We Beheld His Glory

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.

Some fail to understand the meaning and message of Christmas because they focus on human traditions instead of the truth of the Scriptures. It is now fitting that we warm our hearts again by the fireside of blessing as we reflect on our Lord's birthday.

He Became Flesh

In the text above, the word "was" is from ginomai and means “to become.” This word clearly conveys that Christ became flesh—sinless flesh, of course  Heb. 4:15 says, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

He Became Man

The word also means to enter a new mode of existence. The Lord Jesus became man, but He did not cease to be God.

He Was Always God

In the Virgin Birth, Christ took upon Himself sinless flesh, but He did not cease even for a moment to be what He was from eternity—God!

John, the beloved disciple, emphasizes this by saying, “We beheld His glory.” The word "glory" refers to the displayed excellence of God, fully revealed in Christ— in His sinless person and in His miraculous ministry. Our Lord constantly testified that He was God manifested in the flesh. Christ told Philip, “He that has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). The message and meaning of Christmas show Jesus as the Revealer of God, the Father (John 1:18).

Through Jesus' eyes, the Father looked out.

Through His ears, God listened to man's cry.

Through His hands, God reached out to man.

Through His feet, God walked out to man.

God on earth established a foothold on the shore of humanity so He might show mankind His love by giving His only begotten Son.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. — John 3:16