Savior of the Nations Come

A Promise Fulfilled

Savior of the nations, come;

Virgin's Son make here Thy home.

One thing God has made abundantly clear to us in scripture is His hand in human history. He has not revealed Himself to us merely through distant, mysterious knowledge, but through active, intentional participation. In doing so, He has not left us to ourselves but has established Himself as the true owner and operator of the world and, out of His kindness, has continuously inspired our hopes and directed our expectations through His promises. Once such promise was given to the prophet Isaiah around 2700 years ago:

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” - Isaiah 7:14

Although the clarity and specificity of the promise was new, its substance was the same as had been foretold from as early as Genesis 3. This child to come would be the culmination of God’s plan to make new that which sin had broken and poisoned. This Savior would come from the Jewish people, a descendant of Abraham, directly from the line of King David. He would be a blessing to all nations, just as God had promised Abraham from the very beginning, and as John later affirmed in his gospel (John 3:16). The people of God would no longer be defined by birthplace or ethnicity, but by belief; and thus, salvation was and is available for all nations and all people.

God Became Man

By the Spirit of our God 

Was the Word of God made flesh.

God didn’t send another prophet or even an angel as a proxy for the task of salvation. With the consequences too crucial, the requirements too demanding, and His compassion too overwhelming, the God of all creation took the burden upon Himself. No one else could accomplish what was needed, since what was needed was a perfect, spotless lamb who would die for sins – that which could only be found in God Himself. But the atonement for humanity also required the nature of humanity and therefore...

“…the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” - John 1:14

The only possible mediator between God and man is He who would partake in the nature of both. By putting on our nature, Jesus was putting on our interest. God was no longer “God above us” or “God apart from us,” or even “God against us,” but was now known as “Immanuel, God with us.”

How Jesus came to be conceived in Mary’s virgin womb we cannot fully understand, but one thing is sure: it was a miraculous work of God in conjunction with, but far beyond, natural biological means. The words of Psalm 139 take on an even greater relevance and significance when read in light of the conception of Jesus:

For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well - Psalm 139:13-14

Although we aren’t able to understand how this could be, we can still be content, for the call is not to understand but to behold.

Savior from Sin

Thou the Father's only Son 

Hast o'er sin the victory won.

Though many expected Jesus to come with a forceful rule and political dominance, His primary mission was salvation from sin, both from the death sin produced and its contamination in the hearts of people. However powerful and corrupt the current ruling party of the world was, God asserted that sin was a bigger threat and the most urgent matter. Therefore, any true salvation, freedom, and victory must be over sin, or else it will not be true. This is what the angel proclaimed to Joseph in Matthew chapter 1:

“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” - Matthew 1:21

The Light of the World

Brightly doth Thy manger shine,

Glorious is its light divine.

In the moment of divine conception, the glory of God entered the world as it never had before. This glory didn’t come in the form of armies or strength, but as the mere presence of light in the form of a baby. And this small, vulnerable child was to oppose and overcome all the darkness in the world. In this surprising approach, God showed us something of ultimate importance: it is not strength that overcomes darkness, but light.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12

It is the presence of Jesus in the darkness of this fallen world - and in the hearts of sinful man - that overcomes. It is His bright presence that heals, transforms, makes new, and saves. The Savior of the nations has already come, for which we celebrate, but He is also coming again, for which we pray and wait with eager expectation.

His name in this, as in all else, is Wonderful, and we call Him Jesus, our Savior.

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