Bulletin Articles
In the Fullness of Time
The time had come. From the foundation of the world, God had a plan, and He put this plan into effect the moment sin entered the world. To the serpent, God said:
“And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.” (Gen. 3:15)
God chose a lineage through which He would bring about Jesus, which included Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David. God kept the plan in place through the centuries, and that plan would finally come to fruition in Christ Jesus.
“For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God” (1 Pet. 1:20-21).
He foretold the coming of the Christ through many prophecies recorded in the Old Testament. For example, think of Isaiah’s prophecies:
“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.” (Isa. 9:6-7)
At last, this great promise that God had made to Abraham regarding his seed would come about as Jesus came into this world at just the right time (Gen. 12:1-3; Gal. 3:16). It was done with purpose and love.
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” (Gal. 4:4-5).
God chose a young woman named Mary to carry out His plan. Mary was a young woman who had a mind to please God. The angel Gabriel was sent to her to tell her that she had been chosen by God to give birth to a son. This would not be just any ordinary child. This child would be “Immanuel,” God with us. He would be called “Jesus” because He would be the One who would save the people from their sins. Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but she was a virgin, so the conception of this child would be miraculous. The angel also appeared to Joseph to assure him that he should take Mary to be his wife.
“‘She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear A Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.’” (Matt. 1:21-23).
“God with us.” This is what the birth of Christ meant as He came to redeem mankind from sin.
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
Micah prophesied that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem (5:2). Though Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth, circumstances brought them to Bethlehem (by a census), which is where they were when Jesus was born. Micah was right!
Jesus’ birth brought great joy. It was announced to shepherds, who praised God for it. “The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them” (Luke 2:40).
Wise men from the east came to worship Him. “After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him” (Matt. 2:10).
God’s salvation had come into the world! As Simeon said when he held Jesus in his arms, “For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a Light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32). Anna the prophetess, also at the temple, was praising God for Jesus as she “continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).
We don’t need a special day of the year to be reminded of the importance of Christ coming to this world. We are Christians precisely because of this importance. We need to be reminded daily of the significance of what God has done through Christ! Today, tomorrow, and every day, let us continue to speak of Him to all those looking for redemption.
With the heavenly host, we can praise God for sending Jesus: “Glory to God in the highest!”
