Gods Christmas Tree

God's Christmas Tree
Study By: J. Hampton Keathley, III

Introduction

Since this is the Christmas season I'd like to share some thoughts that are particularly significant to help us, as it is often said, remember "the reason for the season." At this time of the year in homes all across America you will find a Christmas tree with presents underneath. It is one of the symbols of Christmas that stands out in this country as much as any and more than most.

Some question the origin of the modern Christmas tree, but to be perfectly honest, there is a great deal of confusion here with a number of answers proposed.

Regardless, the Christmas tree has become a part of our season, and any pagan connections it originally may have had were lost long ago-- just as were the names of the days of our week which also had their origin in pagan beliefs. At any rate, Christians believe we can use this season in a positive way to remember the birth of the Savior, who He is and why He came into the world.

Simply stated, the truth of Christ's birth or the Christmas Season is that God the Son, the second person of the trinity, became the babe of the cradle, that He might become the man of the cross, that He might die as our sinless substitute to release us from the penalty of sin, and reconcile us to God that we might receive eternal life and live abundantly through His life, and all of this as a gift by faith in Christ.

In this study we will look at the birth of Christ from the viewpoint of God's Christmas tree--the Cross. And we will open and investigate some of the presents that lie at the foot of that tree to remind us of the gifts God has given to us in Christ and that He offers the world that lies in darkness and sin.

Can we legitimately call the cross of Jesus Christ a tree? Can we think of the tree as that which reminds us of God's Son and the life He gives us? Yes, in fact, God's Word actually refers to both Christ Jesus, His person, and His death on the cross, His work, by either the word "tree," or by terms associated with a tree.

Concerning the cross, there are two Greek words that are used in the New Testament.


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