The Fullness Of The Time

Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were 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 out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Galatians 4:1-7

Sacrifice is at the heart of true love, and sacrifice is love’s truest measure. This is appropriate for Christmas, because sacrifice is the heartbeat of the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was born to die, and He was born to die for us. That is why the angel told Joseph, “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Long before Christ’s birth, it had been determined that He would come to rescue us from our fallenness – which means that we can never fully appreciate the manger unless we see it in the shadow of the cross. Christmas is completely about Christ’s love, seen move clearly in His sacrifice for us.

The essential fact of Christianity is that God thought all humanity

was worth the sacrifice of His Son.

Our Daily Bread – December 26, 2015