Why Did Jesus Become Human?
Baptism of Christ II David Bonnell - bonnellart.com
A miraculous, mind-boggling, and in my experience (evangelical church) under-emphasized doctrine of the church is the incarnation. Even with, (or primarily because of) the excitement around the event of Christmas, I feel I miss the point. Maybe you feel the same? The incarnation is far more than a fleeting once a year thought. In treating it that way you and I miss an opportunity for wonder, awe and worship.
So we can understand the practical implications of the incarnation we must understand what it is all about and where it comes from: The doctrine of incarnation comes to us from the 4th century. It developed during the early centuries of the church and stands today as part of orthodox belief and church doctrine. The Nicene Creed, which was agreed upon in AD 381 demonstrates the beliefs of the church a few hundred years after Christ's death:
“...I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds (æons), Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from Heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into Heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; from thence he shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.” Full Creed
...council at Chalcedon in 451 nearly 100 years later:
“We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach people to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in Manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [co-essential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.” Full Creed
With that historical backdrop in mind, we come to the question of what necessitated Jesus to become human. To adequately talk about incarnation would be impossible in a short blog post. So I will limit myself to three big ideas (in the hopes that you'll actually read it LOL:):
First, Jesus became a human because prophetic words from the Old Testament made clear that the Messiah would be born a human. Secondly, Jesus became a human to bring a revelation of God to humanity. Finally, Jesus became a human to break the curse brought on by humanity's fall, which required a sinless bodily sacrifice.
Let's talk about each of these in more detail:
First, the word, which is the divine promise of God coming through OT prophets created a framework around who, where, and how the Messiah would come into the world. These words from God are the Word (see John 1), and the Word requires a response, or answer. The Creed from Chalcedon above makes this point about the incarnation being the fulfilment of the prophets:
"…the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us."
One of those prophetic words was the Messiah would come to rule from the throne of David (Isaiah 9:6-7). To fulfil this prophecy, Christ would come into the world a man —born, ancestor of, leader of government — all are human terms and roles. This is one of many examples of prophecy fulfilled and can be observed clearly in the early chapters of Matthew where Christ's Jewish genealogy if highlighted.
Secondly, Jesus Christ became a man so that the world could have a revelation of God, the Father:
"14 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. …18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself, God,* is near to the Father's heart. He has revealed God to us (John 1:14-18)."
Some translations say: So the Word became flesh and dwelt among us — or 'tented/tabernacled' among us. This is another reference to the fulfilment of the OT words about the coming Messiah. Ezekiel 37: 27 says: "27 My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." The idea of dwelling place is a nod to a permanent tabernacle in our hearts made possible through Jesus Christ, the human, dwelling and walking among us (Deut. 26:12). Him walking among us, being about His Father's business, revealing the Father's will are all part of showing God, the Father to us. John references this again in his epistle; saying that we have experienced with our hands and eyes, Jesus, and in so experiencing Him we have a revelation of the Father (1 John 1:1-3). Again, the human qualities of the Messiah are referenced, and they were fulfilled in the act of Jesus becoming a man (Perman 2006).
Finally, Jesus Christ had to become human because that was a condition required to be the appropriate sinless sacrifice; the atonement for the sins of humanity. Hebrews 10 makes this clear, and similar to the other reasons given, the third one draws on the language of the OT. Psalm 40, which referenced in Hebrews 10, speaks of providing a body to offer in sacrifice. Jesus Christ had to become a man to have a body to provide in loving sacrifice for humanity. It is clear from these passages that the shedding of blood was required for the freedom of humanity from sin (Hebrews 10:10).
The lifting up of Jesus upon the cross is the whole point of the incarnation: John 6:51 says "51 I am the living bread that came down from Heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh." The lifting of the cross corresponds to the descending from Heaven. It has been said that Jesus came down to go up. There is a balance here between the deity (upwardness of Christ) and humanity (incarnation); between coming down and going back up. J.I Packer once said that "Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of the Incarnation". There are mystery and wonder in this miracle of God, and therein lies a part of the practical implication; worship.
God is to be worshipped, and our worship is more genuine when we are awake to His attributes. In experiencing salvation, we have experienced this doctrine of the incarnation. In knowing that Jesus was tempted as we are (Ref), we are experiencing the incarnation. When we are in awe of the sacrifice He made on the cross, we are experiencing the incarnation. When reflecting on how a Father could give His only Son for others; we are experiencing the incarnation.
References
J.I. Packer, Knowing God (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993 Edition), p. 53.
Perman, Matt. "How Can Jesus Be God and Man?" Desiring God, October 5, 2006. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-can-jesus-be-god-and-man.
Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Print.
