The Importance of The Incarnation
What Does It Mean for Us?
By Jonathan Mitchell
The subject matter of this article to really too great for treatment in a short essay. We will not answer all the questions, or speak to all that is important with regard to The Incarnation. However, we hope that we will be a catalyst for thought on the matter.
The Incarnation is a primary doctrine of Christianity. The Prologue of the Gospel of John gives us direct statements concerning its Reality. We read in Jn. 1:1, "the Logos (the Word; the idea; the mental conception; the reason) continued existing, actually and essentially, being God" (JMNT). Then, in Jn. 1:14a, we read:
"And so That Which had been Laid Out as a transfer of Information, i.e., The Word (the Idea; the Thought; the Reason; the Discourse; the Message; The Collected Expression of Rational Logic; The Logos; This Flow of Information that is a Pattern-forming Influence, transfer and conveyance of Meaning-bearing Information, and planned purpose of the ordered universe), births Itself flesh [cf Rom. 1:3; 1 Tim. 3:16; 1 Jn. 1:1; Heb. 2:14] (or: became flesh; came to be [in] flesh; came into existence in the natural realm, i.e., organic - [Friedrich Schleiermacher]; = God's thought, the ground of all real existence, became projected into creation as an immanent power within the world of mankind, inhabiting flesh), and lives in a tent, within us (or: set up a tent and tabernacled among us)."
THAT is The Incarnation: The Logos (Word; etc.) was, and continued being (the imperfect tense of the Greek verb) God, then The Logos (God) births Itself (etc.) flesh, and lives in a tent, among us. He (It) lived as Jesus, in the first century, A.D. But the aorist tense of the verb in this last, dependent clause, can be rendered as a simple English past tense, or a simple English present tense, and thus it can read, "It (He) lives in a tent, within us. God within (Greek: en) us as His Logos (Word). That is the first layer of what Incarnation means for us. This is the "nativity story" in John's Gospel. Matthew and Luke give us the "divine-human" details of His human "nativity."
An OT prediction about Israel's Messiah is found in Micah 5:2,
"And as for you, O Bethlehem, house of Ephratha, do you continue being too small (few in number), with a view to continue being (existing) within (or: centered in union with) [the] thousands of Judah? From out of the midst of you, yourself, to Me (or: for Me; by Me; with Me) He will proceed coming forth, with a view to continue being a First One, a Chief and Ruler of Israel. And His paths from out of the midst (or: exoduses from Him; ways forth, which are Him) [are] from a beginning... out of days of an Age." (LXX, JM)
Much later, Paul speaks of this One (He), in 2 Cor. 5:
18. Yet further, all things [are] (or: the Whole [is]; = all the things that exist [are]; [cf Rom. 11:36]) forth from out of the midst of God - the One transforming us to be completely other [than we were] (or: bringing us into another place or state of being; changing us to correspond with other[perceptions and conceptions]; altering us to be conformed to another [person]; changing us from enmity to friendship; reconciling us)in Himself (or: with Himself; by Himself; to Himself; for Himself), through Christ, and giving to us the attending service of, and the dispensing from,the complete transformation [for folks] to be other [than before](or: the change into another [position]; the changing to correspond with other [situations; perceptions]; the alteration to be another [person];the change from enmity to friendship; the reconciliation), [cf Rom. 8:19-21]
19. as that God was existing within Christ (God was and continued being centered in, and in union with [the] Anointed One) progressively and completely transforming [the] aggregate of humanity (or: world) to be other [than it is] (or: progressively bringing [the] ordered System into another level or state; repeatedly changing [the] universe to correspond with other [conditions; perceptions]; progressively altering [the] ordered arrangement of culture, religions, economy and government to be in line with another one; habitually and progressively changing [the] secular realm [of humanity] from enmity to friendship; reconciling [the] world [of mankind; cf Jn. 3:16]) in Himself, to Himself, for Himself, by Himself and with Himself, not accounting to them (not calculating, or putting to their account, or assessing to them; not logically considering for them; not reasoning in them) the results and effects of their falls to the side (their trespasses and offenses), even placing within us the Word(the Logos; this transfer and conveyance of a Meaning-bearing Communication; the Idea; the Reason; the Message; the flow of Pattern-forming Information; the Blueprint) of the corresponding transformation to otherness (or: this full alteration; the change from enmity to friendship; the conciliation).
So, in all of this, God is the Actor - the One performing all of this - and He operates through Christ, and now also through us, by "placing within us the Word (the Logos; the flow of Pattern-forming Information; the Blueprint)." But it is still all Him, and THIS is why The Incarnation is important.
But let us take another view of how God, existing within Christ, is presented to us in the Scriptures. In Jn. 10:30, Jesus informs us:
"I, Myself, and the Father are (continuously exist being) ONE."
In Jn. 14:9, Jesus tells Philip,
"The person having discerned and seen Me has seen, and now perceives, the Father!"
In the next verse (10), Jesus goes on to say,
"it is continuously (it constantly exists being) I, Myself, within the midst of the Father, and the Father within the midst of Me (or: I Myself centered in union with the Father, and the Father centered in union with Me) ... But the Father, continuously dwelling and remaining (abiding; staying) within the midst of Me, is habitually (constantly) doing (making; constructing; creating; forming; performing; producing) His works (actions; deeds)."
This is why Paul could tell those at Philippi,
"for it follows that (or: for you see,) God is the One habitually operating with inward activity, repeatedly working within, constantly causing function and progressively producing effects within, among, and in union with, you folks - both the [condition] to be habitually willing (wanting; intending; purposing; resolving) and the [situation] to be continuously effecting the action, repeatedly operating to cause function, and habitually setting at work so as to produce - for the sake of, and over, the pleasing good form and this thinking of goodness, in delightful imagination of what is desirable. (Phil. 2:13; [cf Heb. 13:20-21])
In his letter to Titus, we see Paul taking up the concepts presented by Jesus by speaking of God being the Savior, and then of Jesus Christ being the Savior. We are reminded that in the OT, Yahweh is the Savior. In Isa. 43:11, we read:
"I, Myself, [am] God, and beside Me, there is none actively saving or delivering" (LXX, JM).
Then, Isa. 43:14 states: "Thus says [the] LORD (= Yahweh), God, the One repeatedly liberating and constantly redeeming you folks" (LXX, JM). We read in Hos. 13:4b,
"Later, I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and so, you will not come to intimately know, nor acknowledge for yourself, a God besides Me. Furthermore, there is (or: exists) none actively saving or delivering, besides Me (or: from My side)" (LXX, JM).
Peter, in Acts 4, tells the chief priest that the lame man (Acts 3:2-8) had been healed "in union with (or: in the sphere of) the Name of Jesus Christ" (vs. 10). He goes on to say (vs. 12),
"And thus, the rescue and deliverance - the restoration to health and wholeness, the safety and salvation, and the return to our original state and condition - is in absolutely no other person! And it follows that neither is there a different name under the [dome of the] sky (or: heaven) that has been given, and now exists as a gift, among mankind (or: in the midst of humans; centered in people), within which, it continues binding and necessary for us to be saved (healed and restored to health and wholeness; delivered and kept safe; rescued and returned to our original state and condition)!"
Is this contradicting the Prophets? Or, is there a relationship between God and Jesus Christ which we need to understand?
In Tit. 1:3, Paul speaks of "God, our Savior." Then, in the next verse (1:4), he speaks of, "Christ Jesus, our Deliverer (or: Anointed Jesus, our Savior)." In 2:10 he once again speaks of "God, our Deliverer (Savior)." Titus 2:13 offers us the following:
"the Glory (or: which is the assumed Appearance) of, from, and which is, our great (eminent; extraordinary; outstanding) God and Deliverer (or: Savior; Rescuer): Jesus Christ ([the] Anointed Jesus)."
Now Titus 3:4 instructs us:
"Yet, when the Kindness, with beneficial Usefulness in meeting needs, and the affectionate Friendship for mankind (the fondness for, the liking of, and the love - as shown in kissing - for humanity) of God (or: from, characterizing, and which is, God), our Deliverer (Savior; Rescuer; Healer; Restorer; [cf vs. 6, below]), was fully set in clear Light (was made to completely appear; was fully manifested)."
Then 3:6 explains,
"which (or: from which source) He pours forth (or: poured from out of; [cf Joel 2:28; Jn. 1:16; Rom. 5:5]) upon us richly through Jesus Christ, our Deliverer (Savior)."
Paul was not confused, and neither should we be. Perhaps we should consider Peter's words:
"within the midst of a flowing together of an eschatological deliverance, in union with fair treatment in rightwised relationships in the Way pointed out, and centered in covenant inclusion-and-membership, which come from and characterize our God and Savior (Deliverer; Rescuer; Source of health and wholeness), Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 1:1).
Paul made a revealing synopsis of the Christ Event, in 1 Tim. 3:16,
As you can see, the textual readings differ, yet the association, solidarity, or identity, are clear. The Incarnation can be seen in the first line of the descriptions, "which (or: Who; [or: God; He]) is/was made visible within flesh." In this same letter, Paul had grounded The Incarnation, presenting Jesus Christ as a human being, in 1 Tim. 2:
5. for God [is] One, and One [is the] Mediator of God and human beings (people; = humanity), a Man (a Human Being), Christ Jesus (or: for [there is] one God, and one medium between God and humans, [the] human, Anointed Jesus [= Messiah Jesus]), [cf Eph. 4:4-6]
6. the One giving Himself a correspondent ransom (a means of unbinding and release, in the place of, directed toward, addressing, and providing the answer to, the situation and the predicament; [cf Mk. 10:45; Jn. 10:18; Gal. 3:13; Phil. 2:6-8; Titus 2:14]) over [the situation of, and] on behalf of, and for, all (everyone; all human beings and all things) ..."
Another layer of the importance of The Incarnation is on offer for us through Jesus' quotation and explanation, as given in Lu. 4:
16. Later, He came (or: went) into Nazareth, where He had been brought up or: raised, supported, nourished, provided for, cared for, educated and prepared for adulthood), and according to His custom, on (or: within the midst, or sphere, of) the day of the sabbaths, He entered into the synagogue. In time, He stood up to read.
17. So a scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Then, upon opening up the scroll, He found the place where it was written,
18. "[The] LORD's (= Yahweh's) Breath-effect (or: [The] Spirit of [the] LORD; or: a spirit from [Yahweh]; or: a spirit and attitude which is [the] LORD) [is] upon Me, on account of, and as regards, which (or: centered in and from out of which) He anointed Me to bring and proclaim Good News (a message of goodness, ease and wellness) to destitute folks [cf 6:20, below] - and so He has sent Me off as an emissary (a missionary; a commissioned representative) to cure and heal folks with [their] heart having been crushed; to publicly proclaim, as a herald, to (for; among) captives, a release and liberation (a letting go away); and to (for; among) blind folks, a seeing again (a recovery of sight); to send off, as emissaries and representatives with a mission, the downtrodden folks [cf Jn. 20:21-22] - even those having been shattered by oppression - within the midst of a state of release, and in union with the sphere of liberation;
20. Then, upon rolling up the scroll [and] giving [it] back to the attendant, He sat down - and the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were staring intently at Him.
21. So He started to be saying to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your ears (= your hearing)." [cf 4Q278, 521 to compare with vss. 16-30, here; cf Lu. 24:44-49] [note: It being customary, when citing part of a passage of Scripture, that the part indicated that the whole passage was in mind, and in the LXX, Isa. 61:2b-3 continues: "and a Day of Restitution in place of {what has been} (or: a day which is a giving back, in turn; a day of an award of being in the opposite position; a giving away, instead, and in its place; a repayment) to comfort, aid and encourage (be the Paraclete to) all the folks that are mourning, to give to the folks constantly grieving and mourning in Zion - to them, glory (or: an assumed appearance which calls forth praise) instead of ashes; oil (= an anointing) of a good attitude and a healthy frame of mind to, and in, the ones constantly grieving and mourning; correspondingly, a garment of, and pertaining to, glory (or: from an assumed appearance) in place of a spirit of weariness and heaviness. And then they will proceed being called generations from an eschatological deliverance (or: of rightwised participation in the Way pointed out) - a result of something planted from [the] LORD (or: [the] Lord's planting), with a view to glory and for an assumed appearance." (JM)]
This passage, from Isa. 61, offers us another picture of what The Incarnation means for us.
Now, let us consider what Jesus said, in Jn. 10:38b, "the Father [is] within the midst of, in union with, and centered in, Me, and I [am] within the midst of, in union with, and centered in, the Father." This undoubtedly informed Paul, as we see in 2 Cor. 5:19, cited above.
The Work of Christ involved God, the Logos, being incarnated as Jesus. Without the fact of the Incarnation, all humanity would still be, "dead ones in (or: to; with; or: by) the results and effects of your stumblings aside (offenses; wrong steps) and failures to hit the mark (or: mistakes; errors; times of falling short [of God's glory - Rom. 3:28]; sins; times of going wrong; deviations; failures of attaining some purpose)." (Eph. 2:1)
So, what does it mean when the Logos, the Spirit, Jesus and the Father all dwell within us? When we are "joined to the Lord" (1 Cor. 6:17), and exist as "a branch of the Vine," it would seem that we participate in the Reality of The Incarnation. This happens when we are born "from out of the midst of God" (Jn. 1:13).
Jonathan
PS: John Gavazzoni just reminded us of Col. 2:
9. because within HIM all the effect of the Fullness, and the result of the full inclusion, of the Deity (the result of the filling from the Godship and feminine aspect [note: the noun is feminine] of the Divine Nature) is continuously, corporeally (or: bodily, as a whole; embodied), as a body, settling down and progressively taking up permanent residence (or: is continuously dwelling in person),
10. and YOU FOLKS, being ones having been filled up (or: made full, complete), ARE (or: exist) continuously WITHIN, and in union with, HIM, Who is the Head of (or: the Source of) all government and authority (or: of every beginning and right; of all rule and privilege which comes from being; of all Origin, as well as what is from Being).
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