When we think of Christmas, we think of the gospels or maybe the Old Testament prophecies that told of Christ’s coming. This Christmas season let’s dig a little deeper and see what the Apostle Paul said about Christ’s birth. While Paul never wrote at length on the subject, he does tell us some things that are critical to understanding who Christ is and why He came. The book of Romans is Paul’s great treatise on what the gospel is and what it means for Jews and Gentiles. Not surprisingly it begins with the birth of Jesus as fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, specifically the prophecy given to David. An once again, Paul uses very few words to tell us quite a bit.
Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,
Romans 1:1-3
The First Promise
In Genesis, God Himself makes the first promise and prophecy of a coming Redeemer.
And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15
Last week we saw how the coming of Christ was the key piece of God’s eternal plan. Here, Paul shows us that from the beginning, God revealed that plan through the prophetic word.
The Prophecy of the Son
Even more amazing than the fact that God would send a Redeemer was that the Redeemer would be none other than the very Son of God. Paul says so every chance he gets, but he is pulling from his knowledge of the Old Testament too. Psalm 2 tells us:
“I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Psalm 2:7
All of Psalm 2 looks forward to the rule of the Son and His Kingdom. Which brings us the final point in Paul’s declaration about the Christ.
The Prophecy of the King
In stating that Jesus was born a descendant of David, Paul refers to the prophecy given to King David in 2 Samuel 7.
“Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”‘” 2 Samuel 7:16
The gospel is not just our salvation. The Good News also includes the coming Kingdom which establishes Christ’s rule over all creation. It is the consummation of our redemption. But the eternal kingdom is a continuation of the earthly kingdom of David.
As Paul shows us, the fulfillment of that astounding prophecy (and so many others) was set in motion at Christmas.
Next week, we’ll learn about the solution to a problem we didn’t realize we had.
