The REAL Christmas Story – Commentary by Dr. Paul E. Bellino

The Real Christmas Story lives on among those believers of the true Gospel of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, be they red, yellow, black or white, and so does the life of Southern Heritage live on through our continuing proclamation of the Gospel, and through our dedicated stand as sons of our Georgia Heritage. That is why we must continue to stand strong in this hour for the true Gospel and for the roots of Georgia Heritage prevalent and proclaimed in the early days of this nation, and so faithfully defended during the Second War of Independence. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, Georgia Heritage, and Southern Heritage, in general are under diabolical attack in this hour of this year of our Lord, 2005.

It was December 20, 1860, that the infancy of the Confederate States of America, was in a sense conceived when South Carolina seceded from the Union. That Christmas promised a turn of events that would cost over six hundred thousand lives. In December, 2005 we face a serious division in these United States that is virtually based on the same issue of states rights versus a form of Federal socialism and a lack of religious freedom versus moral decline.

We who are the sons of our forefathers have inherited the whirlwind of the "Brother's War". How then shall we live in this time of spiritual and heritage conflict? We look to the immortal words of the same Gospel many of our forebears held sacred. General Robert E. Lee often enjoyed these words of a hymn, "How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord is laid for your faith in His excellent Word! What more can He say then to you He hath said, to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled".

At West Point where General Lee trained for military service and later was the commandant there was a special recognition of the "long grey line", concerning the great tradition of the cadets who graduated from that institution founded in the early 19th century by Colonel Thayer when our nation was still in its infancy. The Founder of the Christian church, our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, in His infancy 2000 years ago came into the world of ancient Rome, and in one generation would establish the churches ministry for the preaching of the good news of salvation from sin and shame, the Gospel.

The Gospel message is that Jesus, the beloved Son of God, was born in obscurity, in humble quarters in the tiny city of Bethlehem, five miles south of Jerusalem. Jesus was to do one very special thing to bring salvation to lost mankind: to live and die a vicarious death, once and for all, and rise again, that mankind might be delivered from the penalty, power, and one day from the very presence of sin.

Praise God that the Gospel of the foregiveness of our personal sins and the power to overcome sin in all forms has been provided through Christ's virgin birth, sinless life, sacrificial death on the cross of Calvary, His resurrection from the dead on the third day, and His ascension to heaven at the right hand of the Father. Jesus now rules and reigns from heaven to bring into subjection and judgement all who will not submit to His Lordship over their lives. To those who by faith in His finished work do submit to His Lordship He provides everlasting life and eternal fellowship with Himself and God the Father.

This is accomplished through the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of those who truly repent of their sins, seek His foregiveness, and believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified for them because of their utter sinfulness against the Holy God of heaven and earth. This is the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ which is under attack around the world and in these United States, and even in our beloved State of Georgia. We have reason to believe it would not have been so if Southern secession had succeeded for the Confederate States of America. Therefore, we today must bear the cross of Christ for our submission to Him, and affirm our thanks to the memory of those who stood true to the cross of St. Andrew in the years of the War of Northern Agression, Lincoln's War.

The Bible says, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." (Ezekiel 18:4). God's son, Jesus Christ, took upon Himself our sin as He hung on the cross and died in our place. Having all sinned, we are candidates for death, but Christ in love took our place. To receive the benefits of Christ's death, we must believe from our hearts that we deserve death for our sin and then see ourselves with Christ nailed to the cross. It was there that the penalty for our sin was paid and the power that sin had over us was crushed. God did not leave His Son in the grave, but raised Him on the third day. He has paid sin's penalty, broken its power and has thus become the potential Saviour of mankind.

God's Word speaks for itself as St. Paul writes in Romans 6:6, "Knowing this, that our old man is cruicified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." There it is---God's solution to man's problem! Realizing by faith that our old self was crucified with Christ we need no longer to be the unwilling slave to the tyrant sin. Instead we gladly look to serve Him who sovereignly loved us and bought us with His own precious blood. And so, as an act of our will, we should believingly and willingly exchange servitude to sin for servitude to Jesus Christ. This is practical! This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Have you believed God's precious Word, the Holy Bible and appropriated Christ's death and resurrection for yourself? Though our sins are not all alike, yet all the same we are sinners. Man's problem is sin and self, and the only solution to the problem is Jesus Christ. Jesus said in St. John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Won't you at this Christmas season turn from your sin to the Saviour? He promises to forgive you, save you, and give you a lasting joy and peace which can only be found by trusting Him. That is the " true reason for the season", that is why Jesus came into the world, born miraculously through a virgin, through the operation of the Holy Spirit, the Son of the Living God, born the infant son of the Virgin Mary almost 2000 years ago.

Now, are you willing to believe the Word of God? Do you? You can, even now at this moment. I sincerely pray that you will. Then with sincere faith in His finished work for you on the cross of Calvary pray from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ words like these: "Dear Lord Jesus I am concerned and ashamed about my sin and do now humbly repent of the evil of my sins against you, and believe on you as my personal Lord, my Master, and my Saviour from sin, the Lord of my life, the Saviour of my soul from the eternal judgment that my sin would bring me. I do hereby commit unto Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, my soul's salvation and my eternal fellowship in heaven with Thee. Praise God! Amen and Amen!

By His grace,
Dr. Paul E. Bellino
Founding Pastor Atlanta's Church of All Nations
Organizing Pastor, Covenant Family Fellowship Mission Church - Cumming, Georgia

Dr. Bellino is the Chaplain for numerous organizations including Georgia Heritage Council, Military Order of the Stars and Bars [Jefferson Davis Chapter, Gainesville, Georgia], Sons of Confederate Veterans [Blue Ridge Rifles, Camp 1860, Dahlonega, Georgia] and the Georgia Association Chiefs of Police.