He Dwelt Among Us

 

“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.”

—John 1:14

Just seven days from now, as we move through the Season of Advent, we will come to the day when we will celebrate the Incarnation of the Son of God. The Lord Jesus Christ was sent to earth by His Father in order to take on our human flesh, live a godly, sinless life in this world, and ultimately give His life on a cruel Roman cross of torture and death. By so doing, Jesus became the fully sufficient, once-and-for-all sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus was buried. And, on the third day, He rose from the dead, conquering sin, death, and Satan. After forty more days of fellowship with His disciples, Jesus ascended into heaven where He now sits at the right hand of His Father, ever making intercession for us.

In the musical review, For Heaven’s Sake, Helen Kromer begins a song with these words, sung by a baritone soloist:

I’m nothing, I’m nobody, no one.
But Someone made something of me.
He put on my flesh.
And he walked in my bones.
And he saw all the grief that I see.

That is the essence of the Incarnation. Jesus took on human flesh in order to become the One sinless man who could finally become a blameless sacrifice for all other men and women who had ever lived and who ever would live.

The Apostle John described the Incarnation this way in John 1:14:

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.

As we move ever closer to the time when we will celebrate this holy—yet joyful—day, let’s remember that through Jesus our sins are forgiven. As we respond to the wooing of the Holy Spirit, who draws us irresistibly into God’s mercy, grace, and love, we can truly rejoice that Jesus paid the full price to redeem us. We are free from the penalty of sin. Once we belonged to sin. But, now we belong to Jesus.

Philip Doddridge wrote these words to a hymn published in 1755:

O happy day, that fixed my choice
On Thee, my Savior and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice,
And tell its raptures all abroad.

Refrain: Happy day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away!
He taught me how to watch and pray,
And live rejoicing every day:
Happy day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away!

 

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