Incarnate and In-Person

Incarnate and In-Person

Jesus, the perfect Son of the Almighty God, was clothed in flesh and born into our world. To God be the glory for sending holiness to humanity.

Jesus became God Incarnate. What’s that?

Bible scholars wax eloquent about the incarnation of Christ. What does that mean?

It’s really quite simple, although it’s a miraculous mystery as well.

Let’s unpack the incarnation.

Do you like chili? I love a steaming cup of this deliciously spicy soup, particularly on a chilly winter night. My favorite is called “Chili con Carne.” That’s chili with meat (or "flesh," to be precise, etymologically speaking).

I prefer to make my own Chili con Carne, but the canned version is also available.

Chili con Carne offers a delicious meal, but it’s also a super word picture for the incarnation of the living Christ. The words "carne" and "incarnation" come from the same root, which refers to flesh. (I didn't invent this analogy - or my Chili con Carne recipe, but I like 'em both!)

At Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, El Shaddai showed up. He became God con Carne, or God with flesh. Emmanuel arrived in the form of a frail human baby to live among real people and ultimately to die as payment for the sin of all mankind.

The Lord Himself was wrapped in human skin, so He could dwell in our world and feel what we feel. The ever-present all-powerful King of Kings took on our form to reach us. 

The Son of God became the Son of Man as well.

“The Word became flesh

and made his dwelling among us.

We have seen his glory,

the glory of the One and Only,

who came from the Father,

full of grace and truth.”

(John 1:14, NIV)

When I was a kid, I had a Sunday school teacher who summed this up so simply. “If we were ants, and God wanted to reach us, He would have sent His Son as an ant. If we were birds, He would have come as a bird. Jehovah meets us where we are,” he explained.

I’ve never forgotten that. Maybe you won’t forget it, either.

The Incarnation was God in-person. Jesus was God with flesh. Hallelujah.

Image/s

Campbell's Chili Con Carne

Product Promo Photo – Fair Use

Nativity of Christ,

by Sandro Botticelli

15^th Century

Public Domain Artwork

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