The Incarnation – God Becomes A Man

Today we are continuing our study in the Gospel of John. We come to one of the most important passages in the Bible. It is one of the pillars of our faith. It teaches us that God became a man.

John 1:14-19 – And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

I. What is the Incarnation?

The word “incarnation” means “the act of being made flesh.” It comes from the Latin here in John 1:14. In John 1:1-3 we learned that Jesus is God, the divine Creator of the universe. Simply put, the incarnation means that the eternal God took on human flesh and became a man.

Let’s take a look at another passage on the incarnation.

Cross-Reference Philippians 2:6-9

Philippians 2:6-8 NASB – Who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.

The word, “existed,” denotes Jesus’ continuous state both then and now. He is eternally existent, and there was never a time when He didn’t exist.

The “form of God” doesn’t just mean that Jesus looks like God or is the same shape, but rather it teaches that Jesus’s very essence is the same as God’s. In other words, Jesus is eternally God. There was never a point in time when He wasn’t God and became God; neither is there a point in time when He was God and then ceased to be God.

Although Jesus is eternally God, He didn’t hold on to His rights as God. He emptied Himself.

There was no outside power that overcame Jesus and weakened Him. Jesus made a voluntary decision to set aside certain divine rights for a time and purpose.

For example?

• His glory – The disciples caught a glimpse of this glory during the transfiguration when He revealed His true state to them.
• Riches – In heaven, He owned everything, but on earth, He was poor.
Position – He left His throne and became a servant.

He refrained from using certain divine attributes to make His time as a human easier.

It is something akin to the tale of the Prince and the Pauper, a famous story in which a prince leaves the castle to become a commoner for a while. During that time, he doesn’t have access to his money, authority, or army. The prince becomes poor and needs to work for food. He is still a prince, but he is not exercising those noble rights.

The doctrine of the incarnation can be difficult to understand. How can God become a man? Did Jesus give up or stop being God?

1. What is God?

God is Spirit (John 4:24). Specifically, He is uncreated Spirit. He is the only eternal Spirit.

2. What are humans?

A human is a spirit (created) plus a physical body.

There are other spirits besides God who do not have bodies (or at least like we do). Angels are spirits.

There are also other creatures that have bodies, but no spirits. Animals fill this category.

Humans are a special part of God’s creation that are a unique merging of spirit and body.

3. What is Jesus?

Jesus is God. He has the divine, eternal, uncreated Spirit. His Spirit was not created at conception. He is the Word which existed from eternity past as God and created the universe.

Jesus is also human. He took on a body like we have. A human is a spirit with a human body. He has both.

So Jesus is fully God and fully man. He didn’t stop being God. He didn’t become a fake person or a shell of a person. The incarnation is real. He didn’t pretend to be a man. He became one.

Philippians 2:7 says that He was “born in the likeness of men.” In addition to giving up certain divine rights, He took on certain human weaknesses.

Recently, my son asked me if Jesus ever had a headache. I believe the answer is “yes.” He took on flesh and flesh is weak. Just as He did not miraculously turn the stone to bread (though He could have) to reduce his affliction, I do not believe He used His divine powers to ease His time on earth. That means He would have gotten sick, stubbed his toe, and gotten a splinter. He allowed these things to happen so that He could sympathize with us.

Hebrews 4:15 – For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

We see that Jesus had both a human nature (he grew tired, ate, slept, walked, talked, etc.) and a divine nature (healed over distance, healed outside of time, turned water into wine, had power over nature, power over sickness, power over death, etc.)

Jesus’ incarnation is a fundamental teaching. It is also the key place that cults tend to go off. So if you are unsure if a certain fellowship or church is Biblical, one of the first places to look is their teaching on Jesus.

Here are several common heresies taught about Jesus.

What the incarnation isn’t

1. He was created by God and is the highest of all God’s creation. He is a god and not God (Arianism, Jehovah’s Witnesses).
2. He is two distinct persons indwelling the body of Christ, the human person and the divine person. Thus, Jesus would have been a first century Dr. Jekyall and Mr. Hyde! (Nestorians)
3. He was not actually a man; his body was a kind of apparition. (Gnostics)
4. He somehow became God later in His life when he reached a certain spiritual level, perhaps at His baptism. He followed the Mosaic law so well God chosen Him as Messiah (Ebionites)

Source – https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=second_person

II. Why the incarnation?

There are many “whys.” The most obvious is that He became a man in order to represent us so that He could save us. He came to fix our mess.

John also tells us the several whys of the incarnation. We will look at three things the incarnation reveals to us and how each of us those should impact our lives today.

Jesus’ Incarnation Shows Us God’s Glory

John 1:14-15 – And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”

Good teachers know that showing is often better than telling. I am coaching a youth basketball team this year. I could talk a long time to tell them how to shoot a basketball. Or I could save time and just show them.

Jesus’ incarnation showed people God’s glory rather than just telling them about it.

Hebrews 1:3 – He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.

So how do we see God’s glory in the person of Jesus Christ?

The first thought might be that John was referring to the transfiguration. On Mt. Olives, Jesus revealed His glory to three disciples who saw His shining radiance.

But I don’t think that is what He is talking about here. The reason is that the Gospel of John does not record the transfiguration. If John was talking about that event here in John 1, he likely would have recorded it later. It wasn’t just those three disciples present at the transfiguration who see Jesus’ glory. It was everyone who witnessed Jesus’ ministry.

The disciples’ beheld Jesus’ ministry and therefore God’s glory with their own eyes.

The word “glory” means “high renown or honor won by notable achievements” or “magnificence” or “great beauty.”

They saw His magnificence in His miracles. They beheld the beauty of His character in the way He humbly served others. They saw His authority and power in the way He taught with conviction and truth.

Let’s go even deeper to understand how God’s glory was important to Israel. For the Jews, the glory of the Lord signified that God was with them.

Exodus 25:8 – And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.

When the tabernacle was finished, His glory filled the place. It showed that He was dwelling with them.

Exodus 40:35 – And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

God’s presence was comforting to His people. He dwelt with them. He accepted them.

But God’s glory did not stay permanently in the temple. Ezekiel portrays God’s glory as leaving the temple when Israel fell into idolatry and rejected the Lord. Their sin caused God’s glory to depart.

Eventually, the people repented. They rebuilt the temple. However, the temple they rebuilt was far smaller than the one they had before.

Yet God made an important promise to them. He gave them hope.

Haggai 2:9 – The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’”

God’s glory would come again. The future glory shown would be even greater than what they had experienced.

This prophecy points to the day when the Messiah would come and offer salvation to the nation. Jesus is the “latter glory.” Jesus Himself went to that temple. He walked on its very floors. He preached to the crowds there. When He died, the veil of that temple was torn in two from top to bottom and the way was made for us to come to God. He offered God’s peace to the people, reconciliation between man and God.

So what is John saying?

John is saying that he and the other disciples are eye-witnesses to this glory. They themselves beheld God in the flesh. They saw history being made. They saw this prophecy being fulfilled.

God’s glory, which had left the temple, was back. His presence was once again with His people. The incarnation teaches us that God has not finally rejected people. He offers an invitation to come to Him. He comes to bring peace and forgiveness. God is not distant and apathetic. He is close by to each one of us.

Jesus is Immanuel, God with us.

Though we don’t see Jesus as they did, His glory fills the pages of Scripture.

And now He has a new temple. Ask your neighbor, “where is the temple now?”

Now the temple is our bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

It is our job to shine the light of God’s glory in the darkness. Jesus is the light, the glory. We are to reflect that light.

We are first to behold His glory. Observe it and recognize it. Then we are to rejoice in it. Then we are to spread it for all to see.

Whatever I cannot do for God’s glory must be avoided. – Arthur Pink

Let us pray that this verse will be fulfilled soon.

Jesus’ Incarnation Shows Us God’s Grace

John 1:16-17 – For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John tells us another “why” of the incarnation. Jesus came, why? To bring grace upon grace.

That is very good news!

I imagine that all of you were very good students. So you probably can’t relate with this story, but just pretend for a moment that you were a naughty student. You were rude, disrespectful, and disobedient. The teacher tried everything to get you back in line and you wouldn’t listen. Then the principle is called in for a special meeting with you. How would you feel about meeting him? You would probably be afraid of the punishment that was coming. But to your surprise, the principle is kind. He graciously offers to forgive your infractions.

Jesus’ coming is like that.

God gave the law through Moses to the Israelites. The law showed them the depth of their sin.

In Deuteronomy 27 and 28, Moses gave the law to the people and told them that if they did not do it, they would be under a curse.

Deuteronomy 27:26 – “‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

They agreed that if they did not do the whole law they would be under a curse. That is what the law does. It is a mirror to show people who they really are. It shows us our sin. It shows us that by ourselves, we have no hope.

Now one might expect that God’s Son was coming to bring punishment to those under the curse. One would think He would say, “I gave you the law. I gave you the prophets. I gave you Scripture. I did miracles on your behalf. You still rejected me. Here is the judgment you deserve!”

But that is not what Jesus said at all.

John 12:47 – I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.

He came not to judge, but to save! That is grace. Grace is undeserved.

I want to do a quick and scientific survey to see whether we like grace or judgment better. If you have ever met a person named “Grace,” raise your hand. If you have ever met a person named “Judgment,” raise your hand.

I know many people named Grace, but have never heard of anyone named judgment. We like grace better. Thankfully, Jesus came to bring us grace.

He came not to execute the curse, but to bring us out from under it.

Galatians 3:13 – Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”

If you are thankful for God’s grace, can you say, “Amen?”

Let us take note of one more thing from the verse. He came to bring grace and truth. God’s grace is not divorced from truth. It doesn’t compromise the truth. Grace is not equal to God turning a blind eye to sin. He doesn’t compromise with sin.

He calls sin for what it is while still offering us a chance to be forgiven from it.

If we want God’s grace, we must believe and accept Jesus as the Truth (John 14:6). We cannot get salvation from God while at the same time choosing “our truth.” Grace and truth come together in a package deal.

The world these days is very big on grace or tolerance. They want the kindness, but don’t want the truth.

If we are to be like Jesus, we need to be gracious and truthful. We should not compromise on either side.

Let’s consider one modern example. The LGBT+ movement is gaining steam. Within this movement, many people require others to address them by certain pronouns that do not match their God-given identity. We want to respect others. We want to be gracious. However, the truth is God created people male and female. There are only two genders biblically and also scientifically as determined by a person’s X and Y chromosomes. The female is XX. The male is XY. That is the truth.

We should not compromise the truth by using incorrect pronouns that do not match the reality of God’s creation. We are not doing favors to society as a whole when we give in and compromise the truth. Neither are we doing any favors to the person in question. Though it may seem like a kind thing use a person’s selected pronouns, it is actually not. It reinforces the web of deceit they are caught in and propagates a lie that ensnares them. Jesus said that the truth will set you free. We want to set people free.

Heidi St. John says, “Let’s not sacrifice truth on the altar of a misguided mercy.”

At the same time, we should love the person and treat them with genuine kindness. Jesus’ example to the adulterous woman is one for us to follow. Jesus would not condemn her, but told her to “go her way and sin no more.”

In the world today, there will be more and more issues like this that we need to navigate. Let us pray for grace, truth, and wisdom. One way that some teachers have dealt with this issue is to always refer to every person by their given name and not use any pronouns. We can seek wisdom in dealing with things as Daniel did, but we cannot compromise the truth. It is possible that when we stand up for truth, we will be persecuted. But if the church will not resist Satanic influences which want to destroy nations, cultures, and souls, who will?

Applications –

Receive His grace.

Show grace to others, but don’t forget truth – If Jesus, who is perfect, holy and the rightful judge gives grace to others, how much more should we?

Jesus’ Incarnation Shows Us God

John 1:18 KJV – No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

No one has ever seen God. God is Spirit. God is so holy, glorious, and awesome that if you were to see him now, you would die. God made us to be visual creatures. For ages, people have wanted to know what is God like. What is He like?

People then try to speculate about Him. They tried to paint Him. They tried to sculpt Him. They tried to make statues of Him. But they were only taking things from their own mind and then impose those images onto God. People got it all wrong. They exchanged the glory of the Creator for the image of the created. They worshipped the sun, moon, trees, mountains, and sky.

In the Ten Commandments, the Lord forbade such images.

People cannot know about God through speculating, meditation, or philosophy. We cannot know about Him except through what He Himself reveals to us.

The good news is, God was not silent. One of the most important messages of the Bible is that God speaks.

Hebrews 1:1-2 – Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

God is not silent. He gives us everything we need to know to live the lives He wants us to live. He has spoken in many ways. He has spoken through prophets, angels, visions, and Scripture.

All of these led up to the big reveal, sending His Son. The incarnation reveals God to us. He came to this world to show us the Father.

You want to know what God is like?

Look at Jesus.

You want to know God’s character?

Look at Jesus.

You want to hear God’s wisdom?

Look to Jesus.

You want to witness God’s power?

Look to Jesus.

You want to see God’s miracles?

Look to Jesus.

You want to know to do in any life situation?

Ask, What Would Jesus Do? WWJD.

Jesus is our mediator. He is the bridge who brings us to the Father. He introduces us to God so that we can know Him and then fellowship with Him.

God is not a distant God. He is not uncaring or ambivalent. He is close to us. He is knowable. Jesus has made Him known.

This is a major theme of the Gospel of John.

John 17:26 – I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Conclusion

What is the incarnation?

It is the “act of being made flesh.” God became a man. Jesus had a human body and a spirit so He is human. His Spirit was uncreated so He is God.

Why the incarnation?

• Jesus shows us God’s glory.
• Jesus shows us God’s grace.
• Jesus shows us God.

What are the takeaways?

#1 – Appreciate Him. Let’s say thank you to Jesus for condescending to become a man.

If you wanted to have a better relationship with your spouse, what should you do? You could write down a list of action points:

• Say three nice things every day.
• Do the chores.
• Buy her flowers.
• Take her on a date.

But those are all external things. It starts with the heart. If you respect, love, cherish, and appreciate your spouse those actions will follow naturally.

The same is true in our relationship with God. If we, like John, see His glory and grace, He will be lifted up in our hearts and minds. As we love and appreciate Him more, we will want to be more like Him. One way to appreciate Him more is to learn more about Him.

We have an amazing privilege and opportunity to learn of our Creator as we study the life of Jesus in the Word of God. To behold His beauty! To marvel at His grace! Then as we learn of Him, we are to reflect His glory and grace to the world around us. Not so that people will praise us, but so that they to can learn to appreciate Him as we do.

As we close in prayer, let us voice our appreciation of and praise for Christ, who became man to show us God.

Discussion Questions

• What does the incarnation tell you about God’s heart toward us?
• What grace have you received from God? Why is it so hard to show others grace?

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