John 1: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John Gill (1697-1771) wrote “Doctrinal Divinity.” In it, he wrote in part:

“The incarnation of Christ is a most extraordinary and amazing affair; it is wonderful indeed, that the eternal Son of God should become man; that he should be born of a pure virgin, without any concern of man in it; that this should be brought about by the power of the Holy Ghost, in a way unseen, imperceptible and unknown, signified by his overshadowing; and all this in order to effect the most wonderful work that ever was done in the world, the redemption and salvation of men: it is a most mysterious thing, incomprehensible by men, and not to be accounted for upon the principles of natural reason; and is only to be believed and embraced upon the credit of divine revelation, to which it solely belongs” (Chapter 1, Page 1).

The incarnation is indeed extraordinary. The word incarnation comes from two words meaning literally, “to make into flesh.” That the Eternal Son of God would come to earth and take on flesh and become man is a profound truth. It is a truth that is incomprehensible from a human perspective but we receive it by divine revelation.

The Son of God came in the flesh as the Savior. In the flesh, He fulfilled the Law on our behalf (Matthew 5:17). He shed His blood for our sins (Hebrews 9:22). He was buried and rose again bodily (1 Corinthians 15). He will return again physically to the earth (Revelation 1:7).

I appreciate the section in the London Baptist Confession on the Son of God:

“The Son of God, the second person in the Holy Trinity, being very and eternal God, the brightness of the Father’s glory, of one substance and equal with Him who made the world, who upholds and governs all things He has made, did, when the fullness of time was complete, take upon Him man’s nature, with all the essential properties and common infirmities of it, yet without sin; being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit coming down upon her: and the power of the Most High overshadowing her; and so was made of a woman of the tribe of Judah, of the seed of Abraham and David according to the Scriptures; so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion; which person is very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus is now and forever, the God-man.

Father God, thank you for sending the Son of God into the world to take on flesh and dwell among us. Though He is the Eternal King, He condescended to identify with us, so that through His finished work we might identify with Him. Were it not for the incarnation, we would not know redemption. It was your plan from eternity past. While our finite minds cannot fully conceive of all that this entails, we are grateful and humbly receive what you have revealed to us by Your Word and Your Spirit. May we reflect on the incarnation not just in the Christmas season but always, with deep gratitude. In the name of Jesus.