And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
– Luke 2:10-11
The birth of Jesus Christ was a glorious and incredible event that transformed history. Yet we know that Jesus’ birth was for a purpose: to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:17-18). John prophetically declared about Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus’ birth was for the purpose of being God’s sacrificial lamb to bring us peace with God and the forgiveness of our sins through His blood (Isaiah 53:10-12; Matthew 26:28; Acts 3:26; Romans 3:22-26; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:22, 27-28; 10:4; Revelation 1:5-6).
In the midst of all the Christmas story though I see a touch of Arminianism shining through. It is found in Luke 2:10. Here the angel of the Lord proclaims to the shepherds that the Son of God’s birth was good news for all people because in the city of David a Savior had been born who is Christ the Lord. Notice that the angel says that Jesus’ birth is good news for all people. I know that Calvinist theologians would counter at this point that the birth of Jesus is good news for all people in a universal sense that it shows the common love of God for all people. But I believe that the angel’s declaration does more than that. I believe Luke 2:10 solidifies the Arminian belief in an unlimited atonement. [Editor’s Note: Luke 2:10 more specifically speaks of good news for “the people,” speaking of Israel. However, that universality among Israel is still supportive of the author’s argument here since not all the people of Israel referred to in Luke 2:10 believe in Christ or receive the salvation he brings.]
How so?
1. It Shows the Universal Love of God
I think most Calvinists would not have a problem with this point. The birth of the Messiah shows that God loved not just His people Israel (Luke 1:55) but that He was sending His Son for all people in every nation (Luke 2:32). God had said through the prophet Isaiah, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Isaiah 60:1-3). This light was the Lord Jesus who came to shine the light of God to a dark world (John 1:4-5; 8:12).
The birth of Jesus was not just for the people of Israel. While there is no doubt that the angel couldn’t have said, “For the elect only” this is the implication of Calvinism and must avoid the words of the angel that this is good news for all the people. Surely not if the Calvinist doctrine of election is true. If anything, it is good news only for a select few and for the rest it is perdition. However, for the Arminian the Christmas story demonstrates the love of God for all people that He would send a Savior for all people who would come to Him in faith and repentance for the forgiveness of our sins (John 3:16-17; 5:24-25; 7:37-39; Acts 2:38-39; Revelation 22:17). What a wonderful God!
2. It Exalts the Grace of God
The birth of Jesus shows the extent of God’s grace toward fallen humanity. As Paul would later write, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people” (Titus 2:11). John had said in John 1:17 that grace and truth were realized in Jesus Christ, and no doubt Jesus was God’s grace incarnate. In the Christmas story we see the grace of God demonstrated like never before. God was extending His grace not just to Israel but to all who would come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 10:43).
When the angel proclaimed that the birth of the Messiah was good news for all the people, the grace of God was being magnified as God was about to extend His salvation not just to the covenant people of Israel but now to all nations through His Church (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15). The grace of God incarnate would go to the cross and die for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:18-19) and the Church was to take the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection to all the nations (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). The Christmas story shows the universal grace of God to all people who would hear the gospel and be saved (Romans 10:9-17).
3. It Demonstrates the Unlimited Nature of the Atonement
The birth of Jesus further showed that God was calling all people to come to salvation through His Son. The angel said in Luke 2:10-11 that the Messiah was our Savior. He came to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21). The power of the atonement of Jesus, however, is that it is powerful enough to save all people who would come to God through faith in His shed blood. Even Calvinist theologians acknowledge the power of the precious blood of Jesus. Jesus gave His spotless life for our sins (1 Peter 3:18). He tasted death for every person (Hebrews 2:9) and now God is calling all nations to bow down and worship Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:5-11; Revelation 5:9-10).
The angel said that the birth of Jesus was “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). This shows the universal call of God for all to come and repent (Luke 13:5; Acts 3:19; 17:30-31; Romans 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). This once again gives us insight into the great love of God for the lost world and that Jesus would be our Mediator (1 Timothy 2:1-6). This love would be for all the people and not just for a few.
Conclusion
I know that Calvinists rejoice in the birth of Jesus. There is no denying this and I don’t mean to imply that Calvinists do not rejoice in His birth, for I know that they do. However, I do think that the Christmas story is truly a story that exalts the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and it shows the great love of God for the world (1 John 2:1-2). God’s heart is for worshipers (John 4:23), and He is seeking out worshipers through the birth, death, and resurrection of His Son. The story of Christmas is a testimony of God’s heart for all nations to come to His light and be saved (Psalm 2:10-12). The birth of the Messiah is just a foretaste of the grace to be poured out through Jesus’ blood at Calvary when He would give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). If Christmas shouts anything toward the world it is this: God gave His Son for all to come and be saved through faith and repentance in Him (Luke 24:47). Praise God for His grace (2 Corinthians 8:9)!
[Link to original post and comments on Roy Ingle’s website.]
