When we speak of the birth of Christ, we are speaking of the most sublime and astounding event in all of eternal history. God literally became a human being. âWithout controversy,â Paul exclaims with wonder, âgreat is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the fleshâ (1 Timothy 3:16).
Allow the profundity of the incarnational act to register upon your mind.
The ontological difference between a human and, say, a mosquito is massive from our standpoint as humans. And yet, the difference is minuscule compared to the span of ontological difference God traversed by becoming human. Humans and mosquitos are, after all, of the same category: material creation. God and humans, on the other hand, are of two radically distinct categories: Creator and creature.
What many of us donât realize is the sheer magnitude of the sacrifice: not only was the condescension of Christ an enormous leap, it was also a permanent one.
As if it was not enough for God to take our humanity upon Himself at all, He chose to do so eternally, irreversibly. Deity is forever one with the human race. The incarnation brought about an eternal change in the very make up of God. Jesus laid aside His own existence as it had always been and He took up ours into His own. He had been divine, and only divine, for all eternal ages past. Now Heâs not only divine, but also human. He is one with us in the closest possible senseâby actual identity, by nature, by brotherhood. Of Godâs relation to humanity, it is written, âHe is not ashamed to call them brethrenâ (Hebrews 2:11).
in the exaltation of Christ to the right hand of the Father, humanity is included.
There is no indication in Scripture that the incarnation was a temporary arrangement. Jesus did not lay aside His humanity after the cross. He arose from the grave as much âthe Son of manâ as He went into the grave (Luke 24:39). He died God-as-man and rose from the dead God-as-man. Deity became human in Christ…
forever.
Bearing our humanity is a permanent, eternal condition for Him. And yet, while taking upon Himself our human nature, He has not ceased to be God. He remains a fully divine member of the Godhead. This presents to our minds an astounding truth: in the exaltation of Christ to the right hand of the Father, humanity is included. Paul explains:
âGod, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesusâ (Ephesians 2:4-6). âIn union with Christ Jesus He raised us up and enthroned us with Him in the heavenly realmsâ (NEB).
When God the Son came down by means of incarnation, He enveloped humanity within Himself. Then He ascended to again occupy His original position of intimate union with the Father, all the while retaining our humanity intact within Himself. Paul explains further:
âIn Christ all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form, and you are filled up with the fullness of the Godhead through Himâ (Colossians 2:9-10, PT).
As unbelievable as it may seem, according to the apostle Paul, humanity has been incorporated into the Godhead by virtue of the incarnation. Stepping down from the throne of the universe, God grafted our human nature into the Trinity, creating an eternal, irreversible union between the human and the divine. He was born, He lived, He died, He was resurrected, and then ascended to resume His place in the Godhead, all while retaining our humanity as part of His own nature. Not only did He come down to where we are, He lifted us up to where He is. âGod was manifested in the flesh…[and was ] received up in gloryâ (1 Timothy 3:16). Humanity is enthroned at the Fatherâs right hand in the divine-human person of Christ Jesus. He is there as our corporate representative. This very moment, a full-fledged member of the human race occupies the throne of the universe with the Father. At His Second Coming, we will catch up to our destiny in Christ by being enthroned with Him.
âIn taking our nature, the Savior has bound Himself to humanity by a tie that is never to be broken. Through the eternal ages He is linked with us. âGod so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.â John 3:16. He gave Him not only to bear our sins, and to die as our sacrifice; He gave Him to the fallen race. To assure us of His immutable counsel of peace, God gave His only begotten Son to become one of the human family, forever to retain His human nature. This is the pledge that God will fulfill His word. âUnto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder.â God has adopted human nature in the person of His Son, and has carried the same into the highest heaven. It is the âSon of manâ who shares the throne of the universe. It is the âSon of manâ whose name shall be called, âWonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.â Isa. 9:6…In Christ the family of earth and the family of heaven are bound together. Christ glorified is our brother. Heaven is enshrined in humanity, and humanity is enfolded in the bosom of Infinite Loveâ (Ellen White, The Desire of Ages, p. 25-26).
Astounding!
We have been given a place in Godâs universe just short of divine. We are no more than human, not in any sense made divine by this stunning arrangement. Our essential identity is not changed. But His is. He who was fully and only God has become just as fully human. God achieved something truly amazing on our behalf by means of the incarnation of Christ. The babe born in Bethlehem is the grand channel of divine grace to a race of rebels. By condescending to take our humanity upon Himself, so far from devaluing Himself, He has, in effect, elevated us.
Ty Gibson
Ty is a speaker/director of Light Bearers. A passionate communicator with a message that opens minds and moves hearts, Ty teaches on a variety of topics, emphasizing Godâs unfailing love as the central theme of the Bible. Ty and his wife Sue have three adult children and two grandsons.
