bible verses for christmas

Bible Verses for Christmas: 15 Scriptures

Bible verses for Christmas: 15 Scriptures on the birth of Jesus, good news of great joy, and love that took on flesh, with plain notes and links.

Illustrated portrait of Christopher McAllister

By Christopher McAllister

Founder of theBibleand.Love

Published September 28, 20265 min readLuke 2:10 (NIV)

Villagers dance a simple line beside baskets of grain at harvest.

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.'"

— Luke 2:10 (NIV)

People who search bible verses for Christmas want Scripture for the nativity — the birth of Jesus, joy that is not only seasonal cheer, and love that arrived in a manger. This page is a numbered list of fifteen passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related joy and love lists: Bible verses about joy, Bible verses about God's love, Bible verses about hope, and Love and joy. For waiting toward Christmas, see Bible verses for Advent.

Word study (lead verse). In Luke 2:10 the angel euangelizomai — brings good news — from Greek εὐαγγελίζω (Strong's G2097): to announce glad tidings. Christmas begins as a proclamation, not only a mood. The joy is "great" and aimed at "all the people." See also Bible Hub G2097.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Luke 2:8-20 notes that angels heralded the newborn Saviour to "poor, humble, pious, industrious shepherds" at their ordinary work. "We are not out of the way of Divine visits, when we are employed in an honest calling." The song gives God the honor: "Glory to God in the highest," and God's goodwill in sending the Messiah "brought peace into this lower world" (Bible Hub commentaries on Luke 2:10; fuller MHC on the chapter at Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Luke 2).

15 Bible verses for Christmas

  1. Luke 2:10-11. "…I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." Christmas names a Savior born "to you," not only a story about someone else. See Bible verses about joy.

  2. Isaiah 9:6. "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." The child is also Mighty God — Christmas holds both. See Bible verses about peace.

  3. John 1:14. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory… full of grace and truth." Christmas is incarnation: the Word with us, not afar. See What is agape love.

  4. Matthew 1:21. "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." The name Jesus means the mission — save from sins, not only warm December feelings.

  5. Luke 2:7. "…and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them." Love arrived in low lodging. See Bible verses about God's love.

  6. Micah 5:2. "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel…" Small Bethlehem, great King.

  7. Luke 1:46-47. "And Mary said: 'My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…'" Mary's song is Christmas joy that starts before the manger scene is finished.

  8. Matthew 2:10-11. "When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him…" Joy leads to worship and gifts, not only to sentiment.

  9. Galatians 4:4-5. "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law…" Christmas is timed by God — "the set time" — for redemption.

  10. Isaiah 7:14. "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Immanuel — God with us — is the Christmas name behind the feast. See Bible verses about hope.

  11. Luke 2:13-14. "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.'" Glory up, peace down — the Christmas pattern.

  12. John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…" The gift at the center of Christmas is the Son given in love. See John 3:16.

  13. 2 Corinthians 8:9. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor…" The manger is deliberate poverty for our sake.

  14. Titus 3:4-5. "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy…" Christmas "appeared" kindness — mercy first, not merit.

  15. 1 John 4:9. "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him." The how of God's love is a sending. See 1 John 4:16.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse for a Christmas card, a reading at the tree, or a quiet morning before guests arrive — not fifteen. If you need the announcement of joy, start with Luke 2:10-11. If you need the identity of the child, start with Isaiah 9:6 or John 1:14. If you need the love motive, start with John 3:16 or 1 John 4:9. For Advent waiting, see Bible verses for Advent. For joy and love lists, see Bible verses about joy and Bible verses about God's love. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse for Christmas?

Luke 2:10-11 (good news of great joy) and Isaiah 9:6 (a child is born) are clear starting places. John 1:14 names the Word becoming flesh.

What Bible verse is about the birth of Jesus?

Luke 2:7, Matthew 1:21, and Galatians 4:4-5 all speak to the birth. Micah 5:2 names Bethlehem; Isaiah 7:14 names Immanuel.

What Scripture fits a Christmas card?

Luke 2:10-14, Isaiah 9:6, and John 3:16 are often used. Keep the card short; let one verse carry the weight.

What does Immanuel mean at Christmas?

Immanuel means "God with us" (Isaiah 7:14). Christmas is not only that God sent a gift from afar, but that God came near in the Son.

Read Bible verses for Advent, Bible verses about joy, and Bible verses about God's love. For the love that sent the Son, see John 3:16 and 1 John 4:16.

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