The Character of the Christ Child

And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons” (Luke 2:21-24).

He is the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit. His birth was announced by angels, attended by wise men and shepherds. This child needed no further identification. Jesus had no sin to be cleansed of. He needed no human confirmation of His divinely assigned name. There was no need for sacrifice on behalf of the One who was… “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Yet He was dutifully circumcised, officially named, and ceremonially identified as holy to the Lord through a sacrifice at the temple. As He would one day submit to baptism by John, Jesus submitted as an infant to the rituals of His Jewish faith in order to give earnest disciples in every age an example to follow. In this divinely inspired account of His earliest days, the Spirit of Truth presents three distinguishing virtues of true disciples as He exhorts us to imitate the character of the Christ Child.

Like Jesus, true disciples are circumcised. God instructed Abraham to circumcise his offspring as a physical sign of their Jewish lineage, and to confirm His Jewish ancestry Jesus submitted to circumcision in the flesh… “He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations” (Genesis 17:12). The Holy Spirit teaches that Christ’s disciples do not need to be circumcised in the flesh because far more important than our physical lineage is our spiritual lineage in Christ… “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). We follow Christ’s example and identify with His circumcision of our hearts by faith… “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ” (Colossians 2:11).

Like Jesus, true disciples are called. God gave His Son the name Jesus that defined His call to be the Savior before His birth… “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Christ’s disciples know God had a plan for our lives before we were born too… “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). While it may not be reflected in our earthly name, Christ saved us so we can discover and accomplish the special work each of us was created to do… “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

Like Jesus, true disciples are consecrated. At the Christ Child’s dedication there was a ceremonial offering that represented the value of His life to His Father. This was not a sacrifice for sin, as Christ knew no sin… “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). It was a sacrifice that confirmed Christ to be the firstborn child of Mary… “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7) and the only begotten Son of God… “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15). Jesus submitted to the sacrifice for the firstborn so He could be the firstborn among many children of God… “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:29). Through faith, Christ’s disciples are consecrated and set apart as sons of God, brothers and co-heirs with Christ… “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:6-7).

As we grow up into Christ we become more like Him as in faith and by His grace, we imitate…

The Character of the Christ Child.