he greatest mystery man has ever witnessed is God becoming man and making His dwelling among man. He did so by choice, humility and sacrifice. The idea of the virgin birth is very difficult for minds to comprehend and believe. Many theologians have rejected this clear biblical teaching. In this message, it has pleased the lord for me to share with you four valuable insights I have learned on this subject:

1The mystery of God becoming man

2By choice God became man

3By humility & sacrifice God became man

4What all of these mean to us today

The Mystery of God Becoming Man

Jesus existed before the foundations of the world | John 1:1-2.

Before the universe and any living creature were created, Jesus existed. He existed before time. He coexisted with God the father from the beginning. He had a relationship with God, the father and He was God.

Why John 1:1 matters

John paints a clear picture of the nature of the savior he was going to talk about to instill trust, confidence and believe in his readers. This, in my view,  was intended to portray Jesus as not ordinary person as we are. He had all the credentials of a savior. Consider a professionally trained and highly experience pilot vs untrained and inexperience pilot. Who will you like to pilot a plane of which you are a passenger to any destination of your choice? The answer to this question is obvious. In much the same way that from spiritual perspective, we need the right person to take us back to our true and final destination after life here on earth. God’s plan is to reconcile man unto himself so that our final destination after life on earth will be heaven. It is only Jesus, who has the qualification and experience to pilot human beings back to God.

bJesus, an agent of creation | John 1:3

The new testament depicts Jesus as the agent of creation | 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2. He created all things (in heaven and on earth, visible & invisible, thrones or dominions, rulers or authorities) out of nothing. All things were created through Him and for Him.

Why John 1:3 matters

We must understand from Colossians 1:16 that we were created for someone (Jesus). We exist only because God made us. We have gifts & talents only because God gave them to us. These are the reasons why we should not have any sense of pride in us. Though we were made for Him, He does not treat as slaves. He is a given us the freewill to make choices – choices to receive or reject the life in Him He freely gives.

The mystery

God becoming a man is a mystery because the uncreated spirit (the Word), was placed into the womb of a created flesh (virgin Mary) by the awesome power of the Holy Spirit. That is why Jesus is the “only begotten son” of God, the father. This means that:

He is the only one to have started human life in this manner. This is the first and only time in all eternity this has happened. God became man, spirit became flesh so mankind, who is flesh might have the opportunity to become spirit and share in the Glory of God. Jesus is both fully divine and fully human. He is the perfect expression of God in human form. God became visible and tangible. For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ | Colossian 2:9.

Man could have a relationship with God only with a regenerated heart, a heart born of the spirit called “born again”. It is the awesome and powerful work of the Holy Spirit to regenerate a man’s heart after which He takes residence in that individual called the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. A regenerated heart becomes a new creation 2 Corinthians 5:17 ready to begin a new life and a new relationship with God. It is for this reason that Jesus told Nicodemus, that no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again | John 3:3.

By Choice God Became Man

a John 1:14 tells us that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. It is important to note that before human history begun, there existed divine history: that the Word decided well before time to become part the physical order thus to become flesh ( human).

bFrom timeless eternity the Word (Jesus) and God the father decided that at a certain point the Word would enter physical time and space and become part of the created order.

By Humility & Sacrifice God Became Man

God, becoming flesh is the greatest act of humility & sacrifice. He emptied Himself that we might be filled | Philippians 2:5-8. How?

aChrist voluntarily laid aside his divine rights and privileges out of love for his Father and for the salvation of sinful man

bChrist laid aside His equality with God the father in order to become human, subjecting Himself to all human limitations including, but not limited to tiredness, hunger, thirst and poverty. However, He never sinned as humans do.

cChrist did not only become man, but took the form of a servant. He created the universe including mankind, yet became a servant for the created (man). All His life on earth was devoted to the service of man for He did not come to be served, but to serve | Mark 10:45.

dChrist left His glory and became poor. He reminded His disciples that, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head”| Matthew 8:20. 

eChrist obeyed and yielded to the will of God, the father to the point of death.

What Does It Mean to Believers/Unbelievers?

By becoming human, Christ became:

aThe perfect teacher: In Jesus’ life we see how God thinks and therefore how we should think |Philippians 2:5-11. Christ did not use his position & status to His own advantage. He used it to serve. We should do likewise. He emptied Himself by assuming the form of servant & taking the likeness of man.

bThe perfect example: As a model of what we are to become, Jesus shows us how to live and gives us the power to live that way | 1 Peter 2:21.

cThe perfect sacrifice: Jesus came as a sacrifice for all sins, and his death satisfied God’s requirements for the removal of sin | Colossians 1:15-23.

Life Application

Two important life lessons we can learn from God becoming man.

Bottom-up plotline

In life, a pauper can become a magnate, a scavenger can become a CEO. That is why the Bible is filled with stories such as Joseph, Ruth, and David who rose from low estate to positions of power, influence and blessings. Christ is a perfect example. He encourages all who belief in Him to learn from Him. He is the living Christ, God incarnate, who died as a criminal on a Roman cross for you and I. He laid aside his rights as son of God to enter our world to find us. Our life stories should parallel His. We must become servants of God for a needy world. It is a plotline few people will understand until we live it for them.

Top-to-bottom plotline

Another plotline tells of top-to-bottom change. This exemplifies a situation where a person moves from glory to shame, power to weakness, king to slave, height to depth. A case in point in the bible is the story of the prodigal son |Luke 15:11-31. As long as this son lived with his father, he had everything and never lacked anything. The moment he left home and detached himself from His father, with no fatherly counsel, guidance and direction, his troubles begun. It did not end well with him whilst away from his father’s presence and love until he came back to his senses and returned home. It is to our benefit that we stay under God’s canopy. It is far better to have a relationship with God than not having a relationship with Him.

Prayers

> Give thanks to God for His word and for given us the life in Him;

> Pray that people of God will empty themselves as we serve in His vineyard;

> Pray that God continues to call the unsafe unto Himself;

> Pray that His incarnation will be meaningful to the world He came to save; and

> Pray His glory and power be revealed, the prisoner will be set free, the sick will receive healing, the blind will see.