Sunday, January 12, 2025

The Incarnation (John 1:14-15)

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14).

In verses 14–18, we have the grand climax of John’s prologue: the Incarnation. When John writes that the Word became flesh, he does not mean the Son of God ceased to be divine. Christ retained His divinity but took on a human nature. This concept can be compared to a woman becoming a mother. She does not cease to be who she is when she becomes a mother, yet she takes on something else. Likewise, when the Word became flesh, the Son of God took on something else—a human nature—without eradicating what He was before.

This point must be continually stressed. There have been heresies concerning the incarnation since the dawn of the Christian church. Some people have believed that Christ was merely human. Others have maintained that He was solely God. Both errors must be avoided. This is clearly one of John’s goals in this book—to establish both the humanity and divinity of Christ.

Another point to remember about the Incarnation is that Jesus’ human and divine natures did not become mixed or fused into each other. Each maintained their distinct properties. To be sure, we cannot comprehend how the infinite became united with the finite without being mixed or confused. But we can apprehend that this is the teaching of John concerning the incarnation of Christ.

When John says that Christ took on “flesh,” he is referring to human nature in its weakness, not sin. Throughout Christian history, some have equated humanity with sinfulness. But the Scriptures clearly teach that although Christ veiled His glory by taking on human nature, He did not become sinful. If He had any hint of sin, He would not have been a worthy sacrifice for sin. But being pure and holy in even sense, His sacrifice was acceptable to His Father.

The incarnate Word is the spotless Lamb of God, who came to take away the sins of the world. He alone is full of grace and truth—qualities that John and the other apostles saw firsthand. And being the fullness of grace and truth, Christ is the source of eternal life.

Read John 8:46, Romans 1:3; 8:3, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 8:9. What do these passages say about Christ’s human nature? His divine nature? Some respond to the Incarnation with skepticism; others, with worship. What is your response? Praise God today for the. glorious power and the gracious provision displayed in the Incarnation.