Christmas is about justice

To the Editor,

     It is that time of year again… Christmas, or as Andy Williams would sing, “The most wonderful time of the year.” I have to admit, I love Christmas. I love the glow of our Christmas tree in our living room. I love the Christmas puzzle that lies on our table in 1,000 scattered pieces. I love to sit down with a nice warm cup of hot chocolate and watch Charlie Brown’s Christmas with my wife and kids.

     However, all of those things have to be held in check to what Christmas is truly about… the “reason for the season.” I realize that that phrase is a cliché, but clichés are not necessarily bad. So what is the reason for the season? Most people would say Jesus and end the conversation. And that answer would be right, but I would argue does not go far enough. Christmas is ultimately about God’s justice.

     Romans 3:23-26 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

     Propitiation means to appease, or satisfy, the wrath of God against sinners. Therefore, Christmas is about God putting forward his Son to die on a cross to pay for our sins. The fundamental reason for doing this is according to God’s Word is “so that He might be just and the justifier of who has faith in Jesus.”

     To be just means to uphold the law. A just judge is one who holds guilty criminals accountable. The Greek word (original text of the new Testament) for justifier is dikaioo, which means to make righteous, acquit, defend the cause, or justify.

     So God desires to uphold the law and declare sinners not guilty. How does He do both of these things? By the giving of Jesus as a sacrifice in our place. And this is the reason for the season. God desires to punish sin, yet he desires to redeem people to Himself. He accomplishes both of those things through Jesus, the greatest gift ever given.

     And this divine gift of being declared not guilty is available for “the one who has faith in Jesus.” So this Christmas, my prayer is that you love Christmas for the right reason, that you have placed your faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and you can stand before a Holy God completely forgiven. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) Truly a reason to rejoice.

Phil Parsons

Cascade, Iowa