What is the significance of the birth of Jesus?

from the old testament

• The Old Testament and the Law given to the Israelites provide the background for why Jesus needed to be born as human. God told them, “The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life” (Leviticus 17:11).
• He thus established a sacrificial system whereby, when they sinned, they could atone for it by killing various animals (e.g., Leviticus 4:27–31). However, the animal's blood had limited effect. The New Testament explained that it merely illustrated and pointed forward to Jesus’ death (cf. Hebrews 10:1–4). The reason animal death did not save anyone was that human nature and animal nature are not the same. The Law regularly established that justice required a payment equal to the damage done (e.g., Exodus 21:23–25). An animal’s death was not equal to a human’s death and thus did not truly cover a person’s sin.

from the new testament

• While the Old Testament had an animal sacrificial system, it never actually saved anyone because “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). That is why Israel continually and unendingly sacrificed animals (cf. Hebrews 4:1).
• But Jesus, being both perfect and fully human, needed to die only once (Hebrews 10:10–12). God placed human sin on Him (2 Corinthians 5:21) and punished Him as if He had committed that sin (Isaiah 53:10). Jesus’ bloody death is known as a propitiation, which is a type of blood sacrifice that appeases God’s wrath (Romans 3:25).
• Jesus is the eternal Son of God (John 1:1) who took on human flesh to become like us (John 1:14). The author of Hebrews explained, “He had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17). For Jesus to save humans, He had to be human.
• Therefore, while not changing or removing His divine nature, Jesus added on human nature: “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6–7). That addition was key: “being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).
• Jesus could die in the place of sinners because He was fully human, like the sinners. Part of being human is being born, and that is why Jesus was born (Luke 2:6–7). He was entirely like us, but without sin (Hebrews 4:15). This means not only was He born, but He had to grow both physically and mentally (Luke 2:52). He also had to learn obedience (Hebrews 5:8). Thus, when Jesus died in His human nature, He was dying as fully human.
• However, Jesus did not remain dead. Three days later, He returned to life, demonstrating that the Father accepted His sacrificial death in full, meaning there was no more sin for Him to pay. Even after He resurrected, Jesus remained fully human. He ascended as human (Acts 1:9–11) and is currently in heaven as human, interceding for believers (Hebrews 7:25). When He returns, he will also return as human to bring God’s final wrath against unbelievers (Revelation 19:11–16) and resurrect believers to live eternally with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).
• For those who repent and confess Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9–10), God counts their sin as paid by Jesus and Jesus’ righteousness to the believer (Romans 4:22–24). They are no longer under God’s wrath (Romans 5:9) and will instead live eternally (John 3:16).
• Jesus will forever have a human nature because we will forever have a human nature. For Jesus to be truly like us, in His humanity, He must always remain like us.

implications for today

We spend a lot of time trying to become "good enough." Whether it's building the perfect résumé, curating the perfect social media profile, chasing career success, or trying to fix our past mistakes, we're constantly tempted to believe our worth depends on our performance. But the birth of Jesus tells a completely different story. God didn't wait for humanity to improve before stepping in—He entered our broken world Himself. Jesus became fully human because we could never save ourselves. The message of Christmas and Jesus' incarnation isn't that you need to work harder to earn God's approval; it's that God came to do for you what you could never do for yourself.

Because Jesus was born, lived a perfect human life, died for sinners, and rose again, your hope doesn't rest on your ability to clean yourself up or prove your value. It rests on the One who became like you so that you could one day become like Him in glory. Even now, Jesus remains fully human, interceding for you before the Father as your compassionate High Priest, and one day He will return as your victorious King. You can rest assured that you never face temptation, suffering, disappointment, or even death alone. The manger points to the cross, the empty tomb, and the promise that everyone who trusts in Christ will one day be raised to live with Him forever.