C.S. Lewis describes the incarnation this way:
Lying at your feet is your dog. Imagine, for the moment, that your dog (and every dog) is in deep distress. Some of us love dogs very much.
If it would help all the dogs in the world to become like men, would you be willing to become a dog? Would you put down your human nature, leave your loved ones, your job, your hobbies, your art and literature and music, and choose instead of the intimate communion with your beloved, the poor substitute of looking into the beloved's face and wagging your tail, unable to smile or speak?
Christ, by becoming man, limited the thing that to Him was the most precious thing in the world; his unhampered, unhindered communion with the Father. (C. S. Lewis)
I. INTRODUCTION
1. The incarnation of Christ is the cornerstone of our faith; “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” refers to the personification of Jesus Christ (God becomes human). There is no single issue more pertinent to Christianity than this. OYBT John chapter 1.
2. As we begin, we must deal with the title given to Jesus—“the Word”; what does that mean? Let us consider its cultural context.
A. The term logos (Word) was common among the Greeks; it relates to reason or thought, spoken or unspoken. A Greek philosopher named Heraclitus first used the term logos around 600 BC, to designate the divine reason or plan which coordinates a changing universe.
B. Jews used the term rDbD;d (Word) as a way of referring to Gods’ thought and control over the universe (Ps 107:20). “Word” and “event” are the same word in Hebrew.
C. In either instance, the Word, as a title, refers to the one who controls the universe, both rationally and philosophically. It is a powerful title; in fact, there is no title more meaningful to Hebrews or Greeks.
[The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Nothing compares to the Incarnation of Christ.]
II. THE DEITY OF CHRIST (1:1-5)
1. John establishes Christ’s deity immediately. The Word was [1] without beginning (eternal), [2] with God (as only a deity can be), and [3] was God. That he was with God in the beginning affirms the eternity of the Word.
2. Through him all things were made (creation); in him was life (breathed into man); the light of man (salvation). The light shines in the darkness (before creation), but the darkness has not understood it.
3. John’s profession leaves little room for sustained argument; Christ is FULLY GOD.
[The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Nothing compares to the Incarnation of Christ.]
III. THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST (1:9-11,14)
1. In addressing the humanity of Christ, John gives two points receive special emphasis: astonishingly [1] the Word of God, true God as he is, took upon him human nature, and even more astonishingly, [2] when he did this, people wanted nothing to do with him.
2. Vss. 10 & 11 are repetitious, a means of emphasis in a language with no punctuation. Irony abounds; he was in the world, the world was made through him, and yet the world did not recognize him.
A. That which was his own (11) extends the theme from the creation at large to the nation of Israel. Literally “his own home”, where people should recognize him, not to a place where he would not expect to be recognized, but to his own home!
3. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen his glory. This is personal testimony from John, and he invites others to offer theirs.
A. This is one defense for the reliability of the Gospels. The Gospel writers wrote in the age of disproof. Many who were witness to Jesus life and miracles were still alive at the time of the gospel writings; therefore, we may expect that any portion of the message fabricated would meet with the harshest of criticism.
B. The people criticized Jesus mercilessly for his words and deeds, but no one criticized the writings of those who record the events.
4. John makes it clear; Christ was FULLY HUMAN.
[The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Nothing compares to the Incarnation of Christ.]
IV. THE PURPOSE OF THE INCARNATION (12,13,16,17)
1. To do the Father's will: “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” (Jn. 6:38)
2. To bear witness to the truth: "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (18:37)
3. To bring light to the darkness: I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. (12:46)
4. To bring true judgment: Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind”. (9:39)
5. To bring abundant life: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly. (10:10)
V. WHY DOES IT MATTER?
1. The deity and humanity of Christ is vital to the Christian faith. So vital, that when a false doctrine known as the Arian controversy surfaced in the early church, a council convened to dispel it immediately. That was the council of Nicaea in AD 325.
2. Arius, a priest in Alexandria (North African Coast), believed God created Jesus (Pr. 8:22-23, Col. 1:15); therefore, he could not be equal with the Father. In this heresy, Jesus was not God incarnate, but a created (not begotten) being. In the final analysis, Nicene theology prevailed, silencing the Arian controversy (at least for a time). We might attribute this victory to two fundamental flaws in Arian thought:
A. Reducing Jesus to a created being not equal with God subordinates him fully to God, raising the question, “how is salvation imparted?” A theology that does not recognize Jesus’ divinity cannot find redemption in him. Redemption has always been a product of divine grace, never a product of man (a created being). (ala Jehovah’s Witnesses)
B. Lowering Jesus’ status means that he becomes no more than God’s chosen instrument (e.g. Moses, Paul). This is risky; it allows any created being to be elevated to the status of a “god”. (ala Mormonism)
3. One product adopted by the 2-300 bishops at the Council of Nicaea is the NICENE CREED, used to this day to declare, without apology, the deity and humanity of Christ.
C. S. Lewis said “Christ, by becoming man, limited the thing that to Him was the most precious thing in the world; his unhampered, unhindered communion with the Father.”
Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria and primary opponent of the Arian Controversy put it this way; “Some may ask, “Why did he not manifest himself by means of other and nobler parts of creation such as sun or moon or stars or fire or air, instead of mere man”? The answer is this: the Lord did not come to make a display. He came to heal and to teach suffering people. For one who wanted to make a display, the thing would have been just to appear and dazzle the beholders. But for him who came to heal and to teach, the way was not merely to dwell here but to put himself at the disposal of those who needed him”.
Christ at our disposal? Yes! Christ left his eternal communion with God the Father to come to us as a man; that he might reveal himself to us in a way that humanity could understand.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Does that change your view of Christmas?
