God Sent Forth His Son … (December 2025 Update)
In Galatians 4:4-6, Paul gives us a summary of the Christmas story: “In the fulness of time, God sent forth His son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His son into your hearts, crying ‘Abba, Father.’” When we think of Christmas, we often turn to familiar stories surrounding the birth of Jesus. But here, Paul reminds us that Christmas is more than just a “babe in a manger.”
First, Christmas reminds us about the amazing providence of God! “In the fulness of time” – when the time was just right. In the providence of God, the first Christmas came at exactly the right time! Some translate this as the “perfect” time. It might also be translated as “when the time was pregnant” or completely ready or like a pregnant mother who is “great with child.” Everything was ready for the baby to come.
Jesus was born “in the fulness of time.” It was the time God had prepared beforehand. It was in accordance with all the prophecies about his birth. It was the fulfillment of all the predictions about the coming of the Messiah. It was “in the fulness of time.” As Charles Spurgeon says, “there are no loose threads in the providence of God, no stiches dropped, no events left to chance.”
Everything! The events surrounding the conception and the birth of John the Baptist pointed to the coming of Messiah (Luke 1). The angelic messengers to Mary and Joseph (Matthew 1 and Luke 1) prepared Mary and Joseph for this amazing event. And the Lord prepared the hearts of many in Jerusalem at that time who were waiting for the coming of Messiah and the redemption of Israel (Luke 2, Simeon, Anna and many other). And “In the fulness of time, God sent forth His son….”
Second, Christmas reminds us about the amazing Gift of God! “God sent forth His son” – Christmas is about the greatest gift of all. At the first Christmas, God did not send an angel. He did not send us a messenger. He did not send another prophet. He sent His only son.
This passage also reminds us about the pre-existence of Jesus. Unlike us, the Son of God did not come into existence at his birth. He existed long before Bethlehem. God “sent forth His son” – from where? From heaven. Jesus existed before he was laid in the manger. In Micah 5:2, God gives us a prophecy about the place of his birth: “But you, O Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from old, from everlasting.” But this prophecy tells us more than the place of his birth. It tells us about his eternal nature: “whose goings forth are from old, from everlasting.” So, God sent forth His son – because he existed before the incarnation.
No wonder Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” Christmas is about God’s amazing gift of His son to us.
Third, Christmas reminds us that Jesus became one of us! “Born of a woman, under the law” – To save us, He must be one of us. He had to live as we lived yet he had to be without sin. Jesus had to become one of us. How could this happen? This is one of the great miracles of Christmas – that God became man. This is recorded in both Luke and Matthew in what we call the “Virgin Birth.”
The Old Testament has much fulfilled prophecy about the incarnation and the virgin birth. In Genesis 3:15, after Adam and Eve have sinned, God gives them a promise. He tells the serpent, “I will put enmity … between your seed and her seed, and He shall bruise your head ….” The prophecy makes no sense without the virgin birth – the woman does not have the seed; she has the egg. But Jesus is born without the action of a man. So, the prophecy speaks of him as the “seed” of the woman. In Isaiah 7:14 we read that “a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and you shall call his name Immanuel (which means God with us).” Hebrews 2:9 tells us that Jesus was made “a little lower than the angels … that he, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” He became one of us so that he might become our perfect substitute. He became one of us so that he could die for our sins.
But that’s not all. He was “born of a woman, under the law.” Jesus not only needed to be born as one of us (truly man), but he also had to live under the law and be sinless. If he fails and sins even once, he is no longer a perfect sacrifice, and he cannot pay for our sins. So, on that first Christmas morning, Jesus was “born of a woman” so he could be our perfect substitute. And he grew up and lived “under the law” – perfectly, without sin – so that he could be our perfect sacrifice!
Fourth, Christmas reminds us of another Christmas Miracle! “And because we are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his son into our hearts.” Because of Christmas, we are no longer slaves in bondage; we have been adopted – we are sons! Phillip Brooks captures this in the third verse of his song, “O Little Town of Bethlehem”: “Where meek souls receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.”
The Virgin Birth is a Christmas miracle. But Jesus came with a purpose – to die for our sins and provide a way for us to be saved. Another miracle is the miracle of the new birth. Christmas is not just about a baby in the manger. It is about the Son of God on the cross. But it is about more than that. It is about us. Because of His miraculous birth, and His perfect, sinless life, and His perfect sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, we can have complete forgiveness of our sins. And we have adoption as sons! And because we are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His son into our hearts!
On Christmas, we usually give gifts. And certainly, in Christ, we have received the greatest gift of all. But … we have so much more! We don’t just have gifts on Christmas; we have been made sons. And not just sons, but heirs – “an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:7). Which would be better – to receive gifts from a rich man, or to be made his heir? At Christmas, remember that, in Christ, we have received many wonderful gifts. But the greatest gift is that we have been made sons and that we are joint heirs with Christ! No gift could be greater than that!
What a great gift we have been given through Jesus Christ! As you celebrate Christmas this season, never forget that Christmas is about God sending forth His son so that we might have eternal life. That’s the real meaning of Christmas!
Opportunities to Serve and Teach …
Last month, I was able to teach a Theology 1 class online for a new Bible School in Odessa, Ukraine. This school was started by one of my former students, Dima, and he asked me to teach a section of this class. He could not find a translator, so I contacted Sergey Bochko, my pastor when we lived in Ukraine. He translated a number of classes for me when we lived in Ukraine. He and his family are now living in Florida, and he agreed to help with this class. We had 14 students who were very interested in learning and growing in their ministries. Even though they had to endure missile attacks each night, they still came to listen to lectures. It is such a joy to be able to help these students in their ministries!
Ukrainian students in both L’viv and Kyiv continue to take classes and prepare for ministry even during regular air raids from Russian missiles. Kyiv Theological Seminary hosts an annual chaplains conference each year. Before the war, KTS was the only seminary providing training for chaplains. Pray for our schools and our students as they continue to minister during the war.
I’m still trying to find time to work on developing the theological education courses for GlobalServe missionaries. I need to really work on this over the next two months so I can share about this at the Sender’s Forum in February. Please pray for me as I try to get this program developed.
Family …
We celebrated Thanksgiving this year with just our family and the Coopers. We had a really good, relaxing time together. We enjoyed our time so much that we didn’t remember to take many pictures!
Our girls and the Coopers also got to attend the circus when it came to Fayetteville. Even though the circus was very small, it was excellent! We didn’t expect such a wonderful time for such a small circus.
The beginning of the Christmas season also means baking time. Katya and the girls have been busy baking cookies and pumpkin breads to eat and share. Of course, I do my part too – eating!
We also celebrated St. Nicholas Day (December 6), although we almost forgot! Our girls reminded us, after bedtime prayers, that the next morning was St. Nicholas Day and they were looking forward to presents in their shoes! We had totally forgotten! So, I had to get up early and go to the store (and the donut shop) so they could wake up to one of their favorite little traditions.
We got our garden all cleaned up and ready for the winter. We still have some carrots in the ground and some lettuce still growing under some frost covers, but, in general, our harvest is over for this year. We still have plenty of preserves and dehydrated fruits and vegetables from our harvest that we will enjoy through the winter.
Health Issues …
My health has been really excellent since we returned to the States. That is, until a month ago. In November, I began having shortness of breath and chest pains without almost any exertion. Because of this, I have had an angiogram and a halter test. The angiogram showed zero blockage anywhere, and the halter did not reveal anything. So, this week, I am having an Upper GI exam and next week I will be doing an EGD to see if my hiatal hernia could be giving me these symptoms. It is getting so bad that it is difficult to do anything without having extreme shortness of breath. Pray that they can figure out what is going on so we can fix this problem.
Pray for Ukraine …
Continue to pray for Ukraine and for the ministries going on there. We have so many friends and colleagues that are faithfully serving and sharing the gospel even with the war still going on. One of their biggest needs is rest – waking up nearly every night for the last 4 years between 3-5 am because of air raids is exhausting! Pray for Ukraine – for real peace – but most of all that many during this terrible time will come to know the Prince of Peace.
We are so grateful that we are able to be here in the United States. We know everything is not perfect, but we have a place to live and plenty to eat. We have friends and opportunities for ministry (we are now hosting a Home Fellowship Group and loving it too!). Nearly 4 years ago, we left Ukraine not knowing what would be ahead for us. By God’s providence and the help of many friends, we can say that we are warm and together as we prepare to celebrate this Christmas. It is still hard to believe all the blessings we have received over the last four years! May the Lord bless you this Christmas. We pray that you may remember that Christmas is not about toys and gifts but about the greatest gift of all. “In the fulness of time, God sent forth His son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” That’s what Christmas is really all about! Merry Christmas!!!
By His Grace,
Jim and Katya, Kristina and Nadia
If you missed previous updates or just want to read some short theological reflections, you can find these at our website at https://teachingresources.org/ .
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