This teaching frames “the greatest gift of all” as the Father’s single, decisive act of love: sending God the Son into the world in true humanity to accomplish salvation. The presentation begins in Luke because Luke emphasizes an orderly, chronological narration addressed to “Theophilus” (understood as “friend of God”), providing a structured historical account of the Messiah’s coming.
The lesson stresses the uniqueness of the incarnation: the Creator entered creation by taking on genuine human flesh (John 1:14), a reality that exceeds human anticipation (1 Corinthians 2:9). While God manifested Himself previously (for example, in appearances associated with “the angel of the Lord”), the incarnation is distinguished as God the Son’s personal entrance into history as an actual human child, consistent with the oneness of God (Deuteronomy 6:4) and the equality of the divine persons.
Luke’s narrative is traced through the announcement and preparation for the forerunner (John the Baptist). Zechariah and Elizabeth are portrayed as faithful Israelites who walked in God’s commandments, not as a means of earning salvation, but as the fruit of believing God’s word within that dispensation. John’s role is defined as prophetic forerunner in fulfillment of Isaiah’s “voice in the wilderness,” and his empowerment is described as a Holy Spirit “filling” associated with divine control for prophetic purpose.
The announcement to Mary is then developed: Gabriel declares a virginal conception and a Son who will inherit David’s throne and reign without end, tying Jesus to the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7) and prophetic expectation (Isaiah 9). Mary’s question (“How can this be?”) leads to an explanation that the conception is the Spirit’s work and that what is born is “holy,” emphasizing that the child is not merely another human person but a human nature prepared for God the Son. Christ’s preexistence and deity are defended from John 1:1 and related texts, and the incarnation is set within a broader theological framework: God prepared a body for the Son (Hebrews 10:5), free from the inherited sin nature, so that He could be the sinless Savior (Hebrews 4:15). The teaching also highlights Christ’s voluntary humility—He did not relinquish deity but laid aside its outward display, taking the form of a servant and obeying to death (Philippians 2:6–8).
The lesson then moves from annunciation to birth and witness. Joseph’s dilemma is resolved by divine revelation: Mary’s conception is “out from the Holy Spirit,” and the child’s name (“Jesus”) signals His saving mission, fulfilling Isaiah’s virgin-sign prophecy (Isaiah 7:14). The birth occurs in Bethlehem under providential circumstances involving a Roman registration, placing the Messiah in David’s city. The teaching argues that the biblical details better fit a springtime birth rather than a winter date, noting the shepherds’ presence in the fields. Christ’s humble placement in a manger is presented as a striking contrast to common messianic expectations of immediate political deliverance.
Two streams of testimony follow: shepherds as local witnesses on the night of the birth (Luke 2), and later the Magi from the East who arrive when Jesus is a “young child,” understood as roughly two years old (Matthew 2). The “star” motif is connected to Numbers 24:17, and the traditional assumption of “three wise men” is rejected as unwarranted by the text (the gifts are three, not necessarily the visitors).
From this historical narrative, the teaching draws doctrinal conclusions about why the gift was necessary. Humanity’s condemnation is traced to Adam’s sin and trespass and the resulting reign of death (Romans 5). The promised Deliverer is linked to the “seed of the woman” (Genesis 3), with emphasis that salvation required a Savior not produced by fallen humanity. The message then connects Christ’s coming to the universal scope of blessing: though messianic promises were given to Israel, the nations are blessed through the Messiah in accordance with the Abrahamic promise.
The teaching concludes by distinguishing responses to Christ: Israel as a whole rejected Him (“His own things…His own people”), though some received Him and were granted authority to become God’s children (John 1). Israel’s stumbling is presented as the occasion through which salvation extends to Gentiles, without implying that God’s promises to Israel are abandoned (Romans 11). Finally, the application for the season is to keep gift-giving subordinate to the central reality: salvation is offered by grace through faith—taking God at His word concerning Christ’s death for sins, burial, and resurrection on the third day (1 Corinthians 15). Believers are described as a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), enjoying ongoing fellowship in grace, divine love, and the Spirit’s communion (2 Corinthians 13:14), because God’s love was manifested in sending His unique Son so that believers might live through Him (1 John 4:9; 1 John 3:1).
