Q: Which is most important to believers in Jesus, the birth of Christ or the death of Christ?  —Nkeh

A: That Christians all over the world celebrate Christmas and commemorate Good Friday tells us that both the birth and death of Christ are important events of our Christian faith, neither of which is more important than the other. For both are equally important and indispensable parts of God’s redemption plan.

Just as every human life is bracketed by physical birth and death, Christ’s virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:20-23; Luke 1:35) and death by crucifixion (Matthew 20:18-19; John 19:18) affirmed that He is truly and fully human (John 1:14; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 John 4:2; Hebrews 2:14). Both His birth and death marked Jesus as the representative man (Hebrews 2:16-17, 4:15). That’s why Paul called Him the “the last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45), and Adam the “first man” and Christ the “second man” (1 Corinthians 15:47).

If Jesus had not been born a man, he could not have died in our place as our substitute (Romans 4:25, 8:3; Galatians 3:13; Philippians 2:7-8; 1 Peter 2:24). The writer of Hebrews puts is succinctly: “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; He came to help the descendants of Abraham.Therefore, it was necessary for Him to be made in every respect like us, His brothers and sisters, so that He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then He could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.Since He himself has gone through suffering and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested” (Hebrews 2:14-18).  —K.T. Sim

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