The Incarnation
Well our fourth and final division is about the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
And John 1:14 gives us the reason why we celebrate Christmas. The Word became flesh. The Son of God the Father left heaven, took on flesh, and came in the appearance of a man.
In other words, God the Son, perfect in all his ways, Creator and the giver of life and light, left heaven’s throne room. He who was sinless and guiltless clothed himself in humanity and entered the world’s atmosphere. He was fully God to show us how to experience life without sin in a sinful world. He came to give His life as a ransom for the penalty of our sin.
Wow! What an amazing God we have! What a beautiful Savior and friend!
Philippians 2:5-11 tells us that Jesus became the perfect teacher and in Jesus we see how God thinks, and therefore how we should think.
I Peter 2:21 says Jesus was the perfect example of holiness and righteous living. Therefore He is our model of what and who we are to become. Jesus shows us how to live and gives us the power to live that way.
Colossians 1:15-23 tells us that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. He came as a sacrifice for all sins, and His death satisfied God the Father’s requirements for the removal of sin.
And that is why He is given the name One and Only. Even though Jesus had the body of a man, He was not like other men. People who saw Jesus saw His radiance, the glory of the One who came from God the Father. He was full of grace and truth.
The word grace means that we have received the unmerited favor of God.
Nothing we could do, or say, and nothing anyone else could do or say, could have saved us from our sins. Nothing except God’s own Son. Jesus fulfilled God’s righteous requirements of holiness as the perfect sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the world.
And through Him we have received the fullness of His grace (meaning not in part) but we have full access to Him. We receive one blessing after another because of His goodness bestowed upon those He loves.
Verse 17 tells us that the law, God’s righteous requirements, was given through Moses, but all this did was prove that we couldn’t do this on our own. But through Jesus Christ we received His full grace, His full unmerited favor and truth.
Wow! What a great God we have!
Verse 18 tells us that NO ONE has ever seen God the Father, except God the One and Only Son, who is at the Father’s side. Jesus has made the Father known to us!
To know and experience God, one must place their faith in His indescribable gift of Jesus Christ.
Jesus, the Word, and the power of the Holy Spirit makes God known to us. Even though God is greater than our minds can comprehend, Jesus and His Spirit invite us to know and love Him. Knowing Jesus is the way to know God.
How will you thank Jesus for coming to earth? And for dying for your sins and for making a way for you to know the Father and to receive eternal life?
He loves you more than you will ever understand this side of heaven.
Won’t you commit yourself to studying His Word daily and diligently, seeking that which He desires for and through your life today?
Commit yourself to prayer and you will find Him faithful to help you keep that which you have committed unto Him!
Terri Hamman
Faith & Fitness Coach