The Christmas story in Luke enables readers to consider the miracle of Christ coming to earth as a baby. A new book by Adam Miller examines the lessons we can learn from the condescension of God and highlights the blessings of seeking to become like little children. In this interview, Miller discusses his book, The Christ Child, and shares what Christmas means to him.
Sign up to be notified when we publish new content, like articles about when Jesus was born, misunderstanding the Pharisees, and learning from atonement theology.
How does Christ’s arrival as a baby signal something crucial about what we must become to be saved?
Christmas celebrates a powerful moment in salvation history when Christ not only joins us in mortality but joins us as a baby. By joining us as a baby, Christ shows us how being like a child is an essential part of becoming like God.
Christ taught that “except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). To be converted is to become again like a little child.
Christ became a child to save me. But to be saved by Christ, I too must become a child again.
This is what Christmas is all about.
How does King Benjamin add to the discussion?
Like Jesus himself, Benjamin famously explained that if I want to become “a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord,” I must become “as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things” (Mosiah 3:19).
The trick, of course, is to become like a child again without simply being childish.
What can we learn from Nicodemus’ question about being born again?
In relation to Christmas, Nicodemus couldn’t ask a more pointed question. Nicodemus wants to know how, as an old man, he can become like a child again.
To enter the kingdom of God—even to see the kingdom of God—I must be born again and become like a child again.
At Christmas, Jesus shows us what it looks like when God himself is born again.
What is the “mystery of godliness” in this context?
One way to describe the mystery of godliness is in terms of Nicodemus’ question: how is possible to be like both an adult and a child at the same time? Or, in relation to Jesus, the mystery is: how is it possible to both God and man? Or as Jesus often puts it in the Book of Mormon: how is it possible for Christ to both the Father and the Son, the parent and the child (cf. Mosiah 15:2-4, Ether 3:14)?
In order to live like Jesus—in order to think and act and see the world like Jesus—this is the mystery that God must reveal to me, not only in theory but, especially, in the substance of my own body and mind.
What does it mean to have the mind of Christ?
To share in “the mind of Christ” is to see the world the way Jesus does. And, at least in part, this means learning how—again, as adults—to see the world the way a child does, with a wide open heart and a wide open mind, with a native capacity for curiosity and awe, with a powerfully creative imagination, and with a meek and loving vulnerability.
Are we ever too old to become like little children?
In many ways, the work of repentance is itself just the work of becoming like a child again. If it is still possible to repent—and given the infinite strength of Christ’s atoning grace, I think this is always still possible—then it is still possible to become like a child again and share in Christ’s childlike mind again.
What practical things can we do to become like children?
To become like children again, we have to slow down. We have to slow down enough to see how amazing even the most ordinary things are. We have to slow down enough to play. We have to slow down enough to express gratitude and give our full attention to the people that we’re with. This is what faith looks like: trusting God’s promise that today is enough. And this is what love looks like: slowing down enough to care for someone else.
Adults are always trying to win life. This is impossible.
Children, though, know how to love life. This is the work of Christian discipleship.
Life cannot be won, it can only be loved.
What warning signs might we observe that could suggest we’re not seeking that?
The warning signs are many and obvious. Bitterness, frustration, worry, regret, fear, anger, hopelessness, indifference, stress, contempt, cynicism. Everything is heavy and everything is stale. These are the great temptations of adulthood.
What is our role in this process—and what is the role of Jesus Christ?
Christ’s role is to shake us out of these ruts, to wake us up to the joy of life, to share with us his childlike mind. Our role is to not run away when he does. Our role is trust him, to trust the goodness of life, to trust that the impossible path of “grownup” power and control is no path to salvation.
Christ’s role is to do the work of saving us.
Our role is to do the work of letting him.
What do you mean when you say that in order to be reborn, we must first be willing to die?
Jesus has always been clear about this. If we try to save our lives, we will lose them. Instead, we must lose them in order to save them (cf. Matthew 16:25).
As adults, we tend to be bent on saving our lives—and so we keep losing them. We get frustrated and disappointed and upset. We hold on to everything too tightly and life slips through our fingers.
Children, though, are open and adaptive, they hold life lightly and laugh and play. They can forgive and forget. They can let things go and move on to the next thing. They can trust and live again.
What do you hope people do as a result of reading The Christ Child?
I hope they’ll sit quietly in a chair and look out the window for an hour. I hope they’ll play on the floor with their children. I hope they’ll sleep like a baby, trusting God, without a worry or care. I hope they’ll get in a snowball fight and forget to turn in their homework and bake cookies for someone else instead.
What is Christmas to you?
Christmas is God showing us what it means to be God. And part of what it means to be like God is to be like a child again, to always be willing to go back to the beginning and start again, to live again, to love again, to forgive and imagine, to learn and play, to feel what others are feeling.
Christmas is a celebration of God becoming a child. And it’s a holy day when we, too, can live again like a child.
Did you enjoy this interview?
Sign up to be notified when we publish new content!
About the Interview Participant
Adam S. Miller is a Latter-day Saint philosopher and theologian who has written extensively about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from Villanova University and is a professor of philosophy at Collin College. Miller’s book, The Christ Child, ponders what lessons we can learn from Christ’s birth as a baby and considers what we must become like little children in order to be saved.
Further Reading
- What Led to the Christmas Story in Luke?
- When Was Jesus Born?
- Who Were the Pharisees?
- Does Atonement Theory Matter to Latter-day Saints?
- How Do Latter-day Saints Approach Biblical Theology?
Adam Miller Resources
- The Christ Child (Deseret Book)
- This Short Book is the Perfect Way to Bring Christmas to Your Heart (LDS Living)
- Stories and Sin: A Conversation with Adam Miller (Faith Matters)
- Discipleship at the End of the World (Wayfare)
- Living in Christ Before We Die (LDS Living)
