1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
—The words of the Apostle John from John 1:1-14
The Scripture passage above encapsulates the amazing truth of God coming to earth in human form: The Incarnation. While this overwhelming act of God’s grace will always crackle with the electricity of a mystery, Fr. Eric Kouns—a chuch-planting priest in the Anglican Church in North America—has recently posted a blog entitled, “Christianity’s Most Vital Truth.” In sharing thoughts concerning his weekly worship service, Fr. Eric writes:
Every week we intone the words (of the Nicene Creed)…We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten from the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one being with the Father. For us and for our salvation He came down from heaven. By the power of the Holy Spirit He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary and was made man.Those are powerful words whenever they are repeated, but the significance of that declaration is especially meaningful at this time of year—Advent and Christmas.When I taught Christian doctrine at a small Bible college, I used to ask my students what they believed to be the most important truth in all of Christianity. Their most common response was generally the Resurrection of Christ. Some suggested His Crucifixion. And these, along with a few others, are worthy suggestions. But I always told my students that I considered the Incarnation—the truth that the all-powerful and infinite God took on human form and became a human being who lived among us on earth—to be the single most important tenet in all of Christian doctrine.
After all, if Jesus was not really God in human form, then his death, while perhaps notable, was still just the death of a man. If he was not really God incarnate, then the literal truth of his resurrection from the grave can legitimately be challenged, and that story can just as easily be interpreted in ways that do not require any miraculous element.
But if Jesus Christ was “true God from true God” who “became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,” as the Creed declares and as orthodox believers understand the Scriptures to teach, then his crucifixion was far more than merely the death of a man. And if it was God in human form who died on that cross, then it is silly to deny the possibility of a literal, bodily resurrection.
In other words, if Jesus was not the incarnation, the “enfleshment,” of God, then everything else Christians say they believe about Jesus loses all significance. There is no more foundation for its truth. If, however, as we Christians believe, Jesus was in fact God in human flesh, then everything else the Creeds and the Gospels say about him is altogether reasonable and consistent with what we would expect from a God-man.
It was a fresh appreciation for the significance of the Incarnation of Christ some years ago that set me on this relentless pursuit of authentic faith. I began to subject every element in my practice of Christian faith to questions like these: “Is this worthy of association with one who was really and truly God in human flesh? Does this belief or this practice reflect the dignity, the gravitas, the majesty that should be accorded to one who was, and is, God with us?”
There is little more I can add regarding this critically important subject than what Fr. Kouns has already stated. I would invite you to add a link in your browser’s “favorites” to Fr. Eric’s blog. Please click here to go to his blogsite.
As we contemplate the arrival of the Christ-child this Advent Season—and even moreso, as we long for His second coming—may we continue to marvel at God’s magnificent grace. “Grace that is greater than all our sins.”
Will you pray with me?
Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us. We consciously open our hearts to the gift of love the coming of Your Son represents. Help us to live in such a way that we honor His coming. Encourage us with the great hope that He is coming again. Please, O Lord, may it be soon!
Precious Father, with humility, and also with great joy, we say to You over and over again that we desire to live our lives in obedience to Your will and Your Word. Please continue to brightly illuminate the pathway of our lives by the power of Your Holy Spirit. We praise You and thank You for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
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