By Mitch Chase

Studying the doctrine of God is both difficult and rewarding.  Within the explanation of who God is (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), accurately comprehending the Son's incarnation is vital to orthodoxy.  In fact, one way to discern false teaching is to recognize inaccurate views of the person of Jesus (cf. 1 John 4:2-3).  Christians believe that Jesus was fully God and fully man, divine and human.  This article focuses on the humanity of Jesus.

Perhaps the most famous phrase describing the incarnation of Jesus is John 1:14: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."  If the Word (the Son, Jesus) became flesh, then the Word was not always flesh.  The Son was there in the beginning (John 1:1), unincarnate.

Since the Son has always existed, he was never created.  In fact, he is the agent of creation, not part of it.  "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made" (John 1:3; cf. 1 Cor 8:6; Heb 1:2).  Paul wrote, "For by him all things were created...He is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (Col 1:16a, 17).

Now marvel that the agent of and purpose for creation entered that creation, or as John wrote, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14a).  The Son came into the world as a baby, whom Joseph and Mary named Jesus (Matt 1:25; Luke 2:6-7).  He was tiny, he cried, and he slept.  He lived under the care of Joseph and Mary (Luke 2:51a) as he grew physically and intellectually (Luke 2:40).  The baby became a boy, and the boy became a man.

When Jesus was about thirty years old, he began his public ministry (Luke 3:23).  The aspects of his humanity were evident: he experienced hunger (Luke 4:2b), fatigue (John 4:6), and thirst (John 19:28).  He walked (John 1:29), prayed (Luke 22:41), slept (Mark 4:38a), and wept (John 11:35).  He experienced temptation (Luke 4:2a), anguish (Luke 22:24), and indignation (John 2:15).  At the end of his earthly ministry, he bled (Luke 22:44), suffered (Luke 22:63), and died (Luke 23:46b).

The Sunday after Jesus' death, some women went to the tomb but didn't find his body (Luke 24:3).  His resurrection was physical, not merely spiritual.  The Word who became flesh didn't ultimately forsake his flesh.  Jesus rose from the dead in a glorified physical body.  In his post-resurrection appearances, Thomas was able to see his hands and side (John 20:25-27).  The disciples could recognize him (John 21:7).  And, as was the case before his death and resurrection, Jesus could eat with his disciples (John 21:15; Acts 1:4a).

Then, after a forty-day period of appearances and instruction (Acts 1:3b), "He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight" (Acts 1:9).  In other words, Jesus physically ascended.  When the disciples could no longer see him, two angels appeared and said to them, "This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11b).  In other words, Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension were all physical, and his return will be nothing less.

If disciples should expect a bodily return of Jesus, we must understand that he remains the incarnate Lord.  The writer of Hebrews said, "[Jesus] sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven" (Heb 1:3b).  When Stephen faced his murderers, he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56).  These verses suggest the ongoing incarnate state of the Son.

Paul's words are clear and poignant: "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" (Col 2:9).  Think about the verb of that passage: lives (present tense).  When Paul wrote to the Colossians thirty years after Jesus ascended, he described the Lord still in a bodily existence.  Christians should understand the Son to be forever the God-Man.  The incarnation of the Son is not a temporary existence that one day will be rescinded.

Let's end this article by reflecting on a past, present, and future benefit of the Son's incarnation, though other benefits could surely be mentioned.  First, note what Jesus accomplished on the cross: "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil" (Heb 2:14).  Put another way, the Son's incarnation was crucial for his victory over the devil.  "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work" (1 John 3:8b).  Jesus knew that by going to the cross "the prince of this world will be driven out" (John 12:31b).

Second, note the present priesthood of Jesus: "Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.  Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them" (Heb 7:24-25).  The perpetual incarnate state of the Son ensures that believers have a sympathetic and sufficient high priest.  Jesus is our intercessor and advocate.  Believers can approach God with confidence, knowing that they may "receive mercy and find grace" in time of need (Heb 4:16).

Third, note the promise guaranteed by Jesus' bodily resurrection: "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him" (1 Cor 15:22-23).  Because Jesus was raised bodily, believers will be raised bodily.  Believers will bear the likeness of their Savior by dwelling in glorified bodies forever (1 Cor 15:49).

The Word became flesh, the Word is flesh, and the Word will always be flesh.

After pastoring in Texas, Mitch Chase is currently a student in the PhD program at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.  He and Stacie have been married for five years, and they have one son, Jensen.