20 verses · BSB Translation
Christmas Bible Verses
Christmas is the celebration of the most surprising event in history: God himself came to live among us as a baby in Bethlehem. The Bible tells this story with promises spoken centuries in advance, angels and shepherds, a young mother and a manger. And it never lets us forget why he came: to save his people from their sins.
The 20 passages below follow the story in six parts: the promise of the Messiah, the birth of Jesus, God with us, why Jesus came, the joy and peace he brings, and verses for Advent. Every verse is quoted in full from the Berean Standard Bible, so you can read them aloud at the table, in a card, or during an Advent devotion.
Christmas is more than a sweet story about a baby. The child in the manger is the Son of God, sent by the Father because the world needed rescuing. As you read these verses, look for the thread that runs through all of them: God keeps his promises, and he keeps them in Jesus.
The Promise of the Messiah
Genesis 3:15 (BSB)
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
God spoke these words to the serpent right after the first sin. Christians have long read them as the first hint of the gospel: a descendant of the woman would one day crush the serpent’s head, though he himself would be wounded. The Christmas story really begins here, with a promise of rescue given on the day things went wrong.
Isaiah 7:14 (BSB)
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.
Isaiah gave this sign to King Ahaz of Judah in a time of national crisis. Matthew quotes it in his account of Jesus’ birth, showing that the promise reached its fullest meaning in him. The name Immanuel, Matthew explains, means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).
Isaiah 9:6 (BSB)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah looked ahead to a child who would be both truly human and more than human: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” A newborn is about the most fragile thing in the world, yet this child carries the government on his shoulders. Christmas holds both truths together.
Micah 5:2 (BSB)
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel — One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.
Micah named a small, overlooked town as the birthplace of Israel’s coming ruler. When King Herod later asked where the Christ would be born, the chief priests and scribes pointed to this verse (Matthew 2:4–6). Notice the last line: this ruler’s origins are “of old, from the days of eternity.” The baby of Bethlehem did not begin to exist at Christmas.
The Birth of Jesus
Luke 1:30–33 (BSB)
So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”
The angel Gabriel was sent to Mary, a young woman in Nazareth who was pledged to be married to Joseph. Her son would be “the Son of the Most High” and heir to the throne of David, fulfilling God’s promise to David’s family. The announcement ends with a promise no earthly king could make: “His kingdom will never end!”
Matthew 1:20–21 (BSB)
But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 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.”
Joseph had planned to quietly end his engagement when he learned Mary was pregnant (Matthew 1:19). An angel told him the child was “from the Holy Spirit” and gave the name Jesus, the same name as Joshua, which means that the LORD saves. The reason is stated plainly: “He will save His people from their sins.” That is the heart of Christmas.
Luke 2:6–7 (BSB)
While they were there, the time came for her Child to be born. And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Joseph and Mary had travelled to Bethlehem because of a Roman census (Luke 2:1–5). Luke tells the birth of the Son of God in a few plain sentences: swaddling cloths, a manger, and no room in the inn. The King of kings entered the world in humility, and no one is too ordinary to come near him.
Luke 2:10–11 (BSB)
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!
The first people to hear the news were shepherds keeping watch over their flocks at night. The angel’s message is “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” In one sentence Jesus is called “a Savior,” “Christ” (the promised Messiah) and “the Lord.” Read the full story and its meaning in our guide What Is the Gospel?
Luke 2:13–14 (BSB)
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!”
A great company of angels filled the sky with praise. Their song gives glory to God first and then announces peace on earth, peace that comes as a gift to those “on whom His favor rests.” The peace of Christmas is not something we produce; it flows from God’s grace in Christ.
Matthew 2:10–11 (BSB)
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great delight. On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Magi from the east followed a star to find the newborn king. Matthew says they came “to the house” and found the Child with Mary, and he names three gifts without saying how many visitors there were. These foreigners who “fell down and worshiped Him” are an early sign that Jesus came for every nation.
Reading the Christmas story this year? Ask Abby about any verse, prophecy or detail you want to understand better.
Ask Abby →Immanuel: God With Us
Matthew 1:22–23 (BSB)
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).
Matthew pauses the story to explain what it means. The child born to Mary fulfils Isaiah’s promise and carries the name Immanuel, “God with us.” Christmas is not only about God sending help from a distance; it is about God himself coming close.
John 1:14 (BSB)
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John tells the Christmas story without shepherds or a manger. He begins in eternity with the Word who “was God” (John 1:1), and then says the astonishing thing: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” The eternal Son took on real human life, “full of grace and truth.”
Galatians 4:4–5 (BSB)
But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons.
Paul sums up Christmas in one sentence. God sent his Son “when the time had fully come,” at exactly the right moment in his plan. He was “born of a woman,” fully human, and his purpose was to redeem us, so that we might be welcomed into God’s family as sons and daughters.
Why Jesus Came
John 3:16 (BSB)
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Behind every Christmas gift is the greatest gift of all. God loved the world so much that “He gave His one and only Son,” and the purpose of that gift is life: everyone who believes in him “shall not perish but have eternal life.” The manger points ahead to the cross. Read more in John 3:16 Meaning.
1 Timothy 1:15 (BSB)
This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.
Paul gives the reason for Christmas in plain words: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Paul, who had once persecuted the church, counted himself the worst of them. Christmas is good news for people who know they need mercy, and that includes every one of us.
Joy and Peace
Isaiah 9:2 (BSB)
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.
Isaiah promised that people sitting in deep darkness would see “a great light.” Matthew applies this prophecy to Jesus’ ministry in Galilee (Matthew 4:14–16). It is why so many Christmas celebrations are full of candles and lights: Jesus is the light that has dawned in a dark world.
Luke 1:46–47 (BSB)
Then Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
Mary spoke these words when she visited her relative Elizabeth, early in her pregnancy. Her song begins with praise and calls God “my Savior.” True Christmas joy is like Mary’s: not simply cheerful feelings but delight in what God has done.
Luke 2:29–32 (BSB)
“Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.”
When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple, an old and devout man named Simeon took him in his arms. God had promised Simeon he would see the Christ before he died (Luke 2:26), and now he could depart “in peace.” He saw in this child God’s salvation, “a light for revelation to the Gentiles” as well as glory for Israel.
Verses for Advent
Advent is the season of waiting and preparation in the four Sundays before Christmas. The word comes from the Latin for “coming.” In 2026, Advent begins on Sunday, November 29. Advent looks back to Jesus’ first coming at Bethlehem and forward to the day he will return.
Romans 15:13 (BSB)
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
In many churches the Advent candles stand for hope, peace, joy and love, and this short prayer gathers three of them. Hope, joy and peace are gifts that God himself gives “as you believe in Him.” It makes a fitting blessing to pray over your family each week of Advent.
Titus 2:11–13 (BSB)
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone. It instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives in the present age, as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
These verses hold both comings of Christ together. At Christmas “the grace of God has appeared,” bringing salvation, and now we “await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Advent teaches us to live in between: grateful for the first coming and expectant for the second.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main Bible verse about Christmas?
Many people turn first to Luke 2:10-11, where the angel tells the shepherds: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you.” Isaiah 9:6, Matthew 1:21 and John 3:16 are also much loved, because together they say who the child is and why he came.
Where is the Christmas story in the Bible?
The birth of Jesus is told in Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2. Matthew follows Joseph, the visit of the Magi and the escape to Egypt; Luke follows Mary, the shepherds and the angels, and the presentation in the temple. John 1:1-14 tells the same event from eternity’s point of view: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”
Does the Bible say Jesus was born on December 25?
No. The Gospels describe the birth of Jesus but do not give its date. Celebrating on December 25 is a church tradition, not a biblical command. What matters to the Gospel writers is not the date but the meaning: “a Savior has been born to you” (Luke 2:11).
When does Advent start in 2026?
Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. In 2026 that is Sunday, November 29. Good Advent readings include the prophecies in Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:2-6 and Micah 5:2, along with Romans 15:13 and Titus 2:11-13, which look forward to Christ’s return.