Question 22

Chatechism
Written By Guest User

Q22. How did Christ, being the Son of God become man? (Westminster Shorter Catechism)

Answer: Christ the Son of God became man by taking to himself a true body (Heb. 2:14, 17; 10:5), and a reasonable soul (Mt. 26:38); being conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her (Luke 1:27, 31, 34, 35, 42; Gal. 4:4), yet without sin (Heb. 4:15; 7:26).

This week, Holden shares with us what it means for God to become man—what the incarnation means. I would encourage you to check out the Athanasian Creed, particularly the fourth paragraph for a more detailed explanation of the incarnation.

Guest Writer: Holden Barlow

The Incarnation

1 Peter 1:20-21

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

  • Two thousand years ago, the eternal son of God became incarnate, taking on a full human nature, and became the God-man, Jesus Christ.

  • Jesus is fully God and fully man, two natures united in one person.

  • The preexistent Son(Jn 1:1-3) became incarnate by taking on a complete human nature—both a material aspect (body) and an immaterial aspect (soul).

  • The son of God in the trinity existed before the beginning of time, but the person or human being in nature did not exist prior to the incarnation.

  • The son of God did not unite himself to an already existing human being. Rather, human nature exists in the divine person.

The Necessity of the Virgin Birth

  • When speaking of the perfection and lack of sin in Jesus, the virgin birth is crucial.

  • Christ must be born of a virgin to not be born into sin, thus being the perfect savior from our sin. (Matt 1:18)

  • This miraculous act shows that salvation must only come from the Lord and not from man.

  • The virgin birth made possible the uniting of full deity and full humanity in one person.

  • The virgin birth also made it possible for Jesus to be present in the world as a loving savior and God who can sympathize with our flesh in every way, yet without sin.

The Second Birth

  • What can possibly be more miraculous than the virgin birth? I would argue the second birth, or new birth, of every believer.

  • Just as God visited Mary and brought a new life of Jesus into the world, everyone who believes in Him as savior and Lord is brought into a new life of salvation in the world and into heaven through his death and resurrection. (1 Peter 1:3)

Reflect:

  • Do you believe in the Virgin Birth?

  • Do you believe you’ve been born again?

  • In unity with Christ, if Jesus has taken on your image, how have you taken on His? (1 Peter 1:13-16)

Soli Deo Gloria!

-Josh Benfield

Guest User
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