CHRIST BEFORE BETHLEHEM

                                 

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  he was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

                                                                            -John 1:1-5 (ESV)

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

                                                                            -John 1:14 (ESV)

This prologue of John’s summarizes the gospel.  Whereas Mark begins his account with John the Baptist, Matthew with Abraham, and Luke with Adam; John takes us to the beginning.   John deliberately quotes Genesis 1:1 and begins her narrative where the Scriptures begin.  John affirms that the Word existed before any act of creation occurred thus conveying the eternality of Christ.  Not only did the Word existence before creation began, but John emphatically declares that the Word is the Creator of all.  He emphasizes the preexistence of Jesus, referring to Him as the Word, an appropriate name to designate Him through whom God revealed Himself to man.

The mystery of God is in the eternal Word being incarnated in the Christ.  The roots of the life of Jesus reach all the way back into eternity.  This title of “Word” declares the unity of the Father and Son. 

John affirms not only the deity of Jesus Christ in the flesh and His preexistence before the incarnation but also the relationship of the preexistent Christ with God, the material world and mankind.  John further asserts his own belief in the preexistence of the Christ (1:30).

This title of the “Word” (Logos) clearly identifies Christ with God and the purpose and function of Christ to reveal God.  Jesus existed, “in the beginning” (1:1) a long time before He assumed human form.  Genesis 1 records how God spoke all things into existence, and now we learn that His creative word is an eternal, Divine Person.  Every single thing and the whole material universe came into being through the creative activity of the Word, Jesus Christ (1:3). The apostle Paul (Col 1:16) and writer of Hebrews (1:2) support this doctrine also. We can now understand better the “Let us make man in our image” from Genesis 1:26.  John fills the “Logos” with personality.  In using the Greek term “Logos” as a title for the Son of God, John did not coin a new word, but gave a new meaning to a word already in use.  John in seeking to reach a Greek audience uses a play on words with a term they are very familiar with.

The Greek word translated “dwelt” is literally “tabernacled among us”.  Christ abandoned the eternal dwelling place before the very presence of God the Father to pitch a tent in the midst of sinners.  When the Word became flesh (1:14) and tabernacle among men, the eternal God came to dwell among men not in a temple or tent, but in the person and humanity of His only-begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  We would never know what God is really like if the Word had not become flesh.  One could never know the love, grace and tenderness of God apart from the incarnation of God becoming flesh.  The Word becoming flesh also refers to the virgin birth.

It was man who sinned in the Garden of Eden, and transferring his allegiance from God to Satan, he forfeited his dominion that God intended he should have (Gen 1:26).  Only by man could the lost inheritance be regained (Rom 5:12-21), but since the whole race had been contaminated by the deadly virus of sin and had been rendered powerless to defeat the deceiver, the Word became flesh in order to do for man what sinful man could not do for himself.

Jesus himself said: “Before Abraham was, I am,” (John 8:58) signifying that He existed before Abraham was born.

A consideration of Christ’s preexistence and His power and wisdom in creation should impress any thinking person with His majesty and glory, and should spur one on to greater discipleship.  All the attributes of God are summed up in the incarnate Logos.  

"GOD WITH US", yes even today!

The Origin & Development of Our Modern Christmas

                         
In the early part of the 4^th Century A.D. the Emperor Constantine established Christianity as the state religion or the Roman Empire and the persecution of Christians came to an end.  From that point forward Christianity increasingly gained political influence and its hierarchy was formed in a pattern much like that of the political system of the Roman Empire.  Regarding the celebration of Christmas as a holiday it was not observed by followers of Christ for the better part of two hundred years after the time Jesus lived on earth.  In the writings of some of the early church fathers in the first three centuries of the existence of the church they did not want this sacred occasion put on a par with pagan carnivals.  One church official, Origen, especially declared against such a practice, asserting that it was sinful to keep Christ’s birthday “as though He were a King Pharaoh.”  Many church leaders denounced the intermingling of pagan with Christian elements in the celebration of Christmas.  Church leaders warned against excessive indulgence of feasting, dancing, and dressing in grotesque costumes.

Although in the early centuries of the Christian era the exact date of the nativity was not known, by the third century some had been observing the event on these varying dates:  January 6, February 2, March 25, April 19, May 20 and November 17.  (During this period of time there were five different calendar systems of reckoning time.)  At the request of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Julius I (Bishop of Rome from 337 – 352 A.D.) made an investigation into the matter of the date.  In 350 A.D., December 25 was set as the most probable time.  The Feast of the Nativity was first observed on this day at Rome, perhaps in 353 A.D.; and from then on the custom spread throughout the empire. About a century later near 440 A.D. the Bishop at Jerusalem also accepted this ruling, as did most of the other Christians, except the Armenians, who still observe Christmas on January 6.  Although many authorities did not agree then and many still do not agree today that December 25 was the correct date—the world will no doubt continue to celebrate on this date.

It is interesting to note that different sources have suggested reasons why the early Church officials selected this date.  Many of the Roman soldiers were adherents to Mithraism, a religion that for a time was a strong rival to Christianity in the empire.  Its most important feast day, (Birth of the Unconquered Sun), occurred on December 25.  The Church authorities may have set the date of Christ’s birth to correspond to celebrations already in practice through earlier pagan beliefs.  Perhaps they thought it wise to give a sacred meaning to pagan observances, rather than antagonize new converts by doing away completely with old customs.

But attempts to combine pagan and Christian events led to difficulties and the pollution of the church by pagan practices.  When the Church found it impossible through repeated bans to abolish all the pagan customs, it “Christianized” them and incorporated them into the Christian observance of Christmas.  This explains the use of greenery (like trees), candles and other lights for decorating the home.  In the Roman world the Saturnalia (December 17) was a time of merry-makinig and the exchange of gifts.  December 25 was also regarded as the birth date of the Persian mystery god Mithras also known as the “Sun of Righteousness”.  On the Roman New Year (January 1) houses were decorated with greenery and lights.   Gifts were also given to children and the poor.  Although at first Christians were expected to observe Christmas as a religious holiday exclusively, gradually secular, even pagan elements, such as those listed above and practiced today, were added.

So, the question for us today is:  Will we celebrate Christmas as Christians or as Pagans?  If Christ is left out of Christmas then it is simply a pagan festival.  Nowhere in the New Testament does it instruct us to celebrate the birth of Jesus as some special holiday observance.  The same could be said of Easter too (another term from pagan history).  The only observances we are instructed to do are worship on the Lord’s Day, baptism and communion. 

So was the observance of the birth of Christ as some special holiday to be remembered each year spawned from the nativity in Bethlehem or from the politicized Church of the 4^th Century A.D. combating Pagan religious celebrations and striving to “Christianize” them?   Something to think about for this Christmas season.  In a real sense every day for the Christian is a celebration of the Incarnation and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.   Don’t limit your praise and celebration to just one day a year.