ADVENT FOR ADULTS #6
December 6th … 19 NIGHTS TIL CHRISTMAS
MANY SONS
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 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, good will toward men.” Luke 2:10=14
The idea that “God had no son” is certainly not in the New Testament. The whole Bible points towards God’s son, Jesus Christ. Jesus said so himself: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” [John 5:39]
What the Bible actually teaches is that God had only ONE BEGOTTEN son: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” [John 3:16] The words only begotten in the original language is one word, monogenes, which is literally translated, only born. God has only ONE SON that was born of a human woman— and this one birth is so important, the exact details of this one human birth are recorded here in Luke.
“And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And 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.”
This familiar story has been told a thousand times from our Western perspective. In recent years we Christians have been led to factor in the Jewish perspective, and the effect is even morewonderful and powerful. (But I don’t have room for the details here— you can do your own further study by reading this remarkable link: http://hethathasanear.com/Birth.html) But I will give you a hint— the “swaddling clothes” in which this child was wrapped were actually strips of cloth kept on hand for newborn baby lambs! And the reason the angel appeared to the shepherds first, was no random coincidence!
But these incidentals are not my principle focus for this blog. My point is that the angel appearedto the shepherds first, and told them two very important things— “Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people…”” [Luke 2:10] 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.” [Luke 2:13,14]
The news of this birth in Bethlehem was supposed to be good news for ALL people— every man,woman and child on Earth, and it was God’s way of showing his good will to ALL people, not just a chosen few, or a particular group, race, or religion.
The good news is that “unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord…” [Luke 2:11] —and this saviour is come to save the human race from SIN, something only the son of God can do! (see yesterday’s entry). But on top of this wonderful truth is the further truth that the son of God is come so that all men (and women!) can become sons of God.
Look at these remarkable passages from all over the New Testament:
“For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” [Hebrews 2:10] EXPLANATION: God’s plan is to make men into sons, and bring them into his Kingdom— and for this, God needed his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to go through great suffering.
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” [John1:12] EXPLANATION: those who will take Jesus Christ as saviour will be given the power and the right to become sons of God.
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he .” [1John3:2 ] EXPLANATION: Those who have taken Christ as saviour ARE already sons of God…they’ve just not yet been given what Jesus has been given, a resurrection body.
The whole point of God supernaturally conceiving his own Son through the virgin Mary, is so that all men (and women!) can become the sons (and daughters!) of God! This means YOU!
More about this tomorrow.
GO TO START: ADVENT FOR ADULTS #1
YESTERDAY’S BLOG: https://analogyman.wordpress.com/2018/12/05/advent-for-adults-5/
SPECIAL LINK for further study: http://hethathasanear.com/Birth.html