The Importance of the Incarnation

Christmas is a wonderful time of year filled with celebrations, family gatherings of one sort or another, good food, presents, and festive decor. As we are often reminded, while these things are good and to be received as gifts from God, we cannot lose sight of the central Reality of Christmas. This is summed up in the truth of the Incarnation. But what exactly is the Incarnation and why does it matter?

The Incarnation is the doctrine that contains profound truths many of which are encapsulated in John 1:14 - “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Why is this verse so profound? Because it says that the eternal God of the universe who brought everything into being (and who sustains it in being, Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3) took on a human nature and dwelt with His creation; Jesus Christ, the God-man, fully God and fully human. God sought and pursued sinful humanity when we did not seek or want Him. In this, people saw the glory of the Son as He walked the earth thousands of years ago. They witnessed His power, His love, His righteousness, His wisdom, His goodness. They encountered the perfect embodiment of both grace and truth. Reflecting on the Incarnation thousands of years later, we too receive the perfect revelation of the Father (John 1:18; 14:8-9) and have the presence of God dwelling with us just as the earliest disciples. Israel experienced God’s presence dwelling among them through the tabernacle and the temple in the OT. In Jesus, we have “God with us” in a way that is synonymous with this OT means of God’s presence and in a way that surpasses it. Because Jesus came and has ascended back to heaven, we also have the direct presence of His Spirit dwelling within us (John 14:25-26; 15:26; 16:6-7). The Incarnation displays God’s amazing grace, love, and patience towards us as those who need His salvation and cleansing from our sin. 

Another vital truth about the Incarnation that we must not fail to grasp is that it was necessary for our salvation. Why? The core reason is that if Jesus was to be our perfect High Priest, our Mediator, and the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, He had to be fully God and fully human. In His divinity, Jesus was able to bear the full weight of human sin. In His humanity, Jesus fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law before the Father and died in our place. In His resurrection, He overcame sin and death, destroying its power and destroying the devil’s work for all who trust in Him (1 John 3:8; Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:54-56). If any of these truths are modified or taken away, then Jesus cannot be our Savior. There are many religious groups today (and throughout history) that have modified the Biblical teaching about Jesus. Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons (Latter Day Saints) are examples of this. Both groups deny that Jesus is God and yet, in many ways, they present themselves as Christians. Despite the fact they may tell others they are Christian, this is false. If a person or a group denies that Jesus is both fully God and fully human, they have rejected Christianity and have embraced a false picture of Jesus. The reason this is the case is because it directly contradicts what Jesus taught about Himself as well as the earliest testimony we have from the record of Scripture. The Incarnation is therefore central to Christianity. It contains a depth of profound theological truths and it is a source of rich spiritual strength and comfort. 

 Thanks be to God that He has sought us out and provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him!