Have A Merry Christmas My Friends; The Gift Of Christ Is For You!

As 21^st century people we have lived within two very violent centuries in world history. According to Heath White 21^st century people,

“…have viewed how European colonization led to the destruction and uprooting of native cultures and the abuse of African, South American and Asian people groups. In the United States our neighbor saw the brutal oppression of minorities through the bondage of slavery, segregation and the like. In Germany they watched in horror the mass genocide, the holocaust, of 6 million Jews. In the Soviet Union, China and Cambodia they have also observed countless murders due to religious and political beliefs.  …at the heart of each of these historical immoral actions stands corrupt authorities manipulating the masses and hiding behind their own justifying statements of manmade absolute truth. These corrupt authorities say, ‘We have a responsibility to enlighten the backward ethnic groups. It is wrong to mix races. The Germans ought to dominate Europe; the Jews must be abolished because they stand in the way. We are pressing on towards a great economic and social utopia.’”

And the litany could go on and on.

It is no wonder that our neighbor may hesitate when claims of absolute truth are made. It is my belief that one of the reasons people reject absolute truth is because of past corruption of truth that positioned people for power, control and abuse. Our neighbor may scream, “I won’t agree with statements of absolute certainty that justified, rationalized and sanctioned the kind of evil of the last two centuries!”

So, as Christians this Christmas, what should be our position on absolute truth and how do we respond to the past two centuries? How do we gift our neighbor this Christmas Season?  The answer is in the message of Christmas itself, the person of Jesus.

In John 8:32, Jesus says, “…then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” The truth, which is connected with Jesus, is freedom! In others words, absolute truth is for the purpose of freeing people from their self-imposed bondage of sin, the fear of death and eternal judgment. Christ always spoke the truth in love for the purpose of love. He spoke hard truths to the Pharisees so that they might be free. He spoke tender truths to the prodigals so that they might be free. Christ did not use absolute truth to position Himself in a place of power so that he might be served by humanity rather; He humbly came to serve humanity with the truth. (Mark 10:45)

As Christians we don’t have to use absolute truth to position ourselves for power and control either. We have been freed by Christ and have every spiritual blessing in Christ’s sealed love for us. We have been freed to proclaim Christ’s truth for our neighbor who has been beaten, bruised, manipulated and bound up by harmful ‘man-made’ absolute truths. We have the privilege to gift others with the truth this Christmas, which ultimately frees.

What a Gift this Christmas!  The absolute truth of Christmas, Jesus Christ, who came humbly in love to a lost and dying world overrun by powers that sought only to rule, use and destroy!

Christ is your gift this Christmas.