Why is the Incarnation so Important?

I've heard many reasons and I've been taught all the foundational teachings that are taught in churches. Somehow the reasons I was given were never enough. I have come to a place in my life where I can recognize that the truth and the Bible are richer than any one person can ever fully grasp, receive or comprehend. God is always greater. And somehow it is that greatness of the Christian faith that draws so many. If it were clear, concise and rational, it would have given all it's got and die out. But something about Christianity is so amazing that it keeps on being more and more relevant and richer with the ages and the different centuries, churches and ministries.

Having said that, I would also like to note that it isn't the many different topics discussed in the Bible that make it rich. It isn't the fact that the Bible talks about so many things that make Christianity so rich. The real reason behind the richness is God Himself. He makes it rich and new every morning, even though He himself never changes.

Therefore, I do not claim to know it all, or have a final answer. That is not my aim in writing this. I feel indebted to my fellow human beings to share of my own experience, hoping that it would spark a light of new hope and kick start a journey or search in each of you readers' individual lives.

So what is it about the incarnation that's so important? I've been given so many explanations and answers to the question: "Why did God have to become man?". I have to confess that the answers I was given never fully satisfied me. I was told that He became man so that He can communicate with mankind, or to show us the way, to be an example, to show us how to love, to show us how God is, etc... Although all of those answers are correct, but I've come to realize that they are only the secondary consequences of Him becoming man and not the main purpose or fullness of it.

The incarnation is a very deep and mysterious thing. It is not only a foundational truth, but also a constantly self-revealing and deepening truth in the life of all who seek God and love Him back. See when you first meet a person you like, it is the outward things that attract you the most; the hair, the eyes, the body, the attitude, the character, etc..., then when you get to know the person, it's the things of the heart like the generosity, the love, the courage, etc..., but then when you marry the person, you become one flesh with that person. Now, the outward appearance, the character and even the matters of the heart are no longer the object of adoration, wonder or search. It is the very substance of what makes that person who he or she is. When a man who is intimate with his wife talks to her in that intimate place, he does not talk to her body, heart or even the soul, it is the very substance of what makes his wife who she is. Her body, heart and soul are of course integral parts of what makes her who she is.

So why is the incarnation so important? It is because through the incarnation God became a member of the human family and made it possible for us to become members of His family.

"This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." (Genesis 2:23)

God became of our substance. He became of one and the same substance as every single human being. He united Himself to us by substance, not just association, affiliation, preference, or appearance.

God didn't just say: "I am with man", "I am for man", "I love man", "I bless man", He said "I am man". 

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

In the Old Testament, God did speak to the prophets and appeared to many, in so many forms, but that was only a shadow of what was to come. True intimacy can only be made possible if there is a self-identification, not just by words or deeds or declarations, but in substance.

"In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." (Hebrews 1:1-3)

The same God who by His Word made and held the universe together, decided to send His Word to take the substance of man. The same God who is Father, Son and Spirit, the same Father who eternally begets the Son, in the unity of the Spirit, decided to send His Son to become man.

Even an adopted child, no matter how much loved by the parents, in substance or biologically is not of them. In Christ, God made it possible for the entire human race to be sons of God. It wasn't a simple privilege given to man, because a ruling God sitting on a throne simply decreed it. He became man.

"To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God." (John 1:12-13)

This is an amazing thing. Who could have ever thought that it could be possible? Who could have ever thought that God would love us that much, that He would become one of us.

Before discussing the cross and salvation, I believe it is essential to consider and discuss the incarnation, because we need to know exactly who was crucified on the cross and what does that mean for us.

"For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:21-22) 

I leave you with a final point to consider, something that helps me a lot in my journey. The incarnation implies that in our human nature, which is very familiar to each and every one of us, whether with its weaknesses or its strengths, we now have the possibility to enjoy a union with God in substance. See Christ does not have two natures. He has one nature. It is both man and God. The implications of this truth are breath taking, when we consider the difficulties and challenges we go through every day. When Jesus calls us brothers, that is exactly what He means! Blessings!