Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 1:1-3, How God Became Man (1)

 (We are approaching Christmas and I always enjoy focusing on the Lord Jesus Christ and His Incarnation.  Lord willing, after Christmas we will hear more from the OT prophets, particularly Ezekiel.)

This is a difficult thing … for God to become Man.

·       The Immortal took on mortality.

·       The Infinite took on limitations.

·       The Invisible took on physicality.

·       Spirit took on flesh.

·       Majesty became humility.

·       Sovereignty became subject.

“He is Wonderful, because in Him the most marvelous extremes meet.  He is the Babe just born, but He is the Ancient of Days who fills space.  He grows in knowledge, but in Him are stored the riches of eternal wisdom.  He hangs in mortal agony upon the Cross, but He gives life to uncounted myriads.  He is laid in a borrowed tomb, but He lives evermore and death hath no power over Him!” (F. B. Meyer)

How could, how did, God become Man?  Let us begin with some “creative” but damning answers …

·       He seemed, appeared to be human.

·       His body and soul were human, His spirit divine.

·       He was born a man and later was promoted to deity.

·       He was an angel, born a man, then exalted to a higher status.

·       Sometimes He was human, sometimes He was divine.

All these are damning because they are not true!  And what you think about Christ is evidence of salvation.  By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.  And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is not already in the world (1 John 4:2-3).

The answer to our question can in no way deny:

Ø His being equal with God, 2:6. “Form” (Grk. morphe) speaks of external appearance.  Theologians have always struggled to talk about this knowing that God has no physical form.  Heb. 1:3 has a stronger term, “hypostasis” meaning exact representation of the invisible God.  The Word, an expression of God, WAS God and WAS WITH God (Jn. 1:1). 

Ø His being in the likeness of man, 2:8.  Again, is this saying He merely looked like man or that He was man, completely, truly.  The Bible insists He MUST BE and WAS full Man.  Therefore in all things He HAD to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people (Heb. 2:17).  For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.  22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive (1 Cor. 15:21-22; He HAD to be as much Man as Adam, not a sinner but fully human).