme Creator Over All, the Resurrection and the Life, The Word, The True Vine, the Victorious One, and a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
This Child came down from on High. He left the glories of Heaven, and since we are not the Creator Himself we can only get a glimpse into a divine mystery which escapes our ability to fully comprehend these glories. This child hung the stars in the sky and gave names to all of them, and voluntarily came to dwell in a lowly manger. This Child who breathed life into man became a man. This Child who created the earth and all it’s grandeur came to walk on the earth. This Child who was served by legions of angels, who dwelt with the Father, and who is the object of our worship, stooped to wash His disciples feet. This Child who made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night, died in darkness so that we could dwell in His eternal light. He is that baby in the manger. He is the Son given to us.
For those who call on His name we understand this gift from a loving God. We understand that this is the testimony: that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12). We understand that through this gift of His Son God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8). This is the good news of the Bible, the message of the gospel. It’s the message of the gift of God’s own Son who became man, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sin, and was raised from the grave proving both the fact He is God’s Son and the value of His death for us as our substitute. This is that baby in the manger.
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