“Let this mind be in you, which was
also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form
of God, thought it not robbery to be equal
with God.” (Philippians 2:5-6)

One of my favorite Christmas passages in
scripture is not usually associated with the
holiday. Philippians 2 describes how Jesus,
though He is God, became a man. God the
Son was born of the virgin Mary so He could
live and die for our sins, be buried, and then
rise again. That is what we celebrate at
Christmas time.

The mystery of the incarnation will always
perplex us to some degree. Because it is difficult
to understand, it leads some people to draw
incorrect conclusions about Jesus. For instance,
some people conclude that Jesus was not God
from the beginning but became God through
living a perfect life. The Bible does not teach this.
The Bible teaches that Jesus is God, He was God
in eternity past, and He will always be God.

Understanding the truth about the Deity of
Christ is important if you are to fully appreciate
what He did for us. He willingly set aside the
glory and the honor that was rightfully His as
God the Son to be born as a man and die for us.
No one has ever given up as much as Jesus did
when He came to earth. The cute little Baby in the
manger was no less than the eternal Creator God
of the universe.

Walking in the Truth

For many deceivers are entered
into the world, who confess not that
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This
is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look
to yourselves, that we lose not those
things which we have wrought, but
that we receive a full reward.

(2 John 1:7-8)

Truth is important. A culture built
on a foundation devoid of absolute
truth is not sustainable. It will collapse
under the weight of its own subjectivity.
It results in a loose collection of individuals
all living in their own imaginary worlds
with no way to relate to each other. It is
important that you believe that there is
truth, and it is important that you believe
the things that are true.

In the tiny epistle of 2 John, the
beloved apostle commends those who
walk in the truth and warns them to be
on guard against those who do not believe
the truth and spread lies about the person
of Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, the
truth, and the life.” Those who follow
Jesus must acknowledge that there is
truth and that Jesus is the personification
of truth. John goes so far as to prohibit
truth followers from extending hospitality
to those who come to deceive and deny
Christ. The danger is that we would be
swept away by their lies and deceit, or
that we would harm our testimony by
associating with them. We could then
lose the rewards we would have received
if we remained faithful. We must practice
Godly discernment concerning the people
we follow and promote lest we be guilty
by association with those who don’t follow
the truth.