The Magnanimity of God’s Love
December 22, 2024
Dr. Bradford Reaves
Crossway Christian Fellowship
Psalm 24:3-10
John 1:14, 3:16
Introduction: The Tension of Christmas
As we gather this Christmas Sunday, there is a tension in the air, one that is often masked by the lights, the decorations, and the festive songs. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of Christmas—the gifts, the food, the joy. But do we ever stop to reflect on the true weight of this season? Do we stop long enough to consider the incredible price behind the birth of Christ?
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. 3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. (Psalm 24:1–4)
In Psalm 24, the psalmist asks a haunting question: “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?” (Psalm 24:3). This is not just a casual question—it’s one that forces us to face the reality of God’s holiness and our utter inability to come before Him on our own. The answer to that question is clear: “He who has clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:4).
We may think of ourselves as good, moral people, but in comparison to the holiness of God, we fall desperately short. God’s holiness is a terrifying thing. When people encounter God or even His messengers, the reaction is often one of fear and reverence. Isaiah, when he saw God’s holiness, cried out, “Woe is me! I am undone!”(Isaiah 6:5). Even the shepherds, who received the good news of Jesus’ birth, were “filled with great fear” when they encountered the angel of the Lord
“There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. (Luke 2:9).
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28–29)
This is the tension we begin with at Christmas: How can we, who are sinful and broken, approach a holy and righteous God? The answer, and the miracle, of Christmas is this: We can’t. We cannot ascend that holy hill on our own. We cannot bridge the gap between us and God through our own efforts. And yet, in an act of profound love, God came to us.
The story of Charles Peace is a true tale that emphasizes the gravity of sin and the urgency of God’s holiness. Charles Peace was a notorious criminal who, near the end of his life, was about to be executed. The chaplain, as part of the prison ritual, stood near him, reading the Bible to him, saying that if he didn’t repent, he would face eternal damnation. As he listened, Peace’s face changed from indifference to fear. He stopped the chaplain and said, “Sir, if I believed what you are telling me, I would crawl on my hands and knees through broken glass to save one soul from eternal hell.” His words starkly reveal the deep, fearful reverence for God that comes from understanding the reality of sin and judgment. This illustrates the “mountain of God” idea—who could ascend to God’s holiness, and the impossible gap between us and God in our sin.
The Magnanimity of God’s Love
Here is where the story of Christmas begins to unfold. We cannot ascend the mountain; God descends to us. This wasn’t some ‘loophole in the system that God found, this was an act of love! And the way He does this is nothing short of miraculous. We would expect God to come in power, in might, with strength and judgment to deal with our sin. But He doesn’t. He comes as a baby. The Creator of the universe, the one who is seated above the cherubim and seraphim, the one who is holy, holy, holy, comes to us as an infant, vulnerable and humble.
Why did he come as a baby? Because if he came in power and might he would have devoured all the enemies of God - that’s still you and I! So he came humble and gently and this babe in a manger was God’s way of saying, ‘I love you.’ I’m humbling myself so it’s safe.
C.S. Lewis’ Apologetics on Divine Love:
CS Lewis often discussed God’s nature, the paradox of God’s justice, and His love. He wrote in Mere Christianity that Christianity is the only religion where God says, “I love you, and I want to be with you. But to be with you, you have to be holy. And I know that you can’t make yourself holy, so I’m going to make a way for you to be with me.”
This is the heart of Christmas: God’s love is magnanimous, extravagant, and unfathomable. It wasn’t enough for God to simply abandon creation and start over. No, He chose to redeem creation—including mankind, whom He created in His image. He did not just wave a wand and declare peace. He entered the story. He entered it in the most humble, the most vulnerable way possible: as a baby in a manger.
And 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 Apostle John captures this profound mystery when he writes in John 1:14: “And 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.” The Word became flesh! God in human form—weak, helpless, and dependent on the care of human parents. What love! What magnanimity! God could have started over with a new creation. He could have wiped away the sin of humanity with a wave of His hand. But He didn’t. He came to us. And that’s the gift of Christmas.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:29)
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)
So many want to dismiss God’s holiness because of His humility. Quite the opposite. The magnificence of God’s love is combined with His justice. There is a constant balance between these two attributes. God isn’t distant or indifferent, instead he met sin head-on with love and grace.
We understand this love more deeply when we remember that God had every right to wipe out the entire human race. He had the power, the authority, and the righteousness to simply start over. But He didn’t. Instead, He sent His Son, the precious, beloved Son of God, into a world broken by sin, hatred, and darkness.
The Tension: The Wrath of God
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (Romans 1:18)
As we embrace the beauty of God’s love in sending His Son, let us not forget that this love did not come cheaply. It was costly. It was the ultimate sacrifice. Why did Jesus need to come as a baby in the first place? Because of the deep, entrenched problem of sin. We cannot fully understand the magnitude of God’s love for us until we understand the depth of our sin and the holiness of God.
It’s easy to forget, in the softness of the Christmas story, the grave problem of our sin before a holy God. The truth is that our sin—my sin and your sin—separates us from a holy, righteous, and just God. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). God is not just a loving God; He is also a just God. He cannot ignore sin. He cannot simply sweep it under the rug. He is holy, and that holiness demands justice. This is the reality we must confront before we can truly understand the beauty of God’s love.
And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey. (Micah 5:15)
Here’s the great truth of Christmas: In spite of the fact that we deserved judgment, in spite of the fact that our sin deserved the wrath of God, God chose not to destroy us, but to redeem us. The wrath of God that should have been poured out on us was instead poured out on His Son. And He did this not out of duty, but out of love.
This is the love that God has for us—a love that faces the problem of sin head-on, that takes our punishment, that absorbs the wrath of God. This love is deep. It’s not a flighty love, not a superficial love. It’s a love that looks our sin in the eye and says, “I will do whatever it takes to rescue you, to bring you back to Me.” And in the very moment when we stood condemned, God made a way…”
The Gift: A Love That Costs Everything
Now, let’s think about receiving a gift. Imagine receiving a gift from someone that costs them everything—not just something valuable, but something priceless, something that costs them their very life. This is the gift God gave us at Christmas.
When God gave us His Son, He gave us everything. He didn’t just send a token; He sent the most precious thing in the universe—His own Son, who would live and die for us. This is love beyond comprehension. God didn’t just write us a check, He didn’t just give us a trinket; He gave us His Son, and that Son would bear the weight of our sin on the cross.
Imagine receiving a gift from someone and later find out that gift to you required tremendous sacrifice, even their own life so that you can have life. That is the love God has shown to us in Christ. This is the heart of Christmas. God didn’t just send a baby into the world for us to adore, He sent a Savior—a Savior who would lay down His life for us. This is the gift of love.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)
Illustration: A Sacrificial Gift
Imagine the scenario: A woman named Sarah, a wife and mother of two young children, was given a devastating diagnosis—her kidneys were failing, and without a transplant, she would not survive. For months, she endured dialysis, but her condition grew worse, and hope began to fade. The only option was to find a suitable organ donor.
Her family, her friends, even strangers stepped forward to offer help, but none were a match. Then, after months of uncertainty, an unlikely hero emerged: her brother, Daniel. He had the perfect match. He was willing to undergo the painful surgery to donate one of his kidneys.
Daniel didn’t hesitate, despite the risks to his own health. To him, his sister’s life was worth the sacrifice. “I would do anything for her,” he said, “even if it costs me something.”
And so, the transplant took place. The surgery was a success, and Sarah’s life was saved—thanks to the sacrificial gift of her brother. What’s beautiful about this story is not just the life-saving nature of the transplant, but the love that drove Daniel to give. It wasn’t a small act—it cost him something precious, his own health, for the sake of someone he loved deeply.
This act of sacrificial love, though powerful, is only a faint echo of the ultimate sacrifice we see in Jesus Christ. Just as Daniel gave a portion of himself so his sister could live, Jesus gave Himself—His very life—so that we could have eternal life. He transplanted his holiness to us. He didn’t hesitate, He didn’t weigh the cost, He gave it all out of love for us, knowing that without this sacrifice, we would be lost forever.
Conclusion: God’s Love and Our Response
This Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us remember that the beauty of this season is not just in the decorations, the food, or the presents. It is in the love of God that brought Jesus to us—not as a powerful king who would rule with an iron fist, but as a humble baby who would grow up and die for our sins.
This is the true story of Christmas. This is the love of God. A love that saw our sin, our separation from Him, and said, “I will come to you. I will make a way. I will bear the cost.” Jesus, born in a manger, would one day hang on a cross, pouring out His life for the very people who rejected Him. This is the magnificence of God’s love, and it is a love that is offered to you today.
Will you accept this love? Will you receive the gift of Christmas, the gift of God’s Son? For those of us who have received Him, let this truth fill our hearts with gratitude and awe. And for those who have yet to respond, may you see the depth of God’s love and the gift He offers through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.
As we celebrate Christmas, let us remember that the greatest gift we can give in return is a life lived in love, gratitude, and devotion to the One who gave everything for us. This is the love of Christmas. The love of God. The love that sent His Son to rescue us from our sin and to give us the hope of eternal life. Let that love fill your heart this Christmas, and let it change your life forever.
