A Hymn Unlikely to be Sung in Most Churches -

The Son of God goes forth to war,

a kingly crown to gain;

his blood red banner streams afar:

who follows in his train?

Who best can drink his cup of woe,

triumphant over pain,

who patient bears his cross below,

he follows in his train.

That martyr first, whose eagle eye

could pierce beyond the grave;

who saw his Master in the sky,

and called on him to save.

Like him, with pardon on his tongue,

in midst of mortal pain,

he prayed for them that did the wrong:

who follows in his train?

A glorious band, the chosen few

on whom the Spirit came;

twelve valiant saints, their hope they knew,

and mocked the cross and flame.

They met the tyrant's brandished steel,

the lion's gory mane;

they bowed their heads the death to feel:

who follows in their train?

A noble army, men and boys,

the matron and the maid,

around the Savior's throne rejoice,

in robes of light arrayed.

They climbed the steep ascent of heaven,

through peril, toil and pain;

O God, to us may grace be given,

to follow in their train.

-Reginald Heber,  The Son of God Goes Forth to War, 1812

The Great Equalizer -

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

- George Orwell, Animal Farm

"To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:"

-2 Peter 1:1

"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."

-Romans 3:21-23

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise."

- Galatians 3:28-29

At the end of the day you and I are no different from one another. In the Christian faith there are no Christians more equal than others. The gospel speaks to us as the great equalizer. On the one hand it shows us all our desperate need of the gospel as a result of our own incited rebellion against God and in our federal representation in Adam, and on the other hand the gospel calls attention to the all-encompassing sufficiency of Christ's substitutionary death for every sinner. The problem is the same and the remedy is the same. We all have sinned, we have all fallen woefully short. There is no room for arrogance or boasting amongst us. There is no room for looking down our noses on our brothers and sisters. There is no room for condescension. There is much room for humility and preference for one another. We're all in the same predicament and understanding our own great need of Christ and His gracious provision for us will go a long way in how we treat one another and prefer one another. The temptation is to draw lines, make comparisons, point out deficiencies, and excuse our own shortcomings. The gospel speaks to our need and to Christ's satisfaction. What initially appears to be differences in race, gender, social standing, et al, are really unimportant. In our greatest need we are truly no different from one another. Seeing this and believing it will change us. We are no different from one another; we are heirs together of the same promise.

-DJM

The Primacy of Christ -

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

- 1 Cor. 2:1-2

“The church in America will have to learn what it means to mourn before it can dance. Sticking to the story, fixing our eyes on Christ – even if it means distracting us from what we have diagnosed as our real issues – is the kindest thing a pastor can do for a congregation, the most precious gift we can receive and pass on to our neighbors, and the most relevant mission on earth.”

- Michael Horton, Christless Christianity, p. 259

“We have a God who is capable of self-sacrifice for us. It was although he was in the form of God, that Jesus Christ did not consider his being on an equality with God so precious a possession that he could not lay it aside, but rather made no account of himself. It was our God who so loved us that he gave himself for us. Now, herein is a wonderful thing.

- B.B. Warfield, quoted by Carl Trueman in The Wages of Spin, p. 127

Whatever is said of us may it never be said that we were deficient in being Christ-centered. Of anyone, we have the most incredible story to tell. I fear though at times we live as if the good news found in Christ is a modest proposal, rather than the singular grand message in all of creation. Reconciliation to God through the person of Christ makes all other news anemic, but I’m afraid much of the time we treat it as yesterday’s headlines. This news alone has the power to save. This person alone has the prerogative and authority to forgive. Our many transgressions are against Him and it is He alone that brings forgiveness at great cost to Himself. In Warfield’s words, ‘It was our God who so loved us that he gave himself for us. Now, herein is a wonderful thing.’ Our priority and primacy is Christ. We must keep our eyes fixed upon Him. He must capture our gaze. It is this beatific vision that will change us and in turn provide impetus for sharing that same gospel that will change our family, neighbors, and friends. May we resolve to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

-DJM

What Child is This?

'And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"

- Luke 1:34

Salvation to all that will is nigh;

That All, which always is all everywhere,

Which cannot sin, and yet all sins must bear,

Which cannot die, yet cannot choose but die,

Lo, faithful virgin, yields Himself to lie

In prison, in thy womb; and though He there

Can take no sin, nor thou give, yet He will wear,

Taken from thence, flesh, which death's force may try.

Ere by the spheres time was created, thou

Wast in His mind, who is thy Son and Brother;

Whom thou conceivst, conceived; yea thou art now

Thy Maker's maker, and thy Father's mother;

Thou hast light in dark, and shutst in little room,

Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb.

-John Donne (1572-1631), Annunciation

Hark the herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled"

Joyful, all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With the angelic host proclaim:

"Christ is born in Bethlehem"

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored

Christ the everlasting Lord!

Late in time behold Him come

Offspring of a Virgin's womb

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see

Hail the incarnate Deity

Pleased as man with man to dwell

Jesus, our Emmanuel

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Son of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings

Ris'n with healing in His wings

Mild He lays His glory by

Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

- Charles Wesley, Hark the Herald Angels Sing

'View Jesus in the light of God and against the dark background of sin, view Him as the satisfaction of man's deepest need, as the one who alone can lead into all glory and all truth, and you will come, despite all, to the stupendous conviction that the New Testament is true, that God walked here upon the earth, that the eternal Son, because He loved us, came into this world to die for our sins upon the cross.'

- J. Gresham Machen, The Virgin Birth of Christ, p. 381

One of the things that distinguishes biblical Christianity from other religions is its pervasive supernaturalism. Christianity is dependent upon the truth and reality of God interposing Himself into human history in ways that contravene normative, non-supernatural ways. Consider these examples: God created the world 'ex nihilo' or out of nothing, by the word of His mouth; God held back the Red Sea for the Israelites' safe passage and closed it again on the Egyptian armies; God's presence led Israel in a cloud by day and flame of fire by night; God provided food to eat for the traveling hordes of Israel; God rained fire on the pagan altars at Carmel at the prophets' request; God filled a starving widow's jar with oil for food.... Oftentimes, these miraculous events were indications of a long-awaited deliverance. We see the very same in the Gospel. It is in the Gospel that we see the apex of redemptive history made manifest in an astounding supernatural event--A virgin will bring forth a son. The Holy Spirit is the active agent in a supernatural conception and bypassing normal human conception God brings forth His Son in the womb of a virgin. This is truly an amazing story of God's supernatural intrusion into human history and this tells us several things…. God is active in the events of history, God is in control of human history, and God has a purpose for human history. Rejoice!, for immensity is cloistered in a virgin's womb. In this tiny child humanity and divinity meet. Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!

-DJM

The Importance of the Incarnation -

'...[E]very spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.…'

- 1 John 4:2

'Although the work of redemption was not actually wrought by Christ till after His incarnation, yet the virtue, efficacy, and benefits thereof, were communicated unto the elect in all ages successively from the beginning of the world, in and by those promises, types, and sacrifices, wherein He was revealed and signified to be the Seed of the woman, which should bruise the serpent's head, and the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world being yesterday and today the same, and for ever.'

- Westminster Confession of Faith 8:6

Lo! th’ incarnate God ascended,

Pleads the merit of His blood:

Venture on Him, venture wholly,

Let no other trust intrude

- Joseph Hart, Come Ye Sinners, pub. 1759

'We see Him among the thousands of Galilee, anointed of God with the Holy Ghost and power, going about doing good: with no pride of birth, though He was a king; with no pride of intellect, though omniscience dwelt within Him; with no pride of power, though all power in heaven and earth was in His hands; or of station, though the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Him bodily; or of superior goodness or holiness: but in lowliness of mind esteeming everyone better than Himself, healing the sick, casting out devils, feeding the hungry, and everywhere breaking to men the bread of life.'

- B.B. Warfield, a sermon on 'Imitating the Incarnation', The Person and Work of Christ, p. 564

'If, however, Christ is the incarnate Word, then the incarnation is the central fact of the entire history of the world; then, too, it must have been prepared from before the ages and have its effects throughout eternity.'

- Herman Bavink, Reformed Dogmatics, volume III, p. 274

The Christmas season has begun, but often what is lost during this time of year is the importance of the Incarnation. Truly, the Incarnation alone makes sense of the beginning, center, and end of world history. In fact, history is unintelligible without it. Without the Incarnation the study of history is a fool's errand, for without the Incarnation there is no 'telos' (purpose or goal) to man's existence. The Incarnation offers explanation for man's inhumanity to man; the Incarnation offers remedy for man's predicament; the Incarnation gives hope for man's present life; and the Incarnation provides assurance for man's future. By the conception of the Holy Spirit, God became a man. In Christ, this God-man lived a life of unblemished perfections. In Christ, this God-man died at the hands of sinful men for sinful men. In Christ, this God-man was raised on the third day in a body of flesh and blood, yet now incorruptible. In Christ, the God-man now lives bearing humanity-inflicted wounds for all eternity in His own fleshly body.

As we consider this Christmas season, let us consider the importance of the Incarnation.

-DJM