The reason we celebrate Christmas is because of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

But why did Jesus come into this world?

There are many answers to that question. But to understand one of the answers, we must go back to the beginning of the Bible and learn about the problem Jesus came to solve.

After God made the first humans, Adam and Eve, we learn that they were tempted by Satan and sinned against God:

‘1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,  3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”  4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman.  5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.’ (Genesis 3:1-6).

As a result of this sin, God punished Eve and Adam:

16 To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”  17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife  and  ate  from  the  tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.  18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.  19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return”’ (Genesis 3:16-19).

Yet we also learn that God cursed Satan:

 ‘14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.  15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel”’ (Genesis 3:14-15).

Thus we see that even way back in the garden of Eden, Christmas Day was predicted. One day, a child descended from Eve would come into this world and he would grow up and crush the head of Satan.

And that is precisely what Jesus did. Jesus became a man and then died on the cross in the place of all who believe in him. Thus, the power of Satan was crushed at the cross and many were set free from the Devil’s kingdom.

So this Christmas, ask yourself, has Satan been crushed for me? Or do I not trust in Jesus and am still bound to Satan and his kingdom?