Why Did God Need to Be a Man?

Last week in our introductory message “Why the Nativity”, we focused on Matthew 1 and the fact that Jesus was born of a virgin, but was adopted by Joseph. The reason for this was so He could be fully God and fully man.

Luke 2:19 (KJV 1900)

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

Just imagine this morning how Mary must have felt as she gazed at her newborn Child?

Any child that is born is a miracle from heaven, but this Child was indeed a gift. This Child had been set apart from any other that had ever been born in the history of the world. But why?

Luke 1:30–33 (KJV 1900)

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Luke 1:34–35 (KJV 1900)

34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

The angel had spoken directly to her, and her heart confirmed that what he said was true. This Child that she held was indeed the Son of God.

And yet, Mary must have had many questions as well, such as, “Why did Jesus become a man?”

Today, I want to expound on the subject of the Incarnation of Christ.

“Incarnation” = “embody in flesh”

When we hear the word “incarnation” it means to “embody in flesh”

Why did God need to have a body?

Before we can see this, I want to briefly help you understand the Deity of Christ.

Christ Has Always Existed.

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV 1900)

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

John 8:58 (KJV 1900)

58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Colossians 1:16–17 (KJV 1900)

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Revelation 1:8 (KJV 1900)

8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

So, Jesus Christ has always existed as the second Person of the Trinity and has always been the Son of God, but at His incarnation, embodiment of flesh, He humbled Himself to be wrapped in flesh, and become a man, and not any man, but a servant of men.

Philippians 2:6–7 (KJV 1900)

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Romans 1:3–4 (KJV 1900)

3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Verse 3 speaks of Christ’s Incarnation.

Verse 4 speaks of Christ’s Resurrection.

Understanding that Christ has always been God, 100% Deity, we can now look at the question, Why do we need the incarnation of God, to be a man, human.

The Incarnation, virgin birth, of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior becomes an absolute essential doctrine, that is regarded today as nonessential and sometimes referred to as even a fable.

If Jesus Christ was not virgin born - He is only a man, not God!

If Jesus Christ were not virgin born - He could not be our Savior!

If Jesus Christ were not virgin born - the Books of Isaiah, Matthew, Luke, and John are all fakes!

So, Christ Had to become a Man

1. To Satisfy the Prophecies of the Old Testament

The first promise of Christ is found in prophecy.

It is known as “protevangelium”, the first announcement of of God redeeming flesh.

Genesis 3:15 (KJV 1900)

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Her seed lets us know that Christ would not have an earthly father, but would be given to us by God himself.

Another prophecy we hear and read this time of the year is,

Isaiah 7:14 (KJV 1900)

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, And shall call his name Immanuel.

Now, Immanuel = “with us is God”

Micah 5:2 (KJV 1900)

2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, Though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

In Luke 24:44, Jesus said,

Luke 24:44 (KJV 1900)

44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

Everything said about Him in the Old Testament had to be fulfilled in His coming.

The Old Testament prophets spoke frequently about a coming King. Every page from Genesis to Malachi trembles with the wondrous anticipation of the coming of this Champion.

The prophetic books were written by many different writers at various times over many centuries. And yet, together, throughout the words of the prophets, there were glimmers of a Savior, a King who would rescue His people and restore them to God. The prophets spoke of this One who was to come. In fact, there were more than three hundred specific prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures about the promised Messiah. The hints were persuading.

Micah offered a prediction that was both specific and startling. He said the King would be born in Bethlehem and that He would come from the distant past.

When you read Micah 5:2, here’s what you learn:

Micah 5:2 (KJV 1900)

2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, Though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Jeremiah prophesied that the birthplace of this coming One would suffer a massacre of infants.

Jeremiah 31:15 reads,

Jeremiah 31:15 (KJV 1900)

15 Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children Refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.

Matthew 2:16-18 reveals the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy:

Matthew 2:16–18 (KJV 1900)

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Beth-lehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,

18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

More than three hundred Old Testament prophecies about Jesus Christ have been fulfilled. A mathematician calculated that the possibility of all of these prophecies being fulfilled in one person is 1 in 83 billion.

Isaiah said that this special Deliverer would be miraculously born of a virgin and that His name would be called Immanuel. Isaiah wrote this not one year before it happened, not ten years, but hundreds of years before it took place. In the words of Isaiah 7:14,

Isaiah 7:14 (KJV 1900)

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, And shall call his name Immanuel.

So, Christ had to become a man to Satisfy Prophecy, but also

2. To Show Us the Father

Remember the words of Jesus while talking to Philip, he said, (John 14:8-9 ).

John 14:8–9 (KJV 1900)

8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Jesus was God in a body, so if you want to know who God is, you need to know who Jesus is because Jesus teaches you who God is.

When you see Jesus doing what He did in the Gospels, you are watching God at work.

Do you want to know God? Get to know Jesus.

That’s why the only way you can become a Christian is to know Jesus because Jesus is the way that you know God. In John 14:6 , Jesus said,

John 14:6 (KJV 1900)

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Not only did Christ come to Satisfy Prophecy and to Show us the Father, but also,

3. To Sympathize With Our Weaknesses

Jesus became a man to sympathize with our weaknesses. In Hebrews 4:15-16 we read,

Hebrews 4:15–16 (KJV 1900)

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Do you know why you can go to Jesus with whatever is going on in your life and know that He hears you and understands you? Because He came down here to experience everything that we’ve experienced apart from sin.

Jesus, as God, embodied in flesh had

Physical Limitations

He Got Tired

John 4:6 (KJV 1900)

6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

He Slept

Matthew 8:24 (KJV 1900)

24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

He Hungered

Matthew 21:18 (KJV 1900)

18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.

He Thirst

John 19:28 (KJV 1900)

28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

Jesus embodied in flesh had

Intellect or Moral Limitations

He observed life

Mark 11:13 (KJV 1900)

13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.

He faced Temptations

Hebrews 4:15 (KJV 1900)

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

He had Emotions

Matthew 9:36 (KJV 1900)

36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

Mark 3:5 (KJV 1900)

5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

Mark 10:21 (KJV 1900)

21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

Jesus embodied in flesh had

Spiritual Limitations

Matthew 26:36 (KJV 1900)

36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

Luke 4:1 (KJV 1900)

1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

He became a man so that God would become touchable, approachable, and reachable.

He is Immanuel, God with us.

Whatever you have been through, you can be sure that God has been all the way to the end of that road. And when you pray, He will embrace you with His love and say, “I have been there and experienced that.”

So, not only did Christ come to satisfy prophecy, show us the Father, And sympathize with our limitations, but more importantly,

4. To Save Us From Our Sins

Go back to

Matthew 1:21 (KJV 1900)

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

This salvation has to do with the Atonement.

Romans 5:11 (KJV 1900)

11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

As opposed to all the different atonements of the Old Testament.

The atonement distinguishes the finished work of Christ.

The Old Testament sacrifices simply covered sin. Christ conquered sin.

Atonement is literally 2 words, “At One” “At-one ment” “Atonement”.

Immanuel, Jesus Christ, brought God and man “at one”.

Religion says, “Do”; Christianity says, “Done”!

The Atonement is the Reason for the Incarnation.

Mark 10:45 (KJV 1900)

45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

John 12:27 (KJV 1900)

27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

1 Timothy 1:15 (KJV 1900)

15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Hebrews 2:14 (KJV 1900)

14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Hebrews 10:5 (KJV 1900)

5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

The Atonement is Required by the Incarnation

John 3:14–15 (KJV 1900)

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Christ had to Die to Satisfy the Holiness of God.

God is Holy and God hates sin!

The penalty for sin is death, and the Holiness of God demands that sin must be punished. God cannot overlook sin - that would be contrary to His nature.

God came to man, but in order for man to get to God, man must be holy. This was seen through the sacrifices and man’s approach to God all through the Old Testament.

Leviticus 17:11 (KJV 1900)

11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Hebrews 9:22 (KJV 1900)

22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Only a sinless man could pay the price for sinful man.

1 Corinthians 15:45–50 (KJV 1900)

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Not only did God have to become man to satisfy the holiness of God, but

Christ had to Die to Satisfy the Love of God.

God desires only the highest good for mankind.

John 3:16 (KJV 1900)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Because of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, God solved the dilemma between His holiness and our sinfulness.

God was able to love the sinner and still punish sin.

He would later suspend on the cross of Calvary between Heaven and earth, rejected by man, and forsaken by the Father - Christ paid the penalty of sin IN FULL, satisfying all the holy demands of God and leaving him free to save the sinner.

We had to have a God-Man to save us. And because Jesus was God and Man, He lifted up one hand and took hold of the Father and with the other reached down and took hold of man. And at the cross, in a moment of time, He brought them together. And now with His hands reached out, He offers His salvation to all who will come.

If Christ had not come, the course of humanity would be one long, downward, hopeless trudge toward the eternal night of despair. But Almighty God interrupted all of that. He shut down the cycle of sin by sending Jesus to be our Savior.

If you’ve never put your trust in Jesus Christ, you cannot know Him; and without knowing Him, you cannot know God.

And without accepting Him, you cannot be forgiven.

That’s the purpose of His coming, to forgive our sins.

But lastly, Christ came

5. To Secure Our Hope of Heaven

Christ on the cross cried,

John 19:30 (KJV 1900)

30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

He became the ultimate sacrifice.

Hebrews 7:27 (KJV 1900)

27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

Hebrews 9:26 (KJV 1900)

26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Hebrews 10:12 (KJV 1900)

12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Hebrews 10:14 (KJV 1900)

14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Romans 6:9 (KJV 1900)

9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

Hebrews 10:10 (KJV 1900)

10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

He came down so that we could go up.

Colossians 1:27 says,

Colossians 1:27 (KJV 1900)

27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Until Christ comes to live within your heart, you are not fit for heaven. The only way you can live in heaven is with Christ in you.

Jesus said,

John 14:6 (KJV 1900)

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

There is one way to God. You come to God by coming to Jesus because Jesus is God. And Jesus is the One who paid the penalty for our sins. And one day, if we live until He returns, we’ll hear the trumpet, and we’ll go up to be with Him.

And if we should die before He comes, our body will go in the grave, and our spirit will go to be with Him. If Almighty God has fulfilled all that He said about the first coming of Christ, then everything He says about His Second Coming will be fulfilled in the same precise way.

The message of Christmas is that God, became flesh. He is one of us. And He did this because of you. God loves you. God wants to bless you.

We do not serve a God who is far away. We serve a God who is close at hand, for He has come to be with us. He is our Savior. The Christ of Christmas is here, He became flesh.

Have you accepted the Christ of Christmas?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How does the fulfillment of prophecies strengthen your understanding and belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ?

2. How does Jesus becoming man relate to our personal weaknesses and struggles?

3. How can we better realize and utilize the privilege of having an understanding High Priest in Jesus?

4. In what ways does knowing that Jesus experienced life as we do, apart from sin, comfort you during personal difficulties?

5. How does Hebrews 4:15-16 change how we should approach prayer and asking for God's mercy and grace?

6. How does the phrase "Christ in you, the hope of glory" in Colossians 1:27 impact your understanding of your spiritual journey and destination?

7. How does the message of Jesus being "the way, the truth, and the life" simplify your relationship with God?

8. Consider the analogy of Jesus' first coming fulfilling all prophecies; how does this impact your belief and hope in His Second Coming?

9. How has the realization of God’s closeness affected your personal relationship with Him and your perceptions of His divine plan for you?

Notes

1 Maxie Dunnam, This is Christianity(Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1994), 60-61.

2 Paul Orientate, Destiny and 102 Other Real-Life Mysteries (New York, NY: Bantam, 1983), 225.