Christmas in New England

Why is the incarnation at the center of our hope as Christians? Today, Stephen Nichols looks to Jonathan Edwards’ sermon on Revelation 5, reflecting on the humility and majesty of Jesus’ birth.

It is Christmas Eve, so Merry Christmas to you all. We are going to return to a familiar place, New England, and to a familiar friend, Jonathan Edwards. In 1736, Edwards preached a sermon, “The Excellencies of Christ.” Two years later, he published his second book, and it had five sermons in it. The fourth sermon in that book was “The Justice of God and the Damnation of Sinners.” That sermon vividly, palpably lays forth our need and the judgment that is to come upon us as children of wrath. And then comes the fifth sermon, this one on Christ our Savior, our only hope. Edwards uses Revelation 5:5-6 as his text. Edwards begins the sermon by saying, “John was told of a lion that had prevailed to open the book, and he probably expected to see a lion. But behold, a Lamb appears to open the book, an exceeding diverse kind of creature from a lion,” Edwards says. “A lion is a devourer, one that makes terrible slaughter of other animals. No creature more easily falls prey to a lion than a lamb.” And then Edwards gives us what he calls the doctrine of this sermon, and it is this, “There is an admirable conjunction of diverse excellencies in Jesus Christ.” And he takes us to the incarnation, and so, on this Christmas Eve, let's hear what Reverend Edwards has to say about the doctrine of the incarnation.

Edwards writes, “This admirable conjunction of excellencies appears in what Christ did and taking on him our nature. In this act, his infinite condescension wonderfully appeared, that he that was God should become man, that the Word should be made flesh and should take on him a nature infinitely below his original nature, and it appears yet more remarkable in the low circumstances of his incarnation. He was conceived in the womb of a poor young woman, this infinite condescension. Yet,” Edwards continues, “his divine dignity also appeared in it for though he was conceived in the womb of a poor virgin, yet he was there conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, and his divine dignity also appeared in the holiness of his conception and birth. Though he was conceived in the womb of one of the corrupt race of mankind, yet he was conceived and he was born without sin. His infinite condescension,” Edwards continues, “marvelously appeared in the manner of his birth. He was brought forth in a stable because there was no room for them in the inn. The blessed virgin being poor and despised was turned out or shut out, though she was in such dire circumstances. Yet those that counted themselves, her betters would not give their place to her, and therefore, in the time of her travail, she was forced to go to the stable. And when the child was born, it was wrapped in swaddling clothes, was laid in a manger, and there Christ lay a little infant, and there he eminently appeared as a lamb. But yet, this feeble infant that was born, thus in a stable and laid in a manger, was born to conquer and triumph. He came to subdue the mighty powers of darkness and make a show of them openly and to restore peace on earth and manifest God's good will towards men, and to bring glory to God in the highest, according as the end of his birth was declared by the joyful songs of the glorious hosts of angels appearing to the shepherds. And at the same time that the infant lay in the manger.” So there is that conjunction of divine excellencies. The angels, there appearing to the shepherds, filling the sky with their voices, and there is Jesus, the infant lying in a manger. Well, that's our New England friend, Jonathan Edwards on the incarnation. And I'm Steve Nichols, and I wish all of you a merry Christmas.