How do you celebrate Christmas? No doubt, there would be many different answers, but the best way is to celebrate Christ! John 1:14 reads, 'And the Word became 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.' Jesus Christ is 'the Word' who 'became flesh and dwelt among us.' This is known as the incarnation. Warren W. Wiersbe explains, 'Incarnation is the theological term used to express the doctrine that Jesus Christ is God in a human body.' Here are three ways to celebrate Christ this Christmas.

We celebrate Christ as we contemplate the mystery of His makeup. Though some consider Jesus Christ to be the greatest man who ever lived, He is in a category all by Himself. Jesus is the only one born of an earthly mother and a heavenly Father. We read about the mystery of His makeup in Philippians 2:5-11. In this passage, we read that Jesus Christ took on human flesh as a servant and obediently gave His life on the cross in voluntary submission to the Father, who then exalted Him as Lord of all. The mystery of His makeup is known as the hypostatic union. This means Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man; not a man who became God, but God who became the God-man. Those who tell us Jesus never made any great claims for Himself need to ponder passages like John 8:58 and John 10:30.

We celebrate Christ as we corroborate the mercy of His mission. Jesus Christ said of Himself in Luke 19:10, 'The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.' That was His mission of mercy! To corroborate is 'to attest to the validity of something.' A lost and dying world needs to see the evidence of those who can confess with Paul, 'not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life' (Titus 3:5-7). Mercy is not receiving what we deserve, and grace is receiving what we do not deserve.

We celebrate Christ as we communicate the majesty of His message. All believers have been duly commissioned by Jesus Christ, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords. His Great Commission is recorded in all four gospels and the book of Acts (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:44-49; John 20:19-23; and Acts 1:8). Paul shares the essential elements of the gospel message are the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). C.S. Lewis summed up Christmas in one sentence: “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.”

Merry Christmas!

Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey, of Robertsdale, is the author of "Don't Miss the Revival! Messages for Revival and Spiritual Awakening from Isaiah".