Immanuel: God with Us

December 25, 2025

By Peter Amsterdam

Audio length: 8:39
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Christmas represents one of the most significant events in human history—when God physically came into our world in the form of His Son, Jesus. In telling the story of God’s entrance into the world, Matthew’s Gospel says of the events leading up to Jesus’ birth that “all this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us)” (Matthew 1:22–23).

In the Old Testament we read of God’s presence among His people. We see this in the story of the Garden of Eden, where God conversed with Adam in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8), in the pillar of cloud and of fire that led Moses and the children of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land (Exodus 13:21–22), and in the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies (Exodus 25:22). God also assured His people that He would be with them when they went into battle (Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:9), as well as when they were fearful or facing times of great trials and challenges (Isaiah 41:10, 43:2).

Then in the New Testament God’s presence took on a whole new meaning in the incarnation with the physical embodiment of God in the birth of Jesus. His conception was like no other before or after in history. His mother, Mary, was a virgin, betrothed—but not yet married—to Joseph, a Jewish carpenter, when she received a visit from an angel who announced to her:

“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31–33).

When Mary questioned how this could happen, since she was a virgin, the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). Nine months later, the unique person who was both God and man was born—Immanuel, “God with us.”

Some of the manifestations of “God with us” were seen through Jesus’ actions and reflected the attributes of God, such as:

His compassion in healing people with leprosy, blindness, epilepsy, fever, deafness, and other illnesses. “And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14). Jesus “went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23).
His care and provision for all of humanity and concern for the poor and hungry, manifested by feeding the crowds of 5,000 and 4,000. “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). “Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way’” (Matthew 15:32–39).
His power over death in raising the only son of a widow (Luke 7:11–16), a twelve-year-old girl (Mark 5:22–23, 35–43), and His friend Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1–44). “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25–26).
His mercy in granting the forgiveness of sins. “‘Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.’ And he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven’” (Luke 7:44–50.)
His love manifested by His willingness to suffer and die on the cross for our redemption to make it possible for us to enter into an eternal relationship with God (Ephesians 2:13–19). “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:19–20).

Through His actions Jesus taught us about God’s nature, and through His teachings, He taught us about the character of God. This is seen in particular in the parables, which portray various aspects of God’s nature, such as the loving and forgiving father in the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32). We see the example of the one who loves and cares for those in need, no matter who they are, in the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37).

Jesus, “God with us,” showed us the lengths to which God would go in order to reconcile humanity to Himself—by ordaining that He Himself, in the form of God the Son, would take the punishment of the sins of humanity, so that we might live with Him forever. A continuation of “God with us” is seen in that after His death and resurrection, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in believers (John 14:16–17). “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6)

Christmas is the celebration of “God with us,” the birth of God’s incarnate Son, who lived and died to make it possible for us to enter into relationship with God and for the Spirit of God to dwell within us. What a joyful reason to celebrate!

At Christmas, and every other day of the year, all of us are in a sense an extension of “God with us” in our community—to our friends and neighbors, our colleagues and coworkers, the people who serve us in shops and restaurants, and strangers whom the Lord brings across our paths. The love we share through our interactions with others, the words we speak and actions we take, the kindness and generosity we show, the helping hand we offer, reflect God’s Spirit dwelling within us.

As we touch the lives of others with God’s love, it provides an opportunity for us to share the good news and explain that God is with us and can be with them as well. And in so doing, we each do our part to share the ultimate reason of Christmas. This is a wonderful time of year to share the gospel with others, to let them know that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

We are each called to do all we can to share the news of “God with us” with those who need Him. May your Christmas be blessed today and always as we celebrate His presence and share the good news of the gospel with others.

Originally published December 2015. Adapted and republished December 2025. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky. Music from the Christmas Moments album, used by permission.