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"And the Word became 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 1:14)
There is a wonderful hymn sung about the Incarnation of God, when He put on human flesh in the Person of His Son, Jesus, and came to earth. This popular Christmas carol is, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. The words were composed by Charles Wesley and later changed a little by George Whitefield. William Cummings adapted the music from a secular tune called "Festgesang", written by Felix Mendelssohn. ( Source.) The lyrics are so powerful and some of my favorites sung this time of year:
Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born king."
The Incarnation is the theological term describing how God became a man and is clearly seen in John 1:14: "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." John 1:1-2 states, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." Jesus, the eternal Son, is called the Word, the Logos of God. He is God come in the flesh and has all wisdom and knowledge, as the Logos, and He is the unique communication of God to man, as He is the God-Man. But He was not created, and He predated the Greek concept of Logos. The Word was with God, meaning a distinction in Person within the Godhead. And God was the Word, meaning He, the Logos, was and is God. There was never a time when He was not God. (Source: Believer's Study Bible)
The Incarnation is a powerful, uniquely Christian theological doctrine. We celebrate the Incarnation of God every day, especially during Christmas, as we look to the birth of our Savior, Jesus. I love how Dr. D.A. Carson describes this awesome doctrine: "The Word, God's very Self-expression, who was both with God and who was God, became flesh: he donned our humanity, save only our sin." (Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel According to John (pp. 126–127). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans.)
Verse 14 says the Logos put on flesh, a clear reference to the Person of Jesus of Nazareth. God the Son, the Logos of God, put on human flesh and was born in a feed trough in Bethlehem almost 2,000 years ago. He put on flesh and became a man and dwelt, lived among us. He stayed.
The deeply rich and significant doctrine of Incarnation has much to reveal to us about God and His great grace toward us. Jesus came to earth, indeed "mild He lay His glory by, born that man no more may die." Praise God that "He donned our humanity, save only our sin." And when life on earth became most difficult, Jesus did not forsake the Father's plan for us; rather, He stayed. He accomplished all given to Him. He lavished His grace upon us by giving His life for us on the cross. Praise the Lord!
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