One of the greatest truths of the Bible and one of the greatest mysteries of the Christian faith is the fact that God became a man. The second member of the triune Godhead, Jesus, took on for all time and eternity a sinless human nature. This act of God becoming a man is called the incarnation, a word that means “in the flesh.” God came to live among us in the flesh.
Most often our minds turn to Bethlehem’s manger when we think about the incarnation. But the incarnation began in eternity past in the counsel of Almighty God. Nine months before His birth, Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary. The conception of Jesus’ human body and the union of the human and divine natures was truly a miracle.
The apostle John referred to Jesus as the “Word,” a term that implies the wisdom and oneness of Jesus within the triune Godhead. John 1.1 says that “the Word was God.” Jesus is God. But then in John 1.14 the apostle states, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, full of grace and truth.” The Word was God, and the Word became flesh. God and man were forever joined in the person of Jesus Christ.
The incarnation is a great mystery. How could the infinite become finite? How could the Creator become a part of His creation? How could our all-powerful God grow weary, thirsty, and hungry? How could the eternal God die on a cross? We’ll probably never understand the incarnation fully. Even the writers of the New Testament had to search for words to describe this unique work of God. Paul, in Philippians 2.6-7, said that Jesus Christ existed “in very nature” as God, but “made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant and being made in human likeness.” In Colossians 2.9 he wrote, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”
In his fascination with the incarnation, the apostle John in 1 John 1.1 described Jesus as “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched.” The incarnation is truly a mystery, but one with practical value.
We might ask, “Why would the God of heavenly splendour humbly enter into our human existence?” The answer lies in His love for us. Because of our sins, we are separated eternally from God. But because of His love, He came into our world, He became a man, and He died in our place. Only a human being could die for human sins. Only an eternal being could die for a whole world’s sins. Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became a man so that He could die for our sins. Since Jesus did this for you, why wouldn’t you invite Him into your life to be your Saviour and your Lord?
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