The Weekly Encourager – December 17, 2013 – Love Incarnate

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” - Philippians 2:5-7

On Sunday, Pastor Dave Coffin preached on the incarnation of Christ. Reading from Philippians 2, he noted that the apostle Paul exhorts us to have the same humble attitude as Christ did, then immediately reminds us of the incarnation. As many times as I have read this passage, I had never thought about the connection in quite that way. Dave asserted that understanding the doctrine of the incarnation correctly is a practical necessity for the preservation of the church.

Of course, God taking on human form is a mystery, so there's no way our little brains could comprehend everything there is to know about the incarnation. Yet, bearing God's image, we have minds to help us understand Messianic mysteries now revealed. (That in itself is amazing!) Christ had perfect deity and complete humanity both at once. He had the form of God, possessing all the infinite, eternal, unchangeable qualities that make God who He is, such as goodness, power, holiness, truth. Yet He gave up His rights, making Himself of no reputation.

Note that if Jesus was either not fully man or not fully God, it wouldn't make sense. If He was not fully man, then He wouldn't have shared in our temptation, weakness, and suffering, and His death would have been meaningless. He could not have made the priestly sacrifice which was literally Ultimate. On the other hand, if He was not fully God, yet lived among us, so what? Any little baby can become a man. One regular guy, no matter how good, could not have atoned for all of us. No, He had to be Very God and Very Man.

In His incarnation, Christ is the example of the perfect human being. In His incarnation, Christ is the example of perfect love. Love was His motivation for coming. I always assumed that Christ took on humility along with human form. But if God is Love, and Love is humble, then the Son was already humble before He came. “Love seeks not its own way.” “Not My will, but Thine.” Jesus was the embodiment of true love.

As Dave talked about Christ's attitude in the incarnation, the Spirit filled my heart with thankfulness. Christ was fully God, so He was perfectly loving in all He did. Under the power of love, He esteemed others more highly. This was a sacrificial love. He humbled Himself in birth, mind, power, station, moral superiority. Why did Jesus do this? The answer is in a hymn: “Love caused Your incarnation, Love brought You down to me,” and in a carol: “Thou who art God beyond all praising, all for love's sake, becamest man.” This is not a theoretical God, and the incarnation is not a theoretical concept. This is the God of history, who actually did something amazing. The incarnation was real.

May this Christmas season be a time of understanding more about the incarnation. May this be a time of rejoicing more because we are loved. May we learn more of what it means to be humble. May we honor Him more in all we think, say, and do. Lord Jesus, teach us to love one another with the great love shown in Your incarnation.

Jesus is Love Incarnate. Rejoice!