INCARNATION

One of the most remarkable claims that Christianity makes is that in the person of Jesus Christ, God became man. This is called the incarnation. The first chapter of John’s gospel begins with those famous words that declare unequivocally that Jesus is God: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The same chapter goes on to say, “And the word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The words in the original language carry the sense of God pitching His tent among us, and one paraphrase of them speaks of ‘God moving into the neighbourhood!’

Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man, and both are essential to the work that he came to do on the earth.

Jesus Is Fully God

During Jesus’ public ministry, he faced frequent opposition, and the most common accusation that Jesus’ opponents made against him was blasphemy – they had noticed that he would speak and act in a way that only God had a right to and so they took offense.

Interestingly, Jesus’ response to this wasn’t to back away from the claims or suggest that they had misunderstood, but to double down, and then to back up what he was saying by doing things that only God has the power to do.

For example, on one occasion, Jesus was teaching in a house when a paralysed man was brought to him and laid in front of him. Jesus paused his teaching and addressed the man directly, telling him that his sins were forgiven (something that only God has the right to do). This caused quite a stir, and many of those present were questioning Jesus’ authority to make such a statement, but Jesus responded by saying that he would demonstrate that he did in fact have the authority, and he then proceeded to instruct the paralysed man to get up and walk – which he did, completely healed (something that only God has the power to do).

Throughout his ministry, Jesus kept on making statements that implied that he was divine – and those around him certainly understood his meaning, hence their hostile reactions. He also continually demonstrated this in what he did – both in his perfect sinless life, and in his acts of power, Jesus demonstrated that he had authority over sin, over sickness, over evil spirits, over nature and even over death itself. To cap it all, Jesus staked everything that he had taught on his upcoming death and resurrection, and proceeded to die and rise again just as he had claimed, backing up the truth that he is exactly who he claimed to be.

Jesus Is Fully Human

As well as being fully God, in the incarnation Jesus became fully human and he experienced life just as we do. For the first 30 years of his life, Jesus lived in a small town with his family, working an ordinary job and participating in the life of his community. 

Jesus knew what it was to go through childhood and to experience adolescence. He grew into a man, and we are told that as he did, he “increased in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and man.” Jesus developed and learned as he grew, just like we all do.

Jesus experienced the full range of human emotions. He knew what it was to celebrate and rejoice, and also to cry and to greive the loss of a friend. We read of Jesus being weary and of him thirsting. There were times that he got angry, and other times where he laughed. He fully participated in human life.

In addition, he knew what it is to suffer. He experienced persecution. His body was beaten. He was betrayed and let down by friends, and ended up isolated and alone. He knew what it is like to carry a mental burden. He was teased and insulted. In the end he was killed in a gruesome and humiliating death on a cross. Whatever troubles we are going through, Jesus has experienced something similar and can fully sympathise.

All of this means that Jesus is perfectly qualified to be our saviour. He stands in the place where he can be the true representative of humanity and bear our sin, and yet he is capable of actually carrying that load and making full atonement because he is perfect, holy and divine. Though we couldn’t make a way on our own, God himself became human, to make a way for fallen humans to come to God.