When God became man: The promise of His birthplace

"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity" (Micah 5:2).

An earthly king would want his son to be born into elegance and prominence, but God promised His Son would be born in a location so insignificant it would find no place "among the clans of Judah."

This one whom God would send to be "ruler in Israel" would not reign over a temporary kingdom, however. Nor would He begin His existence on the date of His birth in the little town of Bethlehem. He also would not begin to exist at the moment of conception in His mother's womb. No, He had existed "from the days of eternity." There was no beginning to His existence. The One who would appear on that future day in Bethlehem would be the God of all ages who had made all things.

When God became man: The promise of a unique ruler

"For a child will be born to us; a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace . . . " (Is. 9:6-7a).

God promised he would establish a never-ending government upon the shoulders of a tiny child. How could a baby bear such weight? The question is a natural one; the answer is a supernatural one.

This is God in the person of a little boy -- a child bearing one-of-a-kind titles. From the moment of His conception, God indwelt this embryo turned boy turned man. Because this was God in the flesh, we can trust His rule will never end. He will reign as a benevolent monarch, bringing a peace that will go on throughout eternity.

Notice to whom this son is a gift. This prophecy certainly applied to the Hebrews whom God had set apart for Himself, but it also is a particular promise to all of us who have received the gift of salvation -- He has been given to us.

When God became man: The promise of a unique birth

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel" (Is. 7:14).

When God became man, it was through a conception and birth like no other. Isaiah prophesies a virgin -- a woman who has no natural means of procreation -- will give birth to a son. This impossible pregnancy and birth will constitute a sign -- a sign of the most miraculous kind.

The father of this child is not mentioned in this verse. Only later is it spelled out this son has God as His Father, but we certainly can deduce this reality from Isaiah's prophecy. Only God can do something so impossible. This child will be human and divine. In this baby boy, God would fulfill His promise from long before.

When God became man: The first promise

(In this Christmas season, I plan to post daily a revised version of each devotional Linda and I compiled in a booklet as a gift to the church in 2004.)

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel" (Gen. 3:15).

The initial promise of Christmas came at the moment when humanity's greatest need was realized. God pronounced judgment on the tempter, whose beguiling ways had persuaded the first woman and man to rebel against their Creator. But in His sentencing of Satan, God presented what is known as "the proto-evangelium," the first gospel.

The seed of the woman, not the man, promised by God was His own Son, who would appear in fulfillment of this promise thousands of years later. In humanity's darkest hour, God provided hope for a fallen race. He fulfilled that hope through an unborn child in a virgin's womb, through a baby born in Bethlehem, through a man who lived a perfect life, and through a suffering servant who delivered a crushing blow to the evil one -- though He would not escape unharmed -- through His crucifixion and resurrection.

-- Photo by Aleks Dahlberg on Unsplash

News and Good News

The horrible, sickening slaughter of the saints of First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Tex., reminds us such evil acts sadly are part of a world where sin is present, prevalent and powerful. Only the triumphant return of King Jesus will cleanse this world of wickedness.

Such a gospel-focused view is only part of the Christian response to this murderous rampage, however. We lament it. We mourn with those who lost members of their nuclear and spiritual families. We intercede for them and those injured. We pray for a church that has been decimated. We petition God for a pastor who ministers to the grieving while he grieves himself. We pray for the advance of the gospel.

Those of us who are elders also pray and ponder how we, as shepherds, can provide for the physical safety of the flock that gathers for corporate worship each Sunday. The elders of our church value your prayers at this time.

We also seek to think and guide others biblically in the wake of such an atrocity. Some already have written wise, helpful words. Undoubtedly, others will.

Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), wrote a column for The Washington Post on why such shootings don't intimidate the church. In it, he wrote, "To eradicate churches, our opponents will need a better strategy. They should see that Christianity can be easier suffocated with comfort, to the point that we forget who we are, than it can be terrorized with violence." You can read it here.

John Piper of Desiring God wrote here on the ministry of our Savior to those who suffer such cruel blows.

Phillip Bethancourt, the ERLC's executive vice president, provided thoughts here on how parents can discuss such an event with their children.

Our ability to prevent such wicked actions toward others and ourselves is limited. But we have good news that provides us with hope. We need not be fearful. All who trust in Christ have a confident expectation of not only His righteous, peaceful reign in the future but His unshakable grip on us now and forever.

Yesterday was International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Here are some news reports about persecution and other matters of interest to evangelical Christians:

1. U.S. to help persecuted without U.N. -- Vice President Mike Pence recently announced the United States will work directly with private organizations and not just the United Nations to help Christians and other religious minorities suffering at the hands of ISIS.

2. Syrian woman testifies to wickedness of men and sufficiency of Christ -- The 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative recently shared a testimony from a Syrian woman named Haya. A mother of four, she and her family were captured by terrorists who committed great atrocities against their community. She shared, “Even though I lost everything, I gained Christ.” Warning: This includes descriptions of great evil against human beings.

3. Hindu-dominated Nepal bans conversion -- The government of Nepal passed a law last month that prohibits conversion from one religion to another. In a mostly Hindu country, this act threatens Christians and churches, as well as their evangelism and ministry.

4. Republicans' tax proposal would eliminate adoption tax credit -- The GOP tax reform plan unveiled last week in the U.S. House of Representatives excludes a tax credit for adoptions that has existed for 20 years. The credit has helped many couples adopt, and its elimination would result in fewer children being placed in families permanently, adoption advocates say. In addition, the ACLU is seeking to prevent faith-based adoption agencies in Michigan from refusing to place children with same-sex couples.

The Reformation and a singing church

We may overlook at least one benefit of the Protestant Reformation: Congregational singing. This day -- the first after the 500th anniversary of the event that ignited the Reformation -- is a good time to ponder the lasting impact of that movement of God on music in the church.

When Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door Oct. 31, 1517, congregational singing was prohibited in the Roman Catholic Church.

"What many people do not know is that while Luther's 95 Theses of theology may have opened the floodgates for the Reformation, his insistence upon a return to, and celebration of, the sacred act of congregational singing in the people's known language built the community apparatus that kept those floodgates open for years to come," modern hymn writer Keith Getty said yesterday in a news release.

Getty -- co-writer of such songs as "In Christ Alone" and "The Power of the Cross" -- said Luther believed a truly biblical church is one in which every Christian participates in corporate worship, including singing.

"Luther had come to realize what his ancient predecessors had always known: God's people are catechized by what they sing," Getty said. "A preacher can teach what the Bible means, but people 'carry out' the Bible by the songs they sing. Singing affects people's minds, emotions, hearts, memories, prayer lives -- and ultimately, their thoughts and spoken words."

Singing by the entire church gathered for worship is consistent with the many appeals in Psalms, the example of Jesus and His disciples on the night before He was crucified (Matt. 26:30) and the apostle Paul's instructions to churches (Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16). It is consistent with the truth the entire church is to worship when it is gathered, not just some who are leading. It is consistent with what we have said since we began meeting as a body of believers -- corporate worship is for participants, not spectators.

We practiced this again last Sunday, when we sang hymns from centuries ago -- such as "And Can It Be?" and "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" -- and hymns and songs from the last 20 years, including "In Christ Alone" and "Ancient Words." And as we sang, we confessed common beliefs of the Christian faith we share. We also proclaimed the gospel.

Think with me how we declared in morning and evening the joyous news that salvation is in Christ and His work alone as our substitute, not in any merit or works we would offer:

-- "Could my tears forever flow, could my zeal no languor know, these for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone. In my hand no price I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling" from "Rock of Ages."

-- "Till on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied; for ev’ry sin on Him was laid -- here in the death of Christ I live" from "In Christ Alone."

-- "Therefore my trust is in the Lord, and not in mine own merit; on Him my soul shall rest, His word upholds my fainting spirit; His promised mercy is my fort, my comfort and my sweet support" from "Psalm 130 (From Depths of Woe)."

-- "The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend, the agonies of Calvary; You the perfect Holy One, crushed Your Son, who drank the bitter cup reserved for me" from "Jesus, Thank You."

The gospel recovered in the Reformation is the gospel we proclaim in our singing together. May we do so each Sunday "with thankfulness in [our] hearts to God" (Col. 3:16b).

News and Good News

Three devastating hurricanes have struck the United States and/or the islands of the Caribbean since late August. A gunman massacred concert-goers in Las Vegas only this week, killing at least 59 image bearers of God and injuring more than 500 others.

In response, some Christian pastors and leaders have spoken and written biblically -- displaying wisdom and compassion while making much of Jesus and His gospel. In our own church, Jim Smith preached a message Sept. 17 in which he showed us from Luke 13 how Jesus taught us to respond in the case of such tragedies. I commend his sermon, which you can listen to here.

Regarding the killings in Las Vegas, author Jared Wilson of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary wrote here what I consider a helpful piece on what God is saying when such evil occurs.

We have heard and read about a lot of bad news recently -- and there is a lot more we probably have not paid attention to. When we receive such news, may we not take long to think about God through the lens of the gospel. The good news that never changes is the supreme and holy God loves the world and has sent us a Savior who took our place in absorbing the punishment that we deserved. His life, death and resurrection have purchased perfect justice and peace.

Here are articles on some other recent news items of interest to evangelical Christians:

1. Half million people flee Burma -- More than 65 million people in the world are refugees, according to the latest report from the United Nations. The causes for their displacement from their homes and sometimes their countries are war, violence and persecution. Ethnic cleansing by the Burmese army has forced about 500,000 people, primarily Rohingya Muslims, from the country also known as Myanmar. This is the story of a man and his family who fled their home and finally reached a refugee camp in Bangladesh.

2. Nabeel Qureshi dies -- Nabeel Qureshi, a Christian apologist whose three books focused on Islam, died Sept. 16 at the age of 34 following a year-long bout with stomach cancer. This tribute by Justin Taylor, an executive vice president with Crossway, serves as a helpful retrospective on Qureshi's life. The excerpts of Qureshi's testimony about how his conversion from Islam to Christ brought pain to his family and him are particularly poignant. Videos are included.

3. China's unregistered churches prepare for crackdown -- Churches that refuse to register with the Communist regime are making changes in response to increased pressure from government officials, and they are expecting greater restrictions in the months ahead.

4. The Village Church changes course -- The Village Church, the multisite megachurch in the Dallas/Forth Worth metroplex, will turn each of its campuses into an autonomous church in the next five years, lead pastor Matt Chandler announced Sept. 24. This appears to be an important development. The multisite approach that uses such slogans as "One church, four campuses" does not seem to match what we see in the New Testament, where each body of believers appears to be treated as an autonomous church. With Chandler's status as president of the Acts 29 church-planting network, The Village Church's action could influence other multisite congregations to go to the Scriptures regarding their practice.