Preface to the Study
All our meditations of the coming of Christ should lead to wonder, amazement, and awe. And like the angels who announced His birth, it should provoke a spirit of great joy in all our hearts over what the Lord has done in sending His son.
This issue is dedicated to the Birth of Christ. In “the Great Birthday,” Charles Spurgeon reminds us of the importance of celebrating the great birthday of our Savior with great joy. In his usual eloquent fashion, Spurgeon points us to that first Christmas and reminds us that the great joy the shepherds experienced and testified to ought to be ours even more! How will you celebrate His birth this year? Will you rejoice at the salvation of the Lord as the angels and the shepherds did that first Christmas morning?
We have also included two articles by A. W. Pink. The first, “The Condescension of Christ,” reminds us that the incarnation is about the condescension of the Lord Jesus Christ. He left His throne in glory to come and be among us – the Christmas message is about His condescension. The second article, “The Person of Christ,” discusses the mystery of the incarnation: Christ as both God and man. In His becoming man, He became man fully; and yet, He remained fully God!
Ebenezer Erskine’s article, “God in Christ is Love,” causes us to think about the “love of God that came down.” It is easy to become caught up in the theology of the birth of Christ and forget that His coming was an act of God’s great love toward us! Through a series of ten meditations, Erskine reminds us that Immanuel, “God with us,” provides many proofs of God’s love in sending Jesus to be born in a manger in Bethlehem.
Finally, this issue ends with a section from Spurgeon’s sermon, “No Room for Christ in the Inn,” that has been edited from one section of that sermon, “Room for Jesus?” This article asks each reader to consider whether he has given place for Jesus in his life. While it is sad to read of a pregnant woman and her espoused husband to be turned away because “there was no room for them in the inn,” it is even sadder to think of the countless millions who will celebrate this Christmas season without a personal knowledge of this babe as their Savior! Is there room for Jesus in your life? Will you make room for Jesus even in your Christmas?
As you approach this Christmas season, we pray that your thoughts about the birth of Christ lead you to a season of great joy because of the birth of our savior: “For unto you is born, this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 1:14).
By His Grace,
Jim
