Christ Manifested

He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.   

I John 3:8   

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 clothes, lying in a manger.  

Luke 2:11-12  

How did Christ manifest Himself to the world? The second part of our text tells us. The speakers are the angels who announced His birth. The audience is the shepherds who were working close to Bethlehem. The first part of our text speaks of His overarching purpose. The second part tells us the manner of His appearance.  The manner is important to our understanding of His mission. Humanity had originally interacted with the devil resulting in the transgression of God’s command. Thus, the work of the devil was to destroy humanity, the handiwork of God. God had both a purpose and plan to destroy this work of destruction. This is where the incarnation of Christ became important. In order to destroy the destructive work of the devil, Christ became a man, the God-Man, and began living a perfect life as a true human. The purpose was to reverse the carnage brought to humanity by Adam’s sin. Thus the incarnation was critical to the success of the entire operation. We have chosen to celebrate it at this time of year, not because the time is important, but because the event is. 

Our Wise and Sovereign God, 
we rejoice that You do all things well. 
We praise You that You have sent Your Son into the world, 
to destroy the works of the devil.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning