This is one of a series of reviews from a Christian perspective on the weekly lessons found in the Come, Follow Me (New Testament, 2023) for Individuals and Families published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  To find the index of these reviews, visit here.

Bold face type in this article comes from the Church’s curriculum. (Note: Not every sentence is being reviewed.)

December 18-24

Christmas

Why does the birth of a baby bring such great joy?

Before the authors give their answer, let me give mine.

It’s because the birth of this baby changed the world forever. As John 1:1-5 says,

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Verse 14 adds:

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Imagine, the One who created the universe came as a baby in a manger, God who became flesh in order to completely identify with His creation. And Matthew 1:21 explains that this Christ child came into the world to bring forgiveness of sins. It says:

²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Who are His people? Consider 1 Peter 2:9-10:

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Mike drop. End of lesson.

Perhaps because a new baby can be a symbol of hope.

There is no better message of hope than Jesus coming in a manger, God became man to dwell amongst us.

There’s something about a brand-new life full of possibilities that invites us to ponder what life might hold for that child and what wonderful things he or she will accomplish. Never has this been truer than at the birth of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Never has there been more hope placed in a child, and never has there been one born with so much promise.

Never.

Ideas for Personal Scripture Study
Matthew 1:18–25; 2:1–12; Luke 1:26–38; 2:1–20

Jesus Christ condescended to be born among us on earth.

Even if you have read or heard the story of the birth of Jesus Christ many times before, study it this time with this thought in mind: “Christmas is not only a celebration of how Jesus came into the world but also of knowing who He is—our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—and of why He came” (Craig C. Christensen, “The Fulness of the Story of Christmas” [First Presidency Christmas devotional, Dec. 4, 2016], broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

And for Bible-believing Christians, He is everything. I just wonder, is He everything to Latter-day Saints? Why, yes, Jesus is in the church’s name, I fully get it. And yes, the church has a major role for Him. But is this the Jesus of the Bible? Or the Jesus of Mormonism? For more on this topic, visit

• Is Jesus worshiped in Mormonism?
• Is Jesus the Only Redeemer? In Mormonism, it depends.
• For Mormons, Christmastime Is for Honoring Jesus – and Joseph Smith
• 10 Reasons Why the Jesus of Mormonism is Not the Same as the Jesus of the Bible
• Crash Course Mormonism: Jesus

1 Corinthians 15:21–26; Colossians 1:12–22; 1 Peter 2:21–25

Jesus Christ fulfilled His mission and made it possible for me to inherit eternal life.

Although the story of Christ’s birth was surrounded by miraculous events, His would be just another birth if it weren’t for the great work that He accomplished later in His life. As President Gordon B. Hinckley put it, “The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary, and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection” (“The Wondrous and True Story of Christmas,” Ensign, Dec. 2000, 5).

In Mormonism, the work of Jesus is certainly important. But even more important is the work that an individual accomplishes after receiving the atonement and grace offered to everyone born on earth just because they accepted Jesus’s plan over Lucifer’s..

For Christians, justification comes by faith alone and not by works (Romans 5:1; Eph. 2:8-9). A believer puts full trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and Jesus imputes His righteousness into the account of that person. There is nothing a Christian does to someone qualify or earn the status of being completely forgiven.