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God Was Not Born in Bethlehem: A Biblical Examination
Introduction: A Common Misconception**
Welcome to an exploration of a commonly held belief surrounding the Christmas narrative. Many carols and traditions speak of God being born in Bethlehem. Phrases like “He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all” from *Once in Royal David’s City* or “praises sing to God the King” from *O Little Town of Bethlehem* embed this idea in the festive season. But was God truly born in Bethlehem? Let us carefully consider this question using the Bible as our sole authority.**The Eternal Nature of God**
To begin, we must understand who God is. The Psalms declare God’s eternal nature:
“even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” (Psalm 90:2).
This means God has always existed and will always exist—He is without beginning or end. The New Testament reinforces this in 1 Timothy 6:15-16, describing God as He
“who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see.”
The Bible describes God as omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (able to be everywhere). These inherent characteristics are impossible to reconcile with the concept of God being born as a helpless infant. God is the immortal creator, not a created being.
**The Angel’s Announcement: The Son of God**
The narrative of Jesus’s birth provides clarity. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he said:
“thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David” (Luke 1:31-32).
The message is precise: Mary would bear a *son*, and he would be called the *Son* of the Highest (God). Gabriel did not say God would be born or that God would occupy David’s throne. Rather, God would *give* this throne to His Son.
Mary, a virgin, questioned how this could be. Gabriel explained:
“The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).
The miracle involved God’s power (the Holy Spirit) enabling the conception. The result was the birth of the *Son of God*—not the birth of God Himself.
**The Prophetic Significance of Bethlehem**
Jesus was born in Bethlehem as a result of a Roman census decreed by Caesar Augustus, requiring Joseph, of the house of David, to travel to his ancestral city (Luke 2:1-5). This was no accident but a direct fulfilment of prophecy. When wise men later inquired about the newborn king, the religious leaders cited the prophecy of Micah:
“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah… out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).
This prophecy is crucial. It states that the ruler would *come forth* from Bethlehem *unto me*—that is, unto God, who is speaking through the prophet. The one born would be presented to God; he would not *be* God. The prophecy, recorded centuries before Christ and verified by ancient manuscripts like the Dead Sea Scrolls, foretold the birth of God’s appointed king in Bethlehem, not the birth of God.
**The Witness of the Angels and the Meaning of “Emmanuel”**
At Jesus’s birth, angels announced to shepherds:
“unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
Their song was, “Glory to God in the highest” (Luke 2:14). They glorified God in heaven while announcing the birth of the Saviour on earth. They did not declare that God was now in the manger.
Another prophecy called the child “Emmanuel,” which means “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). If Jesus is not God, how can he be “God with us”? The answer lies in representation and character. A son often bears the likeness and character of his father. Jesus, as the perfect Son of God, inherited and displayed the full character of his Father—His love, mercy, compassion, and holiness. In this way, Jesus perfectly revealed God’s character to humanity; he was “God with us” in spirit and moral likeness, not in literal identity.
**The Father’s Testimony and the Purpose of the Son**
The New Testament consistently distinguishes between God the Father and His Son. At Jesus’s transfiguration, God’s voice from heaven declared,
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (2 Peter 1:17).
God was pleased with His Son because Jesus had “come forth” to God, fulfilling the prophetic pattern, and lived a sinless life reflecting the Divine character perfectly.
The purpose of Jesus’s birth is summarised in Galatians 4:4-5:
“when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
The “fullness of time” indicates the precise moment when all prophetic conditions were met. Jesus, the Son, was born to redeem humanity through his sacrifice, opening the way for believers to become sons and daughters of God.
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