22 Beautiful Christmas Bible Verses
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The Bible is all about Jesus; He created the heavens and the earth (John 1:1) and He encompasses the whole of God’s plan of redemption (Acts 2:1-29). Because Christmas is so precious to believers, part of our celebration includes reading and reciting the verses having to do with Christ’s first advent and why we celebrate it.
Following are various verses from Scripture that have to do with Christ and Christmas.
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5 Old Testament Verses Predicting Jesus' Birth
Jesus Christ is the long-awaited Messiah — the Redeemer who saves all who surrender to Him in repentance and faith. Long before He came to earth in the flesh, His coming was foretold by the Old Testament prophets, and Jesus is prophesied and/or typified in every book of the Bible. (A type is an object or person that represents something or someone else. e.g., Romans 5:14 where the One to come is Jesus Christ). Each prophecy and type is important in God’s redemptive narrative — the Bible. We’ll look at five passages which specifically predict Jesus’ birth.
1. Genesis 3:15
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
God wasted no time setting our hearts toward our Savior, the One who will crush His (and our) enemy, Satan. This passage is the first to foretell Jesus’ coming. Genesis 3:15 is called the Protoevangelium — the “First Gospel.” This is the pronouncement that has what Dr. R.C. Sproul called “cosmic significance,” for, “We have seen that this One is King Jesus, who as the Son of David defeated Satan on the cross for our sake. He is the seed of the woman par excellence who suffered the worst bruising of all so that He might crush the Devil” (see Colossians 2:13–15).
“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.”
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible tells us something about this oft overlooked prophetic passage, “This imagery, in the hieroglyphic language of the East, denotes some imminent ruler — primarily David; but secondarily and pre-eminently, the Messiah (see Genesis 49:10).”
3. Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Immanuel (or Emmanuel) means God with us. Seven hundred years before Christ was born, the prophet Isaiah wrote this prediction as directed by the Holy Spirit. Seven hundred years! One of the beauties of God’s Word is that every prophecy and every promise He makes is sure and true. Not one has ever failed.
4. Isaiah 9:6
“For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
For many, this prophecy is the most beautiful introduction to the coming Savior. Rightly so.
5. Micah 5:2
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me One who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”
Jesus was indeed born in Bethlehem, not a large town but a small village with an equally small stature. But the Ruler would deign to be born there.
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6 Verses for Advent
Christians view Advent as a season of hope and waiting. Because December is such a dark month, the anticipation of Christmas brings light to the dreary weather (and dreary moods). It also gives us cause to anticipate the celebration of the Lord’s incarnation. David Mathis reminds us, “The English ‘Advent,’ from the Latin adventus, means ‘arrival’ or ‘coming.’ The advent in view each December is the first coming of Jesus, and with it, his promise to come a second time. Advent begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve.”
Following are several wonderful verses for Advent:
1. The first Sunday of Advent is centered on hope. Isaiah 9:2 is a welcome promise from the Lord God, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” Jesus is the light of life; therefore, our hope is in Him.
2. On the second Sunday of Advent we light the peace candle, which reminds us the Prince of Peace has come. Isaiah 9:6 tells us He was coming and indeed He came. John 14:27 shows us one of the promises of Jesus, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
3. Joy is the focus on the third Sunday of Advent. No one who knows Jesus lacks joy, for joy is not temporal but eternal, and it dwells in those who have been called by God to be His children. Luke 2:10 relates part of what the angel said to the shepherds in the field near Bethlehem the night of Jesus’ birth. “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’”
Jesus, our sovereign and holy joy-bringer, later said to His disciples, “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). Joy in heaven; joy in us. Only the Lord Jesus can bring joy.
4. Love — the fourth and crowning Sunday during our advent season showcases God’s love for us. Galatians 4:4-5 tells us, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” To underscore why, look at what God says to us in 1 John 3:1, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” It’s love as only God can bestow, and we are the recipients.
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4 Verses About Jesus' Birth
Many Christians plan time to read the nativity and birth of Jesus narratives aloud either Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. What a joyous way to celebrate this history-changing event.
1. Luke 1:30-31
“And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus.’”
Think about God’s kindness to Mary by telling her she found favor with Him — that she should bear the Savior of the world.
2. Luke 2:6b-7
“And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”
Our Lord and Savior’s birth was not with worldly fanfare; He came in humility.
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.’”
The wise men didn’t arrive for many months, but when they saw the star, they followed it and found our Lord, just as had been prophesied.
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save his people from their sins.’”
An announcement of the greatest birth ever.
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7 Verses About Why We Celebrate Christmas
Christians have myriad reasons to celebrate Christmas, but every one is wrapped up in the greatest gift of all — Jesus Christ. Following is a sampling of seven verses outlining our reasons to celebrate.
1. John 1:29
"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"
Without Jesus coming and dying on the cross for us, we’d be hopeless — lost in our sins.
2. 1 John 5:11
"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."
There’s no greater gift than eternity with our Savior.
3. John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
An integral part of the Gospel is found in this verse.
4. John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
True peace comes to those who surrender to Jesus in repentance and faith.
“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”
How can we thank God for the greatest gift ever?
6. Titus 3:4-6
"But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior."
If Jesus had not come in the flesh, we would not have the gift of His Holy Spirit.
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
Because Jesus fulfills all the Messianic prophecies, we rejoice and celebrate!
Christmas is a glorious celebration of our God “putting on flesh” and coming to earth as a man to save us. John 1:14 declares, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Jesus Christ is Emmanuel — God with us. May you rejoice in Him this Christmas, and may our Lord get all the glory.
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