"Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" John 17:3

The goal of Christ’s redemption was that we might know God, love him, serve him, and glorify him forever...It was for this end that Christ came, was incarnate, died in our place, and was raised for our justification. It was that we might know God. Once, we were part of that world which “did not know God” (1 Cor. 1:21). But now we “have come to know God” (Gal. 4:9). We “know him who is from the beginning” (1 John 2:13) because we know “the love of Christ,” and the aim of redemption is that we “may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19)...This is our goal in life, that we might be God-centered in our thoughts and God fearing in our hearts, as J. I. Packer put it. We are to be God-honoring in all that we do. And how is that going to happen if we never consider, or consider only fleetingly, or irregularly, the end toward which we travel, and the one who also walks with us through life on the way to this end?

~ David Wells

The four Gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) present their parallel accounts of the life of Jesus uniquely to help us, the reader, truly understand the magnitude of his birth, death, burial, and resurrection through comprehension of His character in which God's attributes and His glory are revealed. The more we immerse ourselves in this truth the more we are captivated by Christ. Our desire to know Him grows exponentially and we become more purposeful in our pursuit; cultivating inexpressible joy at the foot of the Cross and in the presence of God.

Peace, joy, radical generosity, audacious faith, and unwavering trust are all the fruits of dwelling on the gospel...That is the “secret,” if you will, of the gospel: these fruits are not produced, at the heart level, by focusing on them; they come by focusing on Jesus. That is what makes the gospel truly a “revolutionary” message.

~J.D. Greear

Four Accounts, One Savior

If you have ever tried to read about the story of Jesus' birth from one of the Gospels in the New Testament, you will have already discovered two things. First, no one Gospel tells you everything about the birth of Jesus. And second, some Gospels do not tell you anything about the birth of Jesus.

What do we make of this reality?

One takeaway should be that the significance of Jesus' birth is best understood in the totality of his life, teachings, death, and resurrection. Whether you have just begun to consider Jesus or already consider yourself a believer in him, let me encourage you to read through the four Gospels this Advent season to gain a fuller appreciation for the significance of his birth.

The article excerpted above can be viewed in its entirety here: Four Accounts, One Savior – The Gospel Coalition Blog.