The Profound Impact of the Incarnation: God Becomes Human
Text: Hebrews 2:5-18
As we approach the Christmas season, it's natural to reflect on the familiar story of Jesus' birth. But have you ever stopped to consider the deeper implications of what we call the Incarnation - the astounding reality that God became fully human in the person of Jesus Christ? Last week we considered what I believe to be a more traditional Christmas text: Matthew chapter 1 and 2; but the writer of Hebrews, specifically, addresses what Christmas is all about, namely the Incarnation.
This profound doctrine, far from being a dry theological concept, has the power to radically transform our lives when we truly grasp its significance.
Let's explore what the Incarnation means, how it can impact us personally, and why it has such tremendous power to change us.
The Essence of the Incarnation
At its core, the Incarnation is the belief that the eternal, all-powerful God chose to enter our world as a vulnerable human baby. The book of Hebrews puts it this way: "We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death..." (Hebrews 2:9)
This is a staggering concept. The Creator of the universe willingly set aside His divine privileges to experience life as one of His creatures. He didn't just appear to be human; He fully embraced our nature, with all its limitations and frailties. As Hebrews 2:17 tells us, "He had to be made like them, fully human in every way."
The Incarnation stands unique among world religions and philosophies. It declares that the ideal has become real, the invisible has become visible. It's a paradigm-shattering event that altered the course of human history. While it is fundamental that we start there, with the Theological/Doctrinal Truth of the Incarnation, we must then ask the question: How then does that reality change us?
How the Incarnation Changes Us
But what does this lofty doctrine mean for our everyday lives? How can it practically impact the way we think and live? Let's consider three powerful ways:
1. It Challenges Us to Get Involved
The Incarnation shows us a God who doesn't remain distant, but One who gets intimately involved with His creation - even at great personal cost. Jesus wasn't content to simply empathize from afar; He entered fully into our messy, broken world.
This challenges us to do the same. In a culture that often prioritizes individual freedom and thus avoiding vulnerability, the Incarnation calls us to a different path. It asks us to truly engage with others, to make ourselves vulnerable through deep relationships and sacrificial service. To lay aside our personal freedom, and make a sacrifice. The more that you study the Scriptures and what they tell us about the Christ, the more we understand and realize that the Call to Be a Christian is exactly that: Be Like Jesus, not in our own strength, but in the stregnth of the One that now resides in you, His Spirit.
Consider how this might apply in your own life. Are you hesitant to fully commit to a church community? Do you hold back from investing deeply in relationships? The example of Christ encourages us to push past our comfort zones and embrace the risk of genuine involvement.
2. It Gives Us Strength in Suffering
The book of Hebrews emphasizes that Jesus experienced the full range of human suffering. He faced betrayal, loneliness, poverty, and the shadow of death, and eventually the Roman Cross. This means that whatever darkness we encounter, we can be assured that God understands. He's been there.
This truth provides immense comfort. When we're going through trials, we don't need pat answers or shallow platitudes. We need the presence of someone who truly gets it. In Jesus, we have exactly that - a compassionate High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses because He's experienced them Himself.
The next time you face hardship, remember that you're not alone. The God who became human knows your pain intimately and offers His strength to help you persevere.
3. It Instills Patient, Unshakeable Hope
The Incarnation reminds us that God's plan unfolds in stages. Christ's first coming didn't immediately set everything right in the world. But it guaranteed that He will come again to complete what He started.
This gives us a profound basis for hope. We can acknowledge the very real pain and brokenness in our world while still maintaining confident expectation that God will ultimately make all things new. The Incarnation is like a "distant triumph song," assuring us that full restoration is coming.
In your own life, this perspective can sustain you through long periods of waiting or disappointment. Things may not be okay right now, but because of the Incarnation, we know they will be eventually.
The Power Behind the Incarnation
What gives the Incarnation such transformative power? It all comes down to the heroic nature of what Christ accomplished. The Greek word used in Hebrews 2:10 to describe Jesus - often translated as "pioneer" or "author" - carries the sense of a champion who fights on behalf of others.
Jesus is the ultimate hero who went into battle against the greatest enemies of humanity: sin and death. He faced betrayal, agony of body and soul, and ultimately death itself. But He emerged victorious, conquering evil and opening the way to eternal life.
This heroic act wasn't just a noble example for us to admire from afar. It was a deeply personal sacrifice made on our behalf. When we truly grasp that Jesus endured all of this specifically for us, it has the power to melt our hearts and embolden us to live differently.
A Personal Challenge
As we reflect on the Incarnation this Christmas season, let's not treat it as a mere theological concept. Instead, let it sink deep into our hearts and change the way we live.
Will you allow the self-giving love of Christ to inspire you to get more deeply involved in the lives of others, even when it's costly? Will you lean on His empathy and strength when you face suffering? And will you let the patient hope of His coming kingdom sustain you through life's challenges?
The Incarnation - God becoming human - is a universe-altering, life-transforming reality. As we meditate on its profound implications, may we be changed to more fully reflect the self-sacrificial love of the God who drew near to us.
