The Mystery of the Incarnation: God Becomes Man

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In the prologue of John's gospel, he puts it in a phrase, John 1:14, the word became flesh, and in doing so, he became what he was not without ever ceasing to be what he was, namely, God. And in becoming man, Jesus was not exchanging his divinity for his humanity. [00:01:18]

The Divine word did not relinquish his deity but added to it in becoming flesh. He was not a phantom; he was not somebody who seemed to be human, but he was fully human. Humanness is not simply attached to Christ like a mask or a garment or an artificial limb; it is something which he is and through which he effectively expresses himself. [00:02:26]

The Son of God had then ordinary human affections. He had ordinary human affection for his mother; he loved his mother. In his death, he expressed his concern for his mother in pointing her out to the disciple and in pointing the disciple out to her. Look after my mom, he said. God says, look after my mother. [00:03:41]

Jesus was making real choices. You know, he walked up a street, and he said, shall I go up to Martha's house, or shall I go down here for a cup of tea? Shall I sit down now, or shall I stand? Unless we understand the humanity of Christ, we've got this picture of him somehow just moving around the universe. [00:04:57]

Jesus lived his Divine human life in and through his human mind and body. At every point, he did and endured everything, including his sufferings on the cross, in the unity of his Divine human person. So the natures are not separated; the natures are not co-mingled; the natures coexist in the one person. [00:17:03]

The mystery of godliness is great. He appeared in a body, and I suggest to you so it is ultimately at the end of the day unless we become as little children, unless we recognize that what we have at best is a formulation of Truth rather than an explanation of Truth, we will never get beyond it. [00:18:00]

If Jesus is less than God, he can't reveal God, and the claim of Christianity is simple. It's profound but simple that in the God has made himself known, has revealed himself in the world in the order of creation. He has revealed himself in the conscience of man, in generically men and women. [00:20:01]

If Jesus is not God, no, he hasn't, because that which is not God cannot reveal God. And if Jesus is not God, then he can't reconcile man to God. Therefore, if Jesus is less than the person he claims to be, we have no Revelation and we have no Redemption, and therefore the whole thing is completely bogus. [00:20:38]

The God of Christianity is not a God on a deck chair removed from the experiences of life. The God of Christianity is a God on a cross, is a God in a garden, is a God down here as well as a God out there. He is a God who is tangible, he is a God who is reachable, he is a God who is knowable. [00:21:50]

The whole world is against it, then I am against the whole world. [00:22:50]

The challenge of the first four or 500 years of the developing church was to try in a cohesive way first to formulate this material and then to express it at least in an understandable fashion. It is vital that we understand that the Son of God had then ordinary human affections. [00:03:23]

The mystery of it ought not to cause us to shy away from it; rather, the mystery, I think, should draw us to it in order that we might recognize the importance of it. If we neglect this task, others will attempt it in ways which lead to error and confusion in the doctrine of Christ's person. [00:08:48]

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