Featured The Incarnation According to the Bible

Philippians 2:5–11 (NASB95)
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

"He existed in the form of God..." in the Greek "morphe theos huparchon" meaning he never ceased to be God. And he did not regard his own equality with God (the Father and the Holy Spirit) a thing to brandish or prized, or lorded over anyone but emphasized his extreme humility in taking upon himself the additional nature of a human slave... to God.

When did the sacrifice and suffering of Christ begin? Right here.

 

The purpose for his incarnation:

1 John 2:1–2 (NASB95)
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

This is not universal salvation for all mankind. It is the potential for all mankind to be saved with this once for all prepaid redemption. But like getting a new credit card, it is not useful until it is activated. Our faith activates our prepaid salvation.

John 3:16–18 (NASB95)
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

 

John 1:1–3 (NASB95)
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 came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

John 1:14 (NASB95)
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Clearly the preincarnate Jesus is God the Word (the middle person in the Godhead by most accounts).

Ever wonder why God the Word and not God the Holy Spirit or God the Father became a man and sacrificed that human life to pay for the sins of humanity?

It's because he took full responsibility for creation that fell into sin. He being the lone Creator of all things created in the beginning.

Isaiah 44:24 (NASB95)
24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone,

• Thus says the Lord (YHVH)
  
• your Redeemer (Goel = kinsman redeemer)
  
• the one who formed you from the womb,
  
• “I, the Lord (YHVH), am the maker of all things,
  
• Stretching out the heavens by Myself
  
• spreading out the earth all alone

He was not alone in person but was in company with the Father (1 John 1:1-2) and with the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1-2)... but he acted alone in creating all things created in the beginning.

 

YHVH (Yahweh) is a name that applies to all three individuals in the Godhead.

Matthew 28:19 (NASB95)
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

• in the name of
  
• the Father
  
• and the Son
  
• and the Holy Spirit

Think of it like a surname (last name) for God.

 

The Father is the Creator only of the human body of the Son.

John 1:14 (NASB95)
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 3:16–18 (NASB95)
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Which was only of the body of Jesus and not his Spirit (which is eternal and equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit):

Hebrews 10:5 (NASB95)
5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But a body You have prepared for Me;

Hebrews 1:5 (NASB95)
5 For to which of the angels did He ever say, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again, “I will be a Father to Him And He shall be a Son to Me”?

 

This is what makes Jesus the Son of the Father different and unique from all the "sons of God" mentioned in the scriptures. Jesus is the only Son of God the Father. Adam (Luke 3:38) is the son of God the Word... as are the angels (Genesis 6 and Job 1 and Job 2).

When someone makes the sweeping statement "we are all children of God..." you can agree with them, but you must clarify... "we are all children of God the Word. To become a child of God the Father you must believe in his only Son Jesus, and thus become a child of God the Father by adoption:

Romans 8:15 (NASB95)
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

 

A question is raised about the scriptures apparently attributing the fatherhood of Jesus to the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 1:18–20 (NASB95)
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.
20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

The word "by" the Holy Spirit and "of" the Holy Spirit are the same Greek word describing a source not necessarily establishing origin. If one were to have Corinthian leather sent to them via FedEx, the leather would be of / by FedEx but the origin would be Corinth. The Holy Spirit implanted the holy zygote into the womb of Mary and is no more the Father of Jesus than a Doctor would be who implants the embryos into a womb in an embryo implantation procedure.

This is yet another example of the Trinity, The Father Creates the body of the Son. The Word becomes the Son, the Holy Spirit implants the body of the Son into the womb of the Virgin.

 

Be very careful to follow the wording of passages like Matthew 1:16 for example which to some seem to indicate the father of Jesus was Joseph.

That which was conceived in her womb is of the Holy Spirit... is not the same as conceived by the Holy Spirit...

 

Um...

I was merely answering a misconception about the two passages (1 Timothy 4:10 and 1 John 1:2) that what appears to be two proof texts for universal salvation, are not proof texts at all. And universal salvation is not true.

I do not care to get into debates over election / predestination which seems to fuel this disagreement with what I posted that is clearly biblical.

But thank you for reminding me 1 John 3:8. On another board I am doing a study about the purpose for the cross is to destroy evil in both the spiritual and physical realms. And this verse along with Colossians 1:20 and Matthew 16:19 seals the deal.