In our modern world there is often confusion about what Christmas is all about. It's good to remember the Christ of Christmas as the "Evangel" of God. An "evangel" is a messenger of God, particularly one who is heralding the "good news" of salvation. Jesus is the great Evangel of God, and the good news is his salvation by grace from our sins, through faith in him.
To be an “Evangelical” then is to proclaim this great truth as we discover from Scripture. We see in Luke 2:10-11, “And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”” These angels were the first to proclaim the good news that the Savior was Jesus born in Bethlehem.
Evangelicals are those who rejoice in this good news that there is salvation in Jesus because he is the Christ, the Savior of all who call upon his name. Evangelicals also proclaim that Christ can sanctify us into his image and character. We can be transformed and strengthened by His Spirit from our sinful nature into a Christ-like nature in this life if we follow him in faithfulness. We can live a new Spiritual life in the grace of Christ in the here and now.
Even more, we Evangelicals proclaim the good news that Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords over everything in the world today. We can only find peace amidst the changing times and chaos of our world in Christ because he has conquered death itself. In Christ, we find the truth that changes our worldview from the brokenness of this life to the vision of the majesty of God. Here we see that God is sovereign over all things, he is building a Spiritual kingdom, and he is working everything together for his glory.
God is seeking his glory by bringing salvation into the world through the Evangel, Christ, and Savior of the world. We also see in Luke 2:13-14, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”” The birth and life of Jesus still brings great glory to God. This “Evangel” is the Christ of Christmas, and eternal salvation is through faith in him.
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