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"God's Christmas Plan" (posted December 5, 2023)

   Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
   - Luke 2:10-12

[Notes of a Bible discussion with George Davison about Luke 2]

The title "a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" would indicate the greatness of the One who was coming in. Only One who is co-equal with God could have given effect to the great thoughts of God in reconciliation.

Christ, as we know, is God's Anointed, but He is co-equal with God Himself, Christ Jehovah. In Isaiah there is a term used several times, "the Arm of the Lord," and we find that "the Arm of the Lord" is personified; and here in Luke is "the Arm of the Lord"-- God's Anointed-- the One who brings in salvation for men and glory to God.

The expression "Christ the Lord" is one that must bow our hearts in adoration and in worship.

"And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall be fruitful" (Isaiah 11:1). We have two sides of truth there. We get a similar thought in the epistle to the Romans, "of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen" (Romans 9:5).

In Luke 2:10, where we have the expression "Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy," we see in this approach of God to man that instead of man being afraid of God he is to know what it is to "joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the reconciliation." The word "atonement" in that verse (Rom. 5:11) is really "reconciliation," and carries the thought of rejoicing in God.

In verse 14 we have what are perhaps the three outstanding features in reconciliation: God is glorified; peace is made; and God can now take His pleasure in His creatures. We cannot reverse the order; God's glory must be secured first.

It is good to see from verse 11 that the wonderful Person who is presented to us as "Christ the Lord" is said to be "a Savior." It was not God's desire to come down as a Judge. He came down in the character of a Savior.

We often speak of the Saviorship of Christ as though it were an elementary (or merely basic) matter, but we see that His Saviorship is connected with the glory of His Person. In John's epistle we read that "the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world." His Saviorship is thus linked with the dignity and glory of Who He is in His Person. Only such a Person could be the Savior.

There are two precious thoughts connected with this truth. First it is the Son who is the Savior, and the work is perfect and final; and yet the sign that is given in relation to the coming of this glorious Person is a "Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes." This would emphasize His perfect humanity. We read in Isaiah 7:14, "The Lord Himself shall give you a sign; behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son." We see this literally fulfilled in "the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

Source: Stem Publishing
(Read George Davison's biography here)



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