God's Word For You is a free Bible Study site committed to bringing you studies firmly grounded in the Bible – the Word of God. Holding a reformed, conservative, evangelical perspective this site affirms that God has provided in Jesus Christ his eternal Son, a way of salvation in which we can live in his presence guilt free, acquitted and at peace.

 
 

STUDY 17: GOD’S GOODNESS AND THE INCARNATION

© Rosemary Bardsley 2023

The word incarnation is used to refer to the action of the Son of God in which he took upon himself human flesh – in which God lived on this earth as a real human person. God, who is essentially spirit, became flesh. This is stated simply in John’s Gospel: ‘The Word became flesh ...’ (John 1:14a). He who is divine, became human. He who is the almighty Creator became part of his creation. He who from eternity had no body, was born into this world in a human body at a point in history. For this we use the word incarnation - from the Latin carnis - flesh. Paul speaks of this in Colossians:

‘For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him’ (Colossians 1:19).
‘For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form’ (Colossians 2:9).

This incarnation is a powerful expression of the goodness of God. If God had left us as we were, if God had not become human and lived among us and died, we would have remained (1) ignorant of him, the one true God, and (2) separated from him forever because of our sin. But God, out of his great goodness, came to us: he revealed himself to us through his Son, and provided the means of reconciliation with him through the substitutionary death of his Son. But before we look at each of these let us consider another deep aspect of God’s goodness revealed in this incarnation.

A. THE INCARNATION – REVEALING THE GREAT DEPTH OF GOD’S GOODNESS TO SINNERS

Because of our rebellion against God and rejection of God in Genesis 3 it is not possible for us humans, as sinners, to survive in the presence of God; we cannot see God, we cannot be in the immediate presence of God, and continue to live. While God is present everywhere (omnipresent), and humans are therefore at every moment under threat of his judgement, there have been times when God has made himself present in a way that is visible and audible to humans. In those times both God and the humans involved have expressed awareness of the dangerous nature of such encounters of sinners with the Lord God Almighty, the Holy One.

Check out these texts. What do they say about this?
Genesis 3:8 – 10

Genesis 32:30

Exodus 3:6

Exodus 19:12 – 24

Exodus 33:18 – 23

Deuteronomy 5:23 – 27

Judges 6:22 – 24

Judges 13:22

Isaiah 6:5

These verses express the unapproachable holiness of God and describe human fear in contexts in which God has in some way been present – when people either heard his voice, or interacted with his angel, or saw some kind of powerful vision of God. Whatever form the meeting with God took it generated the fear of death. The fact that they survived that encounter amazed them. In his deep mercy and goodness, God met these people in a way that would not destroy them, but even so it was a fearful thing for them.

In the incarnation, God, in his goodness, in his great love for us, in his desire to reconcile us to himself, comes and lives among us in a way that does not threaten us with destruction. Had he come as he is in himself we would not have survived his presence. He comes incognito. Unrecognizable. He comes to us as one of us – a baby growing in his mother’s womb; a child in a family – a son, a brother; a young lad learning a trade; the village carpenter mending our tables and chairs; a young man reading the Scripture in the local synagogue; a Rabbi teaching his disciples. Just a bloke from down the road.

Yet this ordinary bloke is the one true God. He is the Creator and Sustainer of everything that exists. He is the Sovereign Lord of all. Here, living among us in our shape and form. Without ceasing to be fully God, the Son of God became a human being. This action, this incarnation, this God becoming fully human and still remaining fully God, is not something we can understand. How he did it is beyond us; but that he did do it is testified to in the Scripture. Because he is God not even this incarnation, which seems an impossible thing, is impossible to him.

Check these texts. What do they say about God becoming human?
Isaiah 53:2

John 1:1,2,14

Philippians 2:6 – 8

Colossians 1:19; 2:9

1Timothy 3:16

From the beginning, Christians have struggled both to grasp and to express this concept. It is such an amazing and unbelievable idea – that God would not only become a real human being, but could also hide himself in the confines of a human body while at the same time losing nothing of what he actually is.

In response to controversies about the two natures of Christ, the classic definition of the two natures of Jesus Christ was formulated by the Council of Chalcedon in 451AD:

‘Therefore, following the holy Fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance [homoousios] with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before all ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer [theotokos]; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized IN TWO NATURES, WITHOUT CONFUSION, WITHOUT CHANGE, WITHOUT DIVISION, WITHOUT SEPARATION; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence [hupostasis], not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same son and Only-begotten God the word, Lord Jesus; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the Fathers has handed down to us.’ Definition of Chalcedon.

Reflection:
1. Underline words and phrases in the above Definition that help you to understand the incarnation.

2. How do these verses express the critical importance of holding to both the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ?
John 8:24

1John 4:1 – 3

1John 4:14, 15

1John 5:1, 5

1John 5:9 – 12

 

B. HOW JESUS REVEALED HIS DIVINE IDENTITY

During his life on this earth no one questioned Jesus’ humanity. Everyone knew he was a human being, and because he was so obviously and undeniably human, many were offended by his belief that he was God, and by his actions based on that belief. Some in the crowds of people who listened to his teaching and observed his actions recognized that there was something about Jesus that set him above ordinary humans. But, even Jesus’ disciples, whom he taught at a deeper level than the crowds, took quite some time to realize that they were in the presence of God.

How do the Gospels report this varied awareness of the divine identity of Jesus Christ?
Mark 1:21 – 28

 

Mark 2:3 – 7

 

Mark 2:12

 

Mark 3:22

Mark 4:35 – 41

 

Mark 6:47 – 53

 

Mark 8:14 – 21

 

Matthew 16:13 – 17

 

John 5:17, 18

 

John 10:30 – 33

 

The above Bible passages report human responses to the things that Jesus said and did. For the disciples, because of Jesus’ miraculous actions, along with the teaching he gave them, there was a growing awareness that Jesus was indeed God in human flesh. The next list of verses contain Jesus’ teaching in which he spoke of himself in terms that can only apply to God. Much of this teaching was heard by more than the disciples, including the religious leaders who became increasingly upset by the claims that Jesus made.

Read these texts. How do they express Jesus’ knowledge that he is God?
His knowledge of God the Father:
Matthew 11:27

John 7:29

John 8:55

John 10:15

His unity and equality with God the Father:
John 8:19

John 10:30

John 12:45

John 14:6 – 9

John 14:10, 20

John 17:11

His divine authority:
Mark 2:5 – 10

Matthew 12:8

Matthew 13:41

Matthew 16:27, 28

Matthew 19:28, 29

Matthew 25:31 – 26

John 5:21 – 27

His eternal existence:
John 6:38, 51, 62

John 8:23

John 8:56 – 58

John 17:5, 24

REVIEW:
How does the fact of the incarnation – that God came to us as a human being – help you to have confidence in his goodness?