The Birth and Death of the Lord Jesus Christ Are Year-Round Truths

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If there are two very hypocritical times of the year - it's Christmas and the Lenten season. Some people have even insisted that it's foolish not to celebrate Christmas because without the Incarnation then the Crucifixion couldn't happen. It's true that if Jesus wasn't born in His human form then He couldn't fulfill the very mission to die for the sins of man. Jesus had to fulfill Isaiah 7:14 in order to fulfill Isaiah 51 to 53, right? Now, it's already the New Year and it won't be long that the Lenten season will arrive in just a matter of months.

So how can the birth and death of Christ be declared and celebrated all year round? It's not about celebrating Christmas everyday (though I have nothing against Christians who celebrate Christmas without the pagan nonsense of Saturnalia) or having a daily Lenten season. Rather, it's because the very Gospel about Jesus Christ is surrounded with every truth about Him as the eternal Son of God who had no beginning and no tend, that He became man so He can be among us, to live a perfect life and to die a bloody death on the cross for the sins of mankind. What did Jesus do and other famed teachers like Buddha, Lao Tzu and Confucius not do? He is the eternal Son of God who lived a pure and perfect life (and pagan gods commit human error according to their sources) so He could pay for the sins of mankind by dying for them!

The truth of John 3:16 is relevant all-year round and not just on Christmas! The message that God the Father so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son for sinners is the daily truth that must be proclaimed to lost souls and not just on Christmas. The truth that God the Father already knew the solution for the sins of mankind. John 3:16 is not only tied towards the incarnation of Jesus Christ as a baby but also when He voluntarily allowed Himself to be crucified for the sins of man. People don't find the very idea of the Son of God allowing Himself to be crucified to be humanly impressive. But it was a necessary death for Jesus to die the death of a condemned criminal because everyone has been condemned to death the moment they were born!

The very celebration of the birth and death of Christ is lived also through the Christian's changed life. Jesus was born in human form or as the eternal Son of God in human flesh so man can be born again. To be born again is not through infant baptism as Papists claim or joining a certain religious sect called "born again" as charismatics claim. Rather, it's all about a relationship with God. To be born again is to mean to start all over again. It was also necessary for Him to become human in order to pay for the sins of mankind which also required Him to keep the whole Law. It's because man can't keep the whole Law that's why Jesus kept it. Jesus can't sin because He is co-eternal and co-equal with both God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

The very sanctity of the Lord's supper was also meant to be the very celebration of the Church to commemorate the death of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 11:23-29 gives guidelines on how to celebrate the sacrament of the Lord's supper. It always required both the bread and the wine - not just one without the other. Although the doctrine of transubstantiation that says that the bread and wine became the body and blood of Christ is blasphemy - however attending the Lord's supper in a terribly backslid state is an insult. The reason would be that it's disrespectful to partake of the Lord's supper when one's life doesn't reflect the saving power of Jesus. Such persons may not even be saved if they ever believe that Jesus' salvation is a license to sin. This was probably written not only for Christians to be extra careful but to also prevent fake converts from participating in such a holy event. The death of Christ isn't something to be taken lightly!

The very message of the pulpit is still there. It may not be Christmas or Holy Week but the message still stays the same. The very message of salvation is centered on both the birth and death of Christ. Without one - the other won't happen as planned by God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit! This is what's still preached even when it's not Christmas nor Holy Week. Sure, both Christmas and Good Friday are soulwinning opportunities yet the activity should never be limited to just those two days in the calendar!

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