Why the Word became flesh

A brief introduction to the Word

A doctrine we tend to misunderstand and undervalue is that Jesus is the Word of God. This means that God expresses Himself through His Word. In fact, to put it plainly, we mean that Jesus is the literal Word of God. When God spoke and said “let there be light” he created it by Jesus His Word. All things were made through Him (John 1:3). When God speaks, that is Jesus. Jesus is the person of the Word. The promises of God are both spoken by the Word of God and fulfilled by the Word of God himself, Jesus (2Co 1:20). God describes His Word, “…my word… shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)

The eternal Word carries it’s own effect. If a wife asks her husband to turn on the light, the husband must physically exert himself (although a minor exertion) to give effect to her request. It doesn’t just happen when she says it. If a king commands a light to be put on, although his word carries great authority, a servant must hurry to accomplish and give effect to his command. However, the God of all eternity need only speak and what He says will be accomplished by the simple fact He spoke it. When God wants the lights on He simply says””Let there be light,” and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3). God created all things by His effective Word.

God promised a saviour

After we sinned and death began to reign, the Word that made us, promised us salvation.

The promise of a saviour and Messiah, spoken by God’s Word, was fulfilled by God’s Word. The Messiah (saviour) promised by the Word of God through prophets, came in human likeness, and spoke into our very hearts.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

Relationship as inheritance

Jesus took on our nature and became flesh of our flesh to be our brother, so that we could inherit His will for us that is life, which is eternal life. Essentially he became our ‘kinsman redeemer’ related to us in the flesh, relating all of us to God according to the Spirit. Under the law only relatives could inherit the estate, and since Jesus came “that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:15). Of course a will can only come into effect at the death of the will-maker (v16). Thus, he took on human flesh to make us relatives (heirs) and allowed his flesh to die that His inheritance could be given to us. That inheritance is eternal life.

Mediator

Our Saviour partook of our human nature to understand our needs and weaknesses. As he is our mediator and advocate, he understands our suffering (Hebrews 9:15). He pleads our cause before the Father in heaven. As Hebrews 7:25 says, “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Substituted

The Son of God took on flesh to take the right and necessary wrath of God. God’s wrath had to be taken by a man because it was a man who had sinned. Jesus took on human flesh like ours in order shed His blood: “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). Christ adduces His own blood to our Judge to prove our debts are paid for.

So that we could see Him

The Bible teaches us that because of sin, we were born spiritually blind and unable to see the things of God. Jesus, the Word of God, became flesh to allow us to see Him. The Word of God is Spirit and life (John 6:63). Once we are born again, we are spiritually alive and can see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). But before this point, being in sin, we could not see these things. So the Word became flesh, for the simple reason that the Word, which was spiritual, could be revealed to us, in a way we could perceive.

Receiving inheritance

He became flesh so that we can be born again. Being born again is the inheritance Jesus has for us, when we are made spiritually alive in Christ. Our old self will die because it is sinful, evil and separated from God. It is dead in sins and trespasses. New birth means we become a spiritually living person again living in the inner man, dead in flesh. Once we die in the flesh, we will live eternally with Christ. We learn to crucify our flesh because Christ crucified His. Christ is our example. Jesus, the Word of God, took on flesh so that we could be born again into His inheritance for us.

The take home message

As we continue with the ministry of reconciliation we must exhort one another to be confident in the finished work of Christ on the cross. We know that He has borne our sins, and with his blood he has paid the debt that separated us from God. We now are no longer separated from our God: His blood has paid our debt in full. Furthermore, Christ, the exact imprint of God (Hebrews 1), whist a partaker of our human flesh, pleads and intercedes for us. We know that The Father will hear His requests.

“15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” Ephesians 2