God’s Three Breaths

Christmas is inaugurated with one of the three breaths of God.

The first breath happened during creation when God breathed out—exhaling the breath of life into Adam.  The second breath is a sharp breathing in—the Christ-child’s first breath. And the third was at the Cross—Christ cried out and breathed His last.

The three breaths are all for the same purpose—to bring life into the heart of man. The three are the root, the rescue, and the restoration of humanity.  The purpose of God has always been the same, for human beings to bear His love and His image.  This is God’s inspiration. All three breaths are purposed to in-spirit.

At Creation—God breathes out, exhaling His life into the human form.  He gave us life.  At creation, God breathed out into an Adam.

At Christmas—God breathes in, inhaling the foul air of human brokenness.  He took on our life.  At Christmas, God breathed in as an Adam.

At the Cross—God cries out, “It is Finished!”  He took on our death.  At the Cross, Jesus breathed his last and the curtain that separates us from God was torn in two from top to bottom.  At the cross, God resuscitates the world.

At Christmas, we hear the second breath.  A child is born.  A baby wails, but no ordinary baby. This child is not merely a son of Adam; He is the Son of God come to resuscitate the world.  He has come to in-spirit you.

A Savior is Born!

Roger Edwards joined The Barnabas Center in 1991. He works with both individuals and couples, helping people confess their need and embrace their available choices to lead healthier lives. Roger also teaches and leads discussion groups and retreats applying the Gospel to everyday life. He is a licensed clinical mental health counselor (LCMHC), holds a master’s degree in biblical counseling from Grace Theological Seminary in Indiana and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is married to Jean; they have seven children and nine grandchildren.