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St. Michael Catholic Church, Livermore, CA

Jesus Christ was begotten by God, conceived by the Holy Spirt and born of the Virgin Mary. (Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-2, 14, 18)

In the previous sermon and blog post, I focused on the importance of believing in the doctrine of the virgin birth. However, the larger theme is the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. John wrote that “the Word [Jesus] took on flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The Incarnation (from a Latin word that means literally, “taking on flesh”) shows us that Jesus Christ was at the same time fully God and fully human. In being born into this world Jesus neither lost his God-ness nor bypassed true human-ness. Here’s something I said in my sermon:

The omnipotent God became a helpless baby. The eternal one entered time. The Word of God had to learn to read and write. The Maker of the sun became hot and tired under its rays. The living water became thirsty. The bread of life became hungry. The Creator of life bled and died. If that idea shocks you, or even makes you uncomfortable, then you’re on the right track. That’s the wonder of the incarnation.

This is impossible to fully understand. But it’s true. And amazing. And should move us to worship.

“Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of the Incarnation.” -J.I. Packer

One thing all false teachings about Jesus have in common is that they diminish or deny either Jesus’ humanity or his divinity.

Other Scriptures to Consider:

1 John 4:3 - “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.”
Colossians 2:9 - “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form…”
Hebrews 2:14-18 – “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not the angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

Why does it Matter?

If Jesus is not fully God and fully Man, he is not the Savior he claims to be. Only by being fully God and fully man can he bridge the chasm between sinful humanity and a holy God. The Incarnation is God giving himself to us to save us.

“Jesus Christ, in His infinite love, has become what we are, in order that He may make us entirely what He is.” - Irenaeus of Lyons (2nd Century)

In 325 AD, about 300 Christian bishops from around the known world met to deal with a heresy now called “Arianism.” Arius and his followers taught that Jesus was a created being, not equal with God the Father. In full rejection of that teaching, the members of the council of Nicaea adopted this creed about the nature of Jesus:

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

Further Resources:

The Chalcedonian Creed, formulated in 451, attempted to more fully define the relationship between Jesus’ human and divine natures.
Here’s a helpful article called “How Can Jesus Be God and Man?” - or if you prefer, here’s a video explaining the same thing.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion?

Do you have a harder time believing that Jesus is fully God or that he is fully man? Why?
Respond to this quote by Irenaeus: “Jesus Christ, in His infinite love, has become what we are, in order that He may make us entirely what He is.”
What questions do you still have about the incarnation?