John 1:1, 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...and the Word became flesh...
Incarnation is the first major step that Christ took to accomplish God's purpose. When we say God was incarnated, we mean that God took on flesh and blood; He became a man. There are two major truths related to Christ's incarnation:
- CHRIST BEING GOD
The account of Christ's conception in Matthew 1:20-23 clearly indicate He is God Himself.
- Matthew shows us that the Holy Spirit, God Himself, went into Mary to bring forth Jesus. Thus, Jesus' essence was God. This agrees with John 1:1 and 14, which say that He is God who became flesh.
- Furthermore, God ordained His name to be Jesus, which means "Jehovah Savior". This tells us that Jesus is Jehovah God who became our Savior.
- Men also called Him by the name Emmanuel, which means "God with us". The One who became flesh and dwelt among men is God with men.
- CHRIST BEING MAN
The other side of the Lord's incarnation is His birth through a human virgin which gave Him the human essence. Although He was the Son of God, even God Himself, many times Jesus called Himself "the Son of Man". He was a genuine man born and brought up like any other Jewish child and raised according to the ordinary human way.
Although the Lord was a genuine man in the likeness of Adam, He did not inherit the sinful nature of Adam for He was not born in Adam but was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the virgin Mary. It was necessary for Christ to know no sin (2 Cor. 5:21) and be without sin (Heb. 4:15) for Him to accomplish redemption.
Hallelujah, Christ is the complete God and the perfect man!