Theology Thursday
Q. 22. How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?
A. Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the virgin Mary, and born of her yet without sin.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Mythology contains many stories of ‘gods’ taking on human form. The Greek gods were described as devious characters, appearing to men and women for the sake of seduction or trouble before disappearing back to their heavenly halls.
What no Greek writer could imagine was one of their gods truly becoming human. What god would allow themselves to be so restricted? What god would subject themselves to the pains and weaknesses of the common human?
Well, you know where we are going here. The one true God, Yahweh, the God who is triune, became truly human in the person of Jesus Christ. He took on a true body and was born. He needed to be fed, cleaned and carried. He needed to learn and grow. He slept in uncomfortable beds and ate the most basic of food. Who among us, given the choice, would voluntarily accept such hardships?
Christ, the Son of God, became a man. An extraordinary statement. Not a ghost like the Docetists thought. A man in a true body. Natural man but through unnatural conception. Implanted by the Holy Spirit into the woman Mary.
And crucially. He was born without sin. How? I don’t think we can say for sure. Is it because He was born without a human Father (does sin pass through the male line)? Don’t know. What is because He was implanted by the Spirit. Don’t know. What we do know - is that like Adam, Christ was born in a sinless state.
But unlike Adam, He remained sinless. So Jesus was fully human, but fully righteous. Which is why He could be our Lord and Saviour. So let’s remember today the God who became flesh. For our sake. That He who was without sin might become sin on our behalf so that we can become the righteousness of God.
For Today:
Pray:
Passages: Philippians 2:5-11, Hebrews 2:14-17, Luke 1:27-35, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:15, 1 John 3:5
A. Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the virgin Mary, and born of her yet without sin.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Mythology contains many stories of ‘gods’ taking on human form. The Greek gods were described as devious characters, appearing to men and women for the sake of seduction or trouble before disappearing back to their heavenly halls.
What no Greek writer could imagine was one of their gods truly becoming human. What god would allow themselves to be so restricted? What god would subject themselves to the pains and weaknesses of the common human?
Well, you know where we are going here. The one true God, Yahweh, the God who is triune, became truly human in the person of Jesus Christ. He took on a true body and was born. He needed to be fed, cleaned and carried. He needed to learn and grow. He slept in uncomfortable beds and ate the most basic of food. Who among us, given the choice, would voluntarily accept such hardships?
Christ, the Son of God, became a man. An extraordinary statement. Not a ghost like the Docetists thought. A man in a true body. Natural man but through unnatural conception. Implanted by the Holy Spirit into the woman Mary.
And crucially. He was born without sin. How? I don’t think we can say for sure. Is it because He was born without a human Father (does sin pass through the male line)? Don’t know. What is because He was implanted by the Spirit. Don’t know. What we do know - is that like Adam, Christ was born in a sinless state.
But unlike Adam, He remained sinless. So Jesus was fully human, but fully righteous. Which is why He could be our Lord and Saviour. So let’s remember today the God who became flesh. For our sake. That He who was without sin might become sin on our behalf so that we can become the righteousness of God.
For Today:
- Who would you give up life in paradise for?
- What do you find remarkable about Jesus?
- Take five minutes to reflect on Christ’s many sacrifices for our sake.
Pray:
- Praise the Father for the birth of Jesus Christ.
- Give thanks for Jesus who took on human flesh along with its hardships for our sake.
- Ask God to help you and others see Jesus clearly, giving thanks and praise to Him who is worthy.
Passages: Philippians 2:5-11, Hebrews 2:14-17, Luke 1:27-35, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:15, 1 John 3:5
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