ANDREW V. BARBER, PhD CHRISTIAN APOLOGIST, COUNSELOR, AUTHOR, PUBLISHER

Lesson: Christmas Giving
Unquestionably, the Spirit of Christmas comes in the gift of the Christ child, and the salvation He brings to all who place their trust and faith in Him alone. This does not mean we are never to have confidence or trust our own instincts, but it does mean that we love, worship, and trust Jesus above all others, which is basically the first of the Ten Commandments. Clearly, all three persons of the Holy Trinity were involved in the birth of Jesus Christ: the Father who ordained it, the Holy Spirit who impregnated Mary, and Jesus who was the godman, or God in human form or flesh. We are created in this same image, possessing a spirit, soul and body (1 TH 5:23).

EXO 20:3 ~ Do not worship or honor any gods but the Lord God Almighty.
MAT 22:37–40 ~ Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul: this is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like unto the first: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the laws and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

The three wise men came during the season we call Epiphany in the Christian church; they were seeking the birth of the King of kings and bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (MAT 2:11).

ISA 60:6 ~ They come with caravans of camels from Midian, Ephah, and Sheba, bringing gold and incense and praising God.
MAT 2:1–2,9–11 ~ Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king. Wise men came from the east to Jerusalem asking Herod, “Where is He who is born king of the Jews? From the east we have seen His star and we have come to worship Him.” After leaving Herod they followed the star. Finally, they stood directly under the star. They found the young Christ child with Mary, His mother, and worshipped Him. They opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

God our Father loved us first, so much that He allowed His only Son to be the sacrifice for our sin, paying the punishment we deserved which is death. And with His resurrection He passed onto us the blessing of rebirth, to live forever with Him in His kingdom, free from sin and its curse.

PSA 136:1–2 ~ Give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His love and mercy endure forever.
1 JO 4:11–12,18–19 ~ Since God loved us, we should love one another. Although nobody has seen God, if we love each other God’s love will live inside us to be perfected in us. There is no fear in love, but perfect love repels fear, because fear has torment. We love God because He loved us first; but you cannot love God and hate your neighbor. For how can you love someone you haven’t seen if you can’t even love someone you have seen?

We are to be givers of our love, and our time, talent, and treasure—not only during Christmastime, but all year long. God commanded His people to give, and this came with a promise: that He would give back to us in abundance. Just as He loves us unconditionally, we are to love Him back with all our hearts. This love is shown when we express such love to one another, meaning everyone; for this is the second greatest commandment (MAT 22:39).

PSA 23:5 ~ God prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. He anoints my head with oil and my cup overflows.
MAL 3: 6–10 ~ God says, “I am the Lord, I never change. But you have not kept my commandments. Return to me and I will return to you. Will you rob God? Yet you have robbed me. You ask how you have robbed me? By not presenting your tithes and offerings. Bring tithes of all your income to the storage room, so that there will be plenty in my house, and prove to yourself that I will open the windows of heaven and pour upon you so many blessings that you will not have room for them.”
MAT 6:31–34 ~ Jesus said, “Don’t worry about your worldly needs; your Father in heaven knows what you need. Instead, seek first the kingdom of heaven and the righteousness of God, and this you will receive, as well as all your earthly needs. Do not be concerned about tomorrow for it will bring its own problems; you have enough to deal with today without worrying about tomorrow.”
LUK 6:38 ~ Give and it shall be given to you in abundance, overflowing; for the same measure that you give is returned unto you.
2 CO 9:6–7,10 ~ Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly; whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully. It depends on the purpose one has in their heart. So, when you give, do not give begrudgingly or out of obligation, but give cheerfully, for God loves a cheerful giver.

What does it mean to give tithes and offerings? It means we give ten percent of our income to the church, and we also give of ourselves: time, talent, and treasure. Since Christ gave Himself for us, we are to return the favor and give ourselves to Him, which is accomplished by serving Him, the church, and others. Ours is but a small sacrifice compared to His.

ISA 6:8 ~ I heard the Lord say, “Whom shall I send, and who will be our messenger?” Isaiah replied, “Here I am, Lord, send me.”
ISA 12:4 ~ Praise the Lord, call on His name, declare His works to all people; mention that His name is exalted.
ISA 53:10–11 ~ It pleased the Lord to bruise Him (Christ) and to make Him suffer. His life was given as an offering for sin, and God will see His Son and prolong His days for the will of God will flourish in Him. After His soul has suffered enough, He will be able to look back with satisfaction. Through knowledge of Him many will become justified, because He took their sins upon Himself.
ROM 12:1–2 ~ I implore you therefore, by the mercies of God, that you present yourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is a reasonable response to His love. Do not conform to the ways of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, and you will be able to determine what is good, acceptable, and perfect according to God’s will.
ROM 12:4–8 ~ Just as our body has many members, each with a separate purpose, so we, being part of the body of Christ, have different responsibilities. We all have special gifts which God in His grace has given us. Some people can minister, some can teach, some can provide guidance and counseling. If you have the gift of prophecy do so in proportion to your faith. If you have the gift of giving, do so generously. If you have the gift of governing, do so with diligence. If you have the gift of mercy, show it cheerfully.
GAL 2:20 ~ Paul wrote: I have been crucified with Christ, yet I live. But it is not I who live but Christ who lives in me. The life I live in the flesh I must live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.

In Old Testament times, sacrificial offerings were made to atone for sin; but since this offered only temporary relief or forgiveness, God knew that a more permanent sacrifice would be necessary. The blood of sacrificial offerings represented the ultimate sacrifice of the Lamb of God—an offering for sin that would stand for all time and for all people. In response, we offer ourselves, and our gifts: knowledge, skill, ability, talent, time. Everyone has been endowed with spiritual gifts to exercise to the glory of our Father. These are often exhibited through fruits of the Spirit, which are a declaration to others as to whom we belong and serve.

GAL 5:22–23 ~ The fruits of the Spirit include love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, kindness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.
EPH 5:9 ~ The fruits of the Spirit originate in goodness, righteousness, and truth.
2 PE 1:5–8 ~ In diligence, add virtue to your faith, knowledge to your virtue, temperance to your knowledge, patience to your temperance, godliness to your patience, kindness to your godliness, and charity to your kindness. If these things abound in you, you will never be barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through His death and resurrection, Christ gave us eternal life. This we proclaim through worship (obeying God’s commandment to honor the Sabbath), and participation in the Sacraments (namely, Holy Baptism and Holy Communion). In addition, we show our obedience through forgiveness, for we are to forgive others who offend us, even as Christ was forgiving the ones who were crucifying Him. The word “forgive” is derived from the latter stem meaning “to give up” and the former stem meaning “completely”. When we forgive another, we give up completely any blame, disdain, desire for revenge, or need to get even. We basically give our discomfort to God, and let go of the ill will we have to some person or group who wronged us. This absolves us of any need to judge or condemn, for judgment and vengeance belong to the Lord. Actually, forgiveness heals us and gives us peace, whether the object of our forgiveness knows or even cares that we have offered forgiveness. And though we have forgiven, that does not negate that their may be consequences, but we need not worry about the consequences or ascribing any guilt. Instead, we trust in our being pronounced “not guilty” when we face the judgment throne of Christ.

DEU 32:35 ~ To God belongs vengeance and recompense. The evil nation will slide in due time, for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that will come upon them will come fast.
MAT 6:14–15 ~ Jesus said, “If you forgive others, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, your heavenly Father will not forgive you.”
ROM 12:19 ~ Do not seek revenge and give way to wrath, for it is written: Vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord.
EPH 4:32 ~ Be kind to each other, tender-hearted, and forgiving, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.
COL 3:13 ~ Hold back your anger towards others and forgive them. If you have a disagreement, forgive each other just as Christ forgave you.

Giving becomes a way of life for those who love the baby Jesus, a direction that continues throughout this life and the next. Our giving begins with God, next people, and lastly ourselves. Our own needs are subordinate since we have nothing to worry about because God promised this if we seek Him first. These facts of faith are sometimes overshadowed by secular happenings unrelated to Christmas. It is not a sin to engage in some of these activities, but they should not be the focus. For example, Santa Claus can be a fun thing for children as long as they know that this is a fictional character; it also should be explained that this character is based on a true story of a man named St. Nicholas (celebrated on December 6). He was bishop of Myra in the early fourth century, born in Lycia of Asia Minor in the late third century. He was known for his giving of gifts to children and to others who were less fortunate or in need. A humble and benevolent man of means, he gave without desiring recognition or acclaim. It is good to recognize godly people of history or one’s past during this season, when they were showing Jesus to us through their love, faith, and giving.

JAM 1:17–18 ~ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, from the Father of lights in whom there is no variance, nor any turning to the side like moving shadows. He chose to give us birth through the Word of Truth, so we might be an example of the first fruits of His creation.

Posted: Andrew Barber (12/26/2025)

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