Luke 2:13, 14
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God,
and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
I’m sure you recognize the above verses as what the angels said to announce the birth
of Christ. One night, while studying these verses, I had a “lightning bolt” moment.
The Greek word in the original text translated “host,” is “stratias” which means “army.”
The Greek word in the original text translated “peace” is “eirḗnē.” This word, according
to Strong’s Concordance, is derived from eirō, which means “to join, tie together into a
whole properly, wholeness–when all essential parts are joined together.
So, it wasn’t just a lot of angels, and they weren’t little girls with wings in flowing white
dresses—it was an army of angels announcing that Christ had been born to make us
whole—to join us together with God as He intended from the beginning! The Word was
made flesh and had come to dwell among us—Immanuel, God with us, had finally come
to complete us!
But, what does that mean? What does it mean to be made whole?
The Bible is very clear on who we are in Christ:
We are adopted into His family as children (Ephesians 1:5) with God Himself as our
Father (Matthew 6:9) and given full rights as heirs to His kingdom (James 2:5). We were
dead but have not just been made alive– we have been made alive and seated with the
King of kings and Lord of lords in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:5&6) We are not
servants of the Lamb of God—we are His friends. (John 15:15) We are joined to the
Lord, having become one spirit with Him. (1 Cor. 6:17) We are citizens, not of this earth,
but of heaven. (Phil. 3:20) We have been set free by the Spirit of life forever from sin,
death, and condemnation. (Romans 8: 1,2) We are no longer strangers and aliens but
are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the very household of God, having
direct access to the Father through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18-19) We are anointed in
Christ, marked with the seal of God Himself, and given His own Spirit in our hearts as a
guarantee. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22) And, we are so dearly loved by our Father that we
can be assured that nothing, absolutely nothing, can ever separate us from the love of
God that is in Christ Jesus! (Romans 8:35-39)
And that, my dear brothers and sister in Christ, is only about half the list of what it
means to be whole in Christ. There’s an excellent list at www.joniandfriends.org
May you enjoy a blessed, whole Christmas in Christ our Lord and Savior!
Today’s Praise
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think,
according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ
Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV)