Christian View of 2022 #40

God Incarnate? There’s a lot of theological opinion wrapped up in that faith phrase!

But there’s no Christmas without it. Beyond Bethlehem’s baby, anchoring the Advent , is this transcendent truth:

Let’s read in three translations of the text .,,

John 1:14 KJV

-“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us”

The Amplified Bible John 1:14 AMPC

And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth. [Isa. 40:5.]

New Living Translation

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

There is no ambiguity, no wiggle room for the Deity Deniers - no platform for the Cults of Christmas … no text twisting allowed …

Here is Christmas- clearly communicated, simply, sacredly stated -

God, who made man in His image in the Genesis, has been made in the image of man, four millennia later, in Bethlehem.

The infinite became an infant… He did not just make a temporary appearance - a Theophany - He became flesh and blood- the Incarnation!

The Maker’s motive

Why did the “Word” come into the world? What could be a big enough Why? as to cause so great a response from the Most High God?

Here is the Apostle’s answer…

1 John 4:9 NLT

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.

The Maker’s Message

What did the “Word” - the Eternal Logos - the Son who was “sent” want to tell us?

I John 4:10 NLT

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

He wanted us to know that our sins could not keep Him away.

The Cross on the mountain cast its long shadow over the manger in a cave.

The Maker’s Messiah

The Anointed One - divinely elected and selected to be our Savior.

See the long expected Jesus born to set His people free.

1 John 4:14 NLT

Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

The God of Christmas comes clothed with peace, covered with humility and crowned with love and grace.

He laid aside His majesty to walk in meekness,

put aside sovereignty to put on servant hood,

laid down His glory to carry a cross.

The old carol has an enduring truth:

“Veiled in flesh the Godhead see

Hail the incarnate Deity

Pleased as man with men to dwell

Jesus, our Emmanuel

Hark the herald angels sing Glory to the new born King.”

Randy B.Leavitt

Pastor