Manger Matters

Does it matter if Jesus was really born in a manger?

What about the other stories of Jesus’ life? Does it matter if he really performed miracles and lived a perfect life? Or that he died in our place and rose from the dead?

All these are pertinent questions as we celebrate Christmas. Why? Because if the stories in the Bible are just stories, nice legends, it doesn’t matter if they’re true or not.

“Now hold on just a minute! What are you saying? Why should it make any difference?”

Because in most religions it doesn’t matter whether the stories of the founder’s lives are true. Why? Because those stories serve only as examples of how we ought to live our lives. And in those religions your relationship with God is based completely on your own performance.

Whether or not a particular story about Buddha is true doesn’t determine if the 8-fold path to enlightenment works or not. But if the historic events of Jesus’ life—his virgin birth, the miracles, his resurrection from the dead—didn’t happen, then Christianity doesn’t “work.”

The Gospel is that Jesus saves us by what he—Jesus—did. If that’s the case, the story of the Gospel “works”—it saves us—only if it really happened. In fact the Bible goes so far as to say that if Jesus' death and resurrection didn't really happen, we are still in our sins.

So if none of it happened, then faith in Jesus Christ is no different than believing in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy. It can’t change your life. All it can do is encourage you to live a sacrificial life of service. To work harder and hope God grades on a curve!

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a radically different kind of relationship with God? One in which you didn’t have to earn your way into God’s favor? A relationship where you’re accepted—not on the basis of what you have done, but on the basis of what Jesus has done?

Then he actually has to have done it! If the stories of Jesus in the Gospels are just nice stories, then they’re only examples to follow and just one more set of moral laws to destroy you.

You might look at the stories of Jesus and say, “How nice. I’m going to try to live like that.” But if you do, you’ll be crushed. You only like the idea because you haven’t thought about it. If you tried to live like Jesus you’d see it’s impossible unless you’re the divine Son of God.

But if Jesus actually came and fulfilled the requirements of God’s Law—if he actually did those things for us in history—then there’s at least the possibility of him living the life we should have lived and dying the death we should have died for our sin.

In ancient Israel worshipers were forgiven based on the death of a perfect, unblemished lamb. The Bible tells us that Jesus was “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He was the perfect substitute (lamb) to die in our place.

Only Christianity offers us a relationship with God based on Jesus’ righteous life. It tells us that God is willing to accept Jesus’ perfect life in place of our failings. So if Jesus did it for us, then forgiveness of sin and salvation through faith in his name is actually possible.

Would you like to have a relationship with God based on that kind of grace? For God to accept you in spite of all the things you’ve done?

The good news of the gospel is that you can have the relationship you long for. To receive it, all you must do is “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” The Bible adds, “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

So you see, it really does matter that Jesus was born in a manger. Celebrate that!

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!