Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Jesus

John 1v14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. … The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

Our fifth “Statement of Faith” is, “We believe in … The incarnation of God’s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ – born of the virgin Mary; truly divine and truly human, yet without sin.”

This short statement is packed with huge realities which are beyond our normal experience. This makes it hard to get our heads. However, the wider truth of the gospel gives us absolute confidence in these statements. As I reflect, these are some highlights:

  • Firstly, Jesus is the incarnation (“made flesh”) of the eternal Son of God. Jesus did not begin at Christmas, but he was born as a human at that time. Jesus did not become God at any particular point, but he became human while keeping his divinity. Jesus became flesh in his mission to save the lost and, in so doing, sets an example for me as I too look to save the lost – for me to become like others, without joining in their sin, to reach them for their salvation.
  • Secondly, Jesus was both truly divine and truly human. He experienced many of the normal experiences that any human encounters between his normal human birth and his death.  He experienced life as a toddler and a child, a teenager and an adult. He experienced hunger, thirst and normal bodily functions. At first glance he was perfectly ordinary, but his full divinity was seen in his authority as he taught and did miraculous signs. Jesus is to be worshipped and adored because he is, was and always will be divine.
  • Finally, he was without sin. We struggle to go a day without sin! Jesus went a lifetime without sin. He suffered temptation, but was self-disciplined to overcome and avoid sin. This innocence of Jesus is vital to our salvation as it meant that Jesus did not suffer for his own sin, but for ours.

May the Lord fill us with worship to the Lord Jesus Christ for both who he is and his willingness to come among us.

With love and blessing,

Roland