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Christmas is a wonderful time of the year where people are most considerate of each other. It is also often a time when, after a year of being somewhat out of touch, we get close to people we love and find out what is really going on in their lives.

It is a time of celebration, a gathering of family and friends, singing, opening presents, and other family traditions.

We hear and sing songs such as “Frosty the Snowman”, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”, and many more catchy Christmas tunes. We also sing songs such as “Silent Night”, “O Holy Night”, or “Away in the Manger” and many others. These songs talk about the birth of a baby named Jesus Christ.

Most people, especially in the western world, celebrate Christmas and, although overshadowed by Santa Claus, presents, and Christmas feasts, we do celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

The Question is... Was there a real person named Jesus Christ, or is He a myth?

We sing about Him at Christmas, the Bible is full of stories about this man named Jesus, and the world even uses His name as a swear word.

I would like to give you some history that shows there really was a person named Jesus Christ.

First, there was a Jewish Historian and a military leader named Flavius Josephus. He was born in 37 AD and died in 100 AD. In his book “Antiquities of the Jews”, there are two passages where he talks about Jesus—who He was and His death. There’s also another passage where he talks about the death of Jesus’ half-brother James.

Secondly, Tacitus was a first-century Roman historian and politician. He was born in 56 AD and died in 120 AD. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. In his writings, he mentions that Emperor Nero falsely blamed the persons commonly called “Christians”, who were hated for their enormities. He adds “Christus, (Christ) the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius.”

Thirdly, there was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome named Pliny the Younger. He was born 61 AD and died in 113 AD.

In one of his letters, Pliny describes the practices of local “criminals”: “They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a God, etc.”

There are still other writings that establish there was a man called Jesus Christ.

So, we now know that Jesus Christ was a real person. But who is He?

The Bible says that He is the Son of God. If that is true, why would the Son of God come to this earth?

To know the answer to this question, we have to go back to the beginning of the Bible.

Genesis says that God created man and woman and put them in the Garden of Eden to have fellowship with Him. The only restriction God gave them was not to eat from a certain tree—if they did, they would die (Genesis 2:17).

However, both Adam and Eve chose of their own free will to disobey God and to eat the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:6). By doing this, they immediately died spiritually and the process of physical dying began. (Genesis 3:19). Their act of disobedience is called sin and it separated Adam and Eve from God (Romans 5:19). By this act of rebellion, sin entered the world and every human heart, even to this day.

However, God loves mankind and wants to be in a relationship with us. He set in place a plan to reclaim humanity from the grip of sin and death.

God created a bridge between us and Himself. It is in fact a bridge between Heaven and Hell. This bridge is through the Cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ became the sacrifice for you and me. Because of His sacrifice, mankind has the opportunity to be reconciled to God.

According to the Bible, there is no other way that you can be right with God (John 14:6). Not even being a good moral person or doing good deeds is enough (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Jesus alone paid our penalty for sin. The Bible says without Jesus and His forgiveness, we all will die and pay for our own sin.

So how do we get right with God?

We must realize we are all sinners—“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)—who Christ died for on the Cross. We must repent (turn from our way to God's way) and put our trust in Christ to be made holy in God's sight.

This is where some people stop reading. It will take faith and humility to get past this point.

I would ask you to really think about what has been said in this message: Who Jesus is and why He came to earth. God really does love you—so much so that He sent His only Son to die in your place to reconcile you back to Him.

Every person will die. It is inevitable. The question is where you are going to spend eternity.

If you do decide that you want Jesus as your Saviour, I would ask you to pray something like—“God I admit that I sinned against You. I ask forgiveness of my sins. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins. I ask Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior.”

It is not so much the words you prayed, but the attitude of your heart. If you truly mean what you prayed, then the Bible tells us that we have passed from death to a new life in Jesus Christ. This new life is a free gift (John 5:24) and it begins for you now and continues for you into eternity.

The true meaning of Christmas

The Christmas message is much more than a baby being born. It is a message of hope for anyone who puts their trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. When you belong to God, He will give you peace in this life and eternal life after you die. How do I know? It happened to me!

I wish you a very Merry Christmas and thanks for reading my Christmas message.

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