He Came as a Baby

No one denies that Jesus lived. The Roman government recorded both His birth and His death. The historian Josephus wrote about him—and He became a significant figure in world history.

But if we fail to recognize Him as God-become-man, Jesus will never be important to us personally—and we’ll never appreciate the true meaning of Christmas. He came as a baby, but He was and is the Word which was with God and was God before the beginning of time. (Jn. 1:1,2) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth. (Jn. 1:14 KJV)

This God we call Jesus did not pretend to be a person by temporarily taking on human form. Instead, He relinquished His powers as God when He became one of us. It was as though He came incognito. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and his own received Him not.(Jn. 1:10,11)

On the other hand, as many as received him, to them he gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. (vs. 12) And that is the wonder of Christmas.

Originally published December 20, 1985.