Have you considered how dangerous Christmastime is for believers? Throughout the rest of the year, the spiritual dividing lines are clearly delineated. But as the world pauses to pay lip service to Christ’s birth, Christians can be easily swept up in the pomp and traditions, and forfeit a tremendous opportunity to proclaim the truth about our Lord.
We who know and love the truth have a spiritual duty to make the most of this time of year. The truth of our salvation in Christ ought to compel us to not leave Him as a baby in a manger, but to celebrate His life and sacrificial death along with His birth. The world excels as subdividing Christ, casting aside any aspects that offend its sinful sensibilities and prideful preferences. We must not make the same mistake compartmentalizing Christ—we must not proclaim half (or less!) of His life and purpose.
To encourage you to that end, we want to draw your attention to John MacArthur’s sermon from Resurrection Sunday earlier this year, titled “Through Christ, Life.”
The sermon is a study of Romans 5:15-21, and Paul’s comparison of our status in Adam versus our status in Christ. John explains Paul’s point—that in Adam we live under the reign of sin and death, but that through Christ we are set free to live under the reign of grace and life.
Here’s a short excerpt:
How can what one man does affect so many? One man brought the reign of death, the first Adam. Another man, the second Adam, has brought the reign of life.
Christ, grace in Him, meets sins and defeats it. Christ and grace in Him reigns, and then it becomes the controlling power of our lives. Christ and His one act unleashes grace that produces righteousness, forgiveness, justification, adoption, conversion, and one day, glorification. The one work of Christ transfers the sinner from death to life. The one work of Christ and the grace that it unleashes carries the justified, reconciled sinner into heaven. And this is the only way. All through this chapter it’s by Christ. We have peace because of Him, we have adoption because of Him, we have reconciliation because of Him, we have justification because of Him, and there is no other name.
It may seem counterintuitive to emphasize Christ’s death and resurrection during Christmas. But we who know and love Christ understand that we cannot accurately celebrate the baby in the manger if we underestimate the man that baby became and the work He accomplished for our sake on the cross. Our hope is that “Through Christ, Life” will encourage you to bring to bear the fullness of Christ’s Person and work in your Christmas celebration.
To watch or listen to “Through Christ, Life,” click here.
