A Christmas Choice

Christmas is often wrapped in warmth, beauty, and familiarity—but at its heart, Christmas is a moment of confrontation. When Christ entered the world, truth stepped onto a battlefield already crowded with lies.

God has allowed the devil to exercise real influence in this fallen world, not because He delights in evil, but because His Truth must be chosen by individual people. For mankind to possess genuine free will—to worship God rather than function as soulless robots—there must be an alternative choice. Truth cannot be chosen unless deception exists as an option. From the beginning, Satan has served as that opposing agent, tempting mankind away from God by distorting what is true.

That reality was on full display when Christ was born. While angels announced good news, Herod plotted murder. While shepherds worshiped, religious leaders ignored the Messiah fulfilling their own Scriptures. Lies moved quietly in the background even as Truth was laid in a manger. Satan could not stop Christ’s birth—but he sought to corrupt, confuse, and destroy His impact on the world.

Jesus later said that the devil “does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.” That explains why deception feels so natural in our world. Lies are woven into culture, systems, and human thinking because the one influencing the world thrives on falsehood. Satan rarely attacks truth openly. Instead, he questions it, reshapes it, and dresses it up just enough to make deception feel reasonable.

But Christmas reminds us that truth is not an idea—it is a Person. And truth demands a response. The birth of Christ confronts pride, exposes sin, and calls hearts to submission. Some welcomed Him. Others rejected Him. Still others tried to eliminate Him altogether.

The devil hates truth because truth exposes him. And the incarnation did exactly that. When Christ came, deception was challenged, lies were threatened, and freedom was offered—not the counterfeit kind, but real freedom that restores sinners to God.

Christmas is more than celebration.
It reminds us that God offered us a choice.
We can receive Truth—or we can turn away from Him and continue in worldly deception.

And that choice still carries eternal weight.