Becoming Flesh

 

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

—John 1:14a

We simply cannot imagine what it would be like for the Son of God to leave His throne in heaven and become a growing fetus in His mother’s womb. That’s why so many individuals, even some who otherwise embrace certain tenets of the Christian faith, absolutely refuse to accept the idea that Jesus was born of a virgin. They cannot seem to believe that the power of the Holy Spirit overwhelmed the Virgin Mary in such a way that she became pregnant and nine months later gave birth to the Savior of the world.

Part of the great mystery of Christianity is the critical importance of the Incarnation. Without the “Spirit becoming flesh,” the whole idea that one sinless man could die in our place and pay the penalty for our sins just doesn’t work—a mere human could never be sinless, nor could a mere human satisfy the sin-price demanded by a holy and righteous God.

My heart aches for those who cannot accept the Incarnation. It is so very central to the Christian faith that without it, everything else a person might believe becomes a twisted false religion. In order for Jesus to have performed the duty God placed on Him, as His dearly loved and precious Son, Jesus had to be God, human, and sinless.

The writer of Hebrews explains in Hebrews 11:1:

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

It is by faith that we accept the reality of the Incarnation. It is by faith that we receive the gift of salvation. It is by faith that we recognize God’s mercy, grace, and love—poured out on those of us that He chose to belong to Himself before the foundation of the earth.

It is by faith that the Apostle John’s words from John 1:1-5, 14 can come alive in our hearts this Advent season, as we read them, meditate upon them, and let them wash over us as a great soothing balm:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

This new day, dear ones, let the power of the Incarnation grip your hearts and minds. Allow the great mystery of the Incarnation flow through you and out into the needy world around you. That is the great blessing of this Advent season.

 

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