It’s all true — the angels singing from the heavens, shepherds watching over their flocks by night, the manger, the virgin mother, and the birth of the Child. The Christ Child, the One prophesied from ancient days, was born that night. One of His names is Emmanuel, meaning, “God with us.”

The first chapter of the Gospel of John calls Him “the Word.” The first four verses say, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

Do you see it? This child, this newborn that lay in a box for feeding cows, created the world. He was, and He is, God. And at the same time, He was and is with God. That’s the mystery of the Trinity — one God in three Persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God the Son entered our world, not in a spaceship, but the way we enter our world, by means of a mother.

The human dilemma is that we stand before a perfectly holy God, and we are sinners. We like to say we are “only human.” But He was human, too — a human with a different nature. He was tempted just as we are, “yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He told us to be as “perfect” as God the Father, but what human can achieve that level of perfection? The answer is the Human who is also God.

Here was God in the flesh fulfilling all righteousness. Then, on the cross, Jesus, the One who knew no sin, took our sin upon Himself so that we could become the very righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

And that’s why we celebrate. It’s why we give gifts and put colorful lights on houses and trees. His birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection are the reasons why we sing carols and eat feasts. He purchased our redemption. Let us rejoice!

For some, Christmas seems dark. Pain, loneliness, and loss can feel worse against a backdrop of celebration. But the real meaning of Christmas shines even in the deepest gloom. Christ, our Deliverer, has come. Later, He will come again and complete the job of redeeming the earth. But the heaviest lifting of all — our salvation — has already been paid for.

Of all the gifts you have ever received, this one is infinitely bigger and better and brighter than all the rest. God gave His son. There are many great Christmas verses throughout the Bible. But for me, one says it best. It emphasizes God’s gift to the world and to each of us as individuals. We find it in John 3:16.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Hal Lindsey is an author and Bible prophecy teacher who hosts the weekly news and commentary series “The Hal Lindsey Report.”