He Became Flesh

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14 NIV).

Maybe you have noticed; the sparseness of nativity scenes in the stores where you have shopped for gifts.  Most government buildings no longer allow for a nativity scene.  Even the word Christmas has either disappeared or is written; X-Mas.  In our rush to get just the"right" present we have pushed the true meaning of this holiday to the back of our minds.  It may even be hard to imagine when admiring an existing nativity scene that this baby lying in a manger is God: God the Son.

God the Son assumed our nature, humbling Himself to be born of a woman, and to be found in fashion as a man.  "Who, being in very nature God, (the word nature God "morphe theo" includes the whole nature and essence of Deity, and is inseparable for them, since they could have no actual existence without it.  this subsisting in the Person of Christ) did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing; (ekenosen; emptied Himself) taking the very nature of a servant (morphe doulon; includes the whole nature and essence of a slave) being made in human (anthropon) likeness (omoutati; that which has been made after the likeness of something, such as amounts almost to equality or identity) and being formed in appearance (ochmatie; as comprising everything in a persone which strikes the senses, the figure, bearing, discourse, actions, manner of life, etc.) as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross" (Philippians 1:6-8 NIV)!

This was a real incarnation, not a theophany that had occurred many times in the Old Testament record.  He became flesh of our flesh, bone of our bone, yet without sin.  He was touched with a sense of our infirmities, and is able to sympathize with us when we are tempted as Satan also tempted Him.  Coming under the Law He fulfilled all righteousness.  He was to bear our sins, become a curse for us, offering Himself as a sacrifice, propitiation to God in expiation of our sins.  All this involved suffering, humiliation, and an ignominious death upon the cross.  This is what is waiting before the baby in the manger, our Immanuel: God with us.

He came to deliver us from our sins but this is not a deliverance from our human nature.  There are things in our human nature such as prejudices that must be destroyed.  This destruction of our will can only be done by Divine strength imparted by God's Spirit.  There are some things over which we are not to fight, but to stand still in and see the salvation of God.  Draw on God's power to demolish every thing that ramparts against the knowledge of God  It is only when God has altered our disposition and we have entered into the experience of sanctification that the fight begins.  The warfare is not against sin; we can never fight against sin: Jesus Christ deals with sin in redemption.  It is only done by making right moral choices: God does not make us holy in the sense of character; He makes us holy in the sense of innocence, and we have to turn that innocence into holy character by a series of moral choices.

We can either step back to where we came and make ourselves of no account in the Kingdom of God, or we can determinedly demolish these things and let Jesus bring another son to glory.  This is what that babe in the manger came to do and did by His death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven where now He sits as our advocate/redeemer, and intercessor for our sins.  It is God come to earth, it is He who is seeking us, it is His love for us, the reason He came to seek us and to lavish that love upon us.

Daily Prayer:

Thank you Jesus for coming and taking on our flesh, to seek me out and save me f rom my sins.  May I not forget that this Holiday is all about; it is about you.  Lead me to others so that I might share this good news with them.                     Amen