"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 1:13,14)
Today begins our reading of the New Testament, which speaks of the life, death, and resurrection of our great Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the birth of His church. As you have gathered from our study of the Old Testament, Jesus's appearance on earth is not a mere coincidence; rather, God had ordained from the beginning of time that His coming to the people of Israel would occur in that very day.
What implications does the Incarnation have? We will look at several key outcomes.
1. Confidence in His revelation. Previously, God had revealed Himself primarily through prophets, stretching from Moses to Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Now, God has sent us His Son, and, as John notes in the passage above, we may see the "glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." Jesus Christ, the Holy and Anointed One (the meaning of "Christ" or "Messiah), would serve as God's chosen Servant and the chief revelation of His Person and character. In our day, we may rejoice because of His revelation. As Jesus explains in Matthew 11:27, "all things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Also, in Colossians 2:9, we read: "in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form."
2. Confidence in His power. As John points out, Jesus created the universe along side God the Father: "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 men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." (1:3-5) He is capable of doing all things.
3. Confidence in the knowledge that God knows our struggles. We can never call God "distant"; we may feel that way, but he is intimately involved in our broken world. Through Christ, we may clearly see that God understands the challenges of our lives: "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16)
4. Confidence in how to handle truth. In v. 14, John explains that Jesus "came from the Father, full of grace and truth." As we approach difficult circumstances, we can follow Jesus's example. We must mix applications of truth, which can sometimes appear cold and calculating, with grace, which represents an unmerited favor or gift. Naturally, our characters will lean towards one element or another. In Christ, however, we see a perfect balance.
5. Confidence in the demonstration of humility. The great mystery of the Incarnation lies in what Jesus has given up so that He might provide new life for His followers. Despite our shortcomings, Jesus relinquished a throne in heaven to be born in a dirty stable. What amazing love! As Paul indicates in Philippians 2:5-8:
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
"Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!"
6. Confidence in our mission. When we first read Jesus's call to discipleship, we may be overwhelmed by the cost: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" (Luke 9:23-25) Yet, Jesus gave everything for us; will we live in thanksgiving to Him?
7. Confidence in His proximity to us. The promises of Psalm 23:4 come true in Christ Himself:
"Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me."
8. Confidence in our hope. Due to Christ's resurrection, we may trust that there is eternal life and resurrection for those who believe. Long ago, Abraham believed such promises, but we have the evidence to prove it: "By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, 'It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.' Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death." (Hebrews 11:17-19)
9. Confidence in His sacrifice. Jesus's Incarnation means that God had become man. This God-man could become a perfect sacrifice for fallen people; only in such a Person could God and man be truly reconciled. It is a profound mystery, but Paul explains this sacrifice: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
QUESTIONS
1. What does the Incarnation mean for you?
2. Are you looking forward to God's revelation in your life? What could you do to hear His voice more clearly?
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