Christmas Bible Verses

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah wrote these words centuries before Jesus was born, during a dark and uncertain time for Israel. He announced a child who would carry the weight of leadership and bear four remarkable names. Wonderful Counselor speaks of wisdom, Mighty God of power, Everlasting Father of lasting care, and Prince of Peace of the peace he would bring. Christians read this promise as fulfilled in Jesus.

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

An angel spoke to Joseph in a dream, explaining that Mary's child came from the Holy Spirit. Matthew connects the moment to a prophecy from Isaiah 7:14. The name Immanuel carries the heart of Christmas in three words, God is with us. Jesus' birth means God did not stay distant but came close to the people he loves.

but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

The first people to hear the news of Jesus' birth were shepherds working the night shift outside Bethlehem. Shepherds were ordinary workers, not officials or scholars, and the angel's message was for them first. The announcement is full of titles, Savior, Messiah, and Lord, and it is described as good news for all people. Christmas joy was meant to be shared from the very start.

“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

After the first angel spoke, a vast host of angels appeared and sang this short song of praise. It holds two parts together, glory to God in heaven and peace on earth. The peace they describe is more than the absence of conflict. It is the peace of being welcomed into God's favor, a gift that came to the world through the child in the manger.

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

John tells the Christmas story without shepherds or a stable. He calls Jesus the Word, the one through whom everything was made, and then says the Word became human. The phrase made his home among us echoes the tent where God's presence lived among Israel in the wilderness. John says this child was full of unfailing love and faithfulness, and that people saw God's glory in him.