God Incarnate

Hebrews 1:1–8 NKJV

1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”? 6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” 7 And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.” 8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

Introduction:

As I continue in this Advent series, “Why Christmas?”, I come to perhaps the greatest part of Advent - The incarnation of God.

Yet, the word incarnation although clearly a Christian terminology, is never used in the Bible. It is derived from many scriptures that attest to the supernatural event of God taking on human flesh.

And more specifically related to Christmas, the birth of the holy child Jesus by the virgin, conceived of the Holy Spirit.

All the prophecies, miracles, wonder, and pageantry has no real meaning unless the baby in the manger is God Himself!

There is no Salvation, Conversion, Atonement, Sanctification, or Resurrection, unless Jesus is God incarnate!

And this has been taught and written extensively about for the past 2000 years.

Listen to an excerpt from the great theologian and early church father, Augustin -

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers 1.3: St. Augustin: On the Holy Trinity, Doctrinal Treatises, Moral Treatises Chapter 1

For all things were so made by Him, that whatsoever was made in them was not made in Him, but was life in Him. Since, “in the beginning,” the Word was not made, but “the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and all things were made by Him;” neither had all things been made by Him, unless He had Himself been before all things and not made. (But in those things which were made by Him, even body, which is not life, would not have been made by Him, except it had been life in Him before it was made. For “that which was made was already life in Him;” and not life of any kind soever: for the soul also is the life of the body, but this too is made, for it is changeable;) and by what was it made, except by the unchangeable Word of God? For “all things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” “What, therefore, was made was already life in Him;” and not any kind of life, but “the life [which] was the light of men;”

I. He has always been.

A. In creation

Colossians 1:16 NKJV

16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

B. The brightness of the Glory of God

And that brightness was seen by the Apostles who accompanied Jesus on the mount of transfiguration.

C. The express image of His person

This word for “express image” is a term that we derive the word character from in English.

Character can mean the quality of something or someone, traits that we deem either good or bad, a Character in a story that represents certain features of that person, or even a drawing representing the qualities of an individual.

Our verse tells us that Jesus in His humanity demonstrates the character of God, and so precisely that no one could tell the difference because there is no difference!

Ah! the JW’s who refuse to acknowledge the deity of Christ. How utterly deceived they are, when the evidence is sprinkled all through the scriptures.

His titles alone explain this!

He is Emmanuel Isaiah 7:14

He is Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

He is Savior, and Son of Highest. Luke 1:32-33

He is the Lord of lords, and the king of Kings. Rev. 19:16

II. He entered into our world.

A. Jesus is God incarnate.

John 1:14 NKJV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

B. Jesus is called God by the Father.

Hebrews 1:8 NKJV

8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

I must confess to you that I really don’t have a good answer as to why God would come in the form of humanity.

This is far below Him!

He owes us nothing!

We went astray not Him!

We have no intrinsic value!

We deserve judgment and hell fire!

He is righteous we are unrighteous!

The only explanation is that He loved us!

And so, God came in the likeness of men!