Christmas is the celebration of Isa Al-Masih’s birth. In English, Christmas comes from the words “Christ” and “mass” (crowd). Christmas means the mass (Isa’s followers) gathers together to remember and celebrate Christ’s (Al-Masih) birth.
The Quran and the Bible teach that Isa is the Kalima Allah (God’s Word). “… ‘God has given you [Mary] the glad news of the coming birth of a son whom He calls His Word, whose name will be Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, …” (Qs 3:45). “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” (Injil, Apostle John 1:14). The act of the Kalima Allah becoming human is known as “the incarnation.” But, why did He become flesh? Here are the answers according to the Injil:
1. To Reveal Allah to All Mankind
The only way we can really understand Allah is through the incarnation, and the only way we can see Allah is through Isa Al-Masih. “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known” (Injil, Apostle John 1:18)
2. To Be An Example for Us
The only we can know how to live a godly life is through the incarnation. Isa’s life on earth should be the example for our lives. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (1 Apostle Peter 2:21).
3. To Sacrifice Himself for Sin’s Penalty
Sin always brings up punishment. The punishment for sin is death. But Isa came to earth to die and pay for the punishment of our sins once and for all. “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by
the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time” (Hebrews 10:10).
4. To Fulfill Allah’s Promises to Prophet David
Gabriel told Maryam that “He [Isa] will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end” (Injil, Luke 1:32-33)! In order to fill the throne of David, the Messiah had to be a human being, yet reign forever. This right person was Isa, because as a man He was a descendant of David, but He was also God, so His kingdom is eternal.
5. To Be the Judge
The judge has to be a human being and live on earth. Isa is God’s Word who became a human being. By coming to earth, Isa experienced everything that all humans experience. Because of this, His judgment is truly sincere and fair. “And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man” (Injil, John 5:27).
All things are possible with God! This includes the possibility that God’s Word could become flesh. Because of this, we can know God and know that we will be with Him when we die!
[We invite you to visit us at https://www.isaandislam.com/way-of-salvation to learn more about God’s gift of Salvation. God loves you and waits to hear from you. Isa clearly said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Injil, John 14:6) For a deeper understanding of Isa, we suggest you subscribe to “Isa, Islam, and Al-Fatiha” at this link.]
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