Apologetics Tip

[SolaceSerenitySerendipity]

(From Hope's Reason newsletter by Stephen J. Bedard)


As we approach Christmas, it is time for us to look deeper than traditional images of the nativity. What is the story behind the story?

Beyond the story of a baby being born in a manger is the story of God becoming human. We read this: "Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory—the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father." (John 1:14)

We think of the cross as the greatest sacrifice, but imagine what it mean for God to take on flesh and become human. There are many beliefs that are negotiable but the incarnation is not one of them. It is because of the incarnation that cross has the meaning it has.  

[SolaceSerenitySerendipity]

(from the CARM website https://carm.org/dictionary-incarnation

To incarnate means to become flesh. The incarnation of Jesus is when the human nature (Jesus the man) was added to the nature of God the second person of the Trinity. It is where God became a man (John 1:1, 14, Phil. 2:5- cool . It was the voluntary act of Jesus to humble Himself so that He might die for our sins (1 Pet. 3:1 cool . Thus, Jesus has two natures: Divine and human. This is known as the Hypostatic Union.

The doctrine is of vital importance to the Christian. By it we understand the true nature of God, the atonement, forgiveness, grace, etc. It is only God who could pay for sins. Therefore, God became man (John 1:1, 14) to die for our sins (1 Pet. 2:24) which is the atonement. Through Jesus, we have forgiveness of sins. Since we are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9), it is essential that our object of faith be accurate. The doctrine of the incarnation ensures accuracy--the knowledge that God died on the cross to atone for sin and that the God-man (Jesus) is now in Heaven as a mediator (1 Tim. 2:5) between us and God.

Jesus came to reveal the Father (Matt. 11:27, Luke 10:22), to do His will (Heb. 10:5-9), to fulfill prophecy (Luke 4:17-21), to reconcile the world (2 Cor. 5:18-21), and to become our High Priest (Heb. 7:24-2 cool .