"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise" (Matt. 1:18). These words, rich in significance, will be read many times during the Christmas season. What is there about this event that holds such great promise for mankind? Is it not that the Master's life and example provide each one of us the way in which his own heritage as a child of God is to be discerned and demonstrated?
The thirty-three years that Jesus was on earth revealed more of man's spiritual selfhood in Christ than had appeared in the preceding centuries. Yet there had been a divine influence at work in the hearts of men that had been preparing human thought for the appearing of the one who was to be the antidote for Adam, the figure of sinful, mortal man. That influence was Christ, the true idea of God.
As we understand the position Jesus holds in the unfoldment of the true idea, or Christ, the nature of his ministry takes on the significance it deserves. This understanding disposes of the supernatural sense that tends to obscure the relationship which exists between Jesus and Christ and enables us to see the ever-present Christ as the spiritual selfhood of man. The Master was keenly aware of his inseparability from Christ, as well as his distinctness as a human being. He knew that Christ, his spiritual selfhood, was without beginning and so without end. In fact, he clearly testified to this when he declared (John 8:58), "Before Abraham was, I am."
