CHRISTMAS –  THE MAGNANIMOUS HEART OF GOD REVEALED

The birth of the Christ Child, which we celebrate as Christmas reveals the magnanimous heart of God, like no other incident in the entire human history. It speaks so very clearly the love, grace, mercy, compassion and forgiveness that God intended for the entire fallen human race, in and though the sacrifice offered on the cross of Calvary. The Child that is born in Bethlehem, is the sacrificial Lamb of God, pure and spotless in birth, life and in his offering on the cross. That is why His sacrifice was acceptable to God; and they is why He is the Saviour of the whole world.
– “14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” – John 3:14-17

Right from the very beginning, the focus of the LORD, and the scope of His efforts towards the salvation through the forgiveness of sins, as the means to reach out, redeem and restore His creation was universal in nature. God had the entire world in His sights.

In the process of fulfilling what God intended, Abraham found grace in the sight of the LORD. Hence God promised to him, what we read in Genesis 12, and a few other passages found in Genesis 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; Psalm 72:17; Matthew 1:1; Luke 3:34; Acts 3:25; Galatians 3:8. The Covenant that God made with Abraham in Genesis was never meant to be an exclusive, Jews only Covenant, like the whites only policies adopted and implemented in the human history, up until very recently…which in many ways are still in operation, in divers forms and shapes.    

A cursory glance at the genealogy of Jesus reveals that people of other races were symbolically brought in, to convey in an unequivocal manner to all who erroneously believe that the covenant made with Abraham is exclusive, and that it has only one “race” of people as the Chosen People of God or the Children of God.
– Caleb, the great warrior, and one of the twelve original spies sent by Moses, is not the physical descendant of Abraham. He is a gentile. 
– Moses’ wife, Zipporah is not a physical descendent of Abraham. 
– The Bible records, in the book of Esther, many became Jews, when God wrought the mighty work of His salvation by putting an end to Haman’s evil plan. None of them were the physical descendants of Abraham.

The Covenant of God that He made with Abraham, and all the promises made to the great Patriarch, was intended for the ENTIRE WORLD, and not merely meant for a small ethno-centric group.
– “​1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” – Genesis 12:1-3
– “18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?” – Genesis 18:18
– “15 Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” – Genesis 22:15-18
– “…I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. 4 And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5 because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” – Genesis 26:3-5
– “17 His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; All nations shall call Him blessed.” – Psalms 72:17
– “1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:” – Matthew 1:1
– “25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” – Acts 3:25
– “6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” – Galatians 3:6-9
– “9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” – Revelation 7:9-10

The love of God for His creation, and for the fallen human beings has panned out according to the plan that He had, and was accordingly implemented. There is no reason for anyone, for any self-righteous boasting of being Chosen, or someone special as the People of God, Jew or Christian alike. For, there was always only ONE COVENANT, and ONE CHOSEN PEOPLE OF GOD, the ones who ACCEPTED by FAITH, the offer of FREE GRACE of God, and were OBEDIENT and FAITHFUL to the One who had called us all, Jew and Gentile alike, from darkness into His marvellous light. – 1 Peter 2:4-12 

Let us not make an idol out of the love of God towards His people, the PEOPLE of FAITH, as some superior beings, and the rest as some inferior ones. We all are one – sinners to the very core, and in desperate need of God’s love, grace and mercy found only in the LORD Jesus Christ, who was born in a small and insignificant cattle shed, unknown to anyone, except his mother, earthly father, the shepherds and a few others.

May we be found faithful and obedient as Abraham, our Patriarch, unlike many others, including some who claim to be his physical descendants. It is so unlike the great Patriarch himself. Even so the LORD help us.