For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10 (NIV).

People believe strange things about God. While more than 95% of North Americans believe in God, many have a distorted image of God. That’s because people try to picture God in their image. But God isn’t meant to be a figment of our imagination or a creation of our desires. God wants us to know what He’s like. So He came to earth in human form, in the person of Jesus Christ.

When Christ was embodied in flesh He destroyed the stereotypes about God. He did this by living right and teaching what is right. John 18:37 says, “This is why I was born and came into the world: to tell people the truth” (NCV). By telling the truth He cleared up the misconceptions about God. John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God. The only One, who is the same as God … has made him known” (NIV).

The Bible is very clear on this point: Jesus is God, with skin on Him. John 14:9 says, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (NIV). Billy Graham said, “When I want to know what God’s like I take a long look at Jesus Christ.” This is what separates Christian faith from other world religions: When Jesus was born He was no ordinary baby – He was God in the flesh.

Furthermore, Jesus is also, “the light to reveal God to the nations” Luke 2:32 (NLT). Pay attention to the word “light,” and the phrase “to reveal God.” Light helps us see things as they really are. When we’re in the dark we become disorientated and confused. That’s why Jesus came. That’s why there’s Christmas. Jesus came as the light so that we would no longer be perplexed. He came to help us see what God is really like. And in so doing He made it possible for the blind to see and the lost to get saved.