Hail the Incarnate Deity

Hail the Incarnate Deity

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.   –John 1:1,14

In this text we have the clear and undeniable proclamation that Jesus, the babe born in a manger, is God incarnate. The first verse of John’s gospel indicates “the Word” is that which brings order and harmony to the universe, and, even more, is the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists in it. “The Word” is not an abstract force or one of many intermediate powers between God and man, but has an intimate, face-to-face relationship with God, being equal with but distinct from the Father. Jesus Christ is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity who, as verse fourteen so gloriously declares, was made flesh and dwelt among us.

The Word took on the fullness of humanity when He became flesh and dwelt among us. He was like us in all ways, sin excepted. This doctrine is a non-negotiable article of the Christian faith, yet no man can begin to explain it adequately. Luther described it as only he could: “God’s assumption of human nature and the union of God and man in the person of Christ is comparable to placing a filthy sow at the table and chasing away holy and pious people.” And the great defender of the faith, Athanasius, noted: “He became what He was not, without ceasing to be what He was.”

We joyfully embrace this truth by faith, but it is so profound that to consider it to any extent should drop us to our knees in wonder and praise. It was the practice of the church fathers during the Middle Ages to do just that. When reciting the Nicene Creed, at the words, “And was made man,” they fell on their faces. Luther relates a story that to our ears will be rather strange, but we shouldn’t miss the point behind it. He wrote:

The following tale is told about a coarse and brutal lout. While the words “And was made man” were being sung in church, he remained standing, neither genuflecting nor removing his hat. He showed no reverence, but just stood there like a clod. All the others dropped to their knees when the Nicene Creed was prayed and chanted devoutly. Then the devil stepped up to him and hit him so hard it made his head spin. He cursed him gruesomely and said: “May hell consume you, you boorish ass! If God has become an angel like me and the congregation sang: ‘God was made an angel,’ I would bend not only my knees but my whole body to the ground! Yes, I would crawl ten ells down into the ground. And you vile human creature, you stand like a stick or a stone. You hear that God did not become an angel but a man like you, and you just stand there like a stick of wood!”

May we continue to hail the incarnation of Deity in Jesus Christ. It is the coarse and brutal lout who considers such things only once a year. Those who love the Lord know that in Jesus we behold the glory of God (Colossians 1:19, 2:9), and that He is full of grace and truth. This is worthy of celebration not just during Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany; but every season.