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The Incarnation: God in Flesh Explained
The podcast elucidates the profound concept of 'Incarnation', a term that, although absent from scripture, encapsulates a pivotal aspect of Christian theology: the union of divine and human natures in Jesus Christ. The discussion begins by delineating the nature of the Incarnation, emphasizing that Jesus Christ embodies both complete divinity and complete humanity, a theological principle termed 'hypostatic union'. The speakers articulate the importance of this doctrine for understanding Christ's role as our Savior, noting that His dual nature enables Him to relate to our human experiences while fulfilling divine requirements for atonement. Through the lens of biblical passages, particularly John chapter one, the speakers illustrate how the Incarnation reveals God's profound love and commitment to humanity, culminating in the transformative act of Christ's sacrifice. This exploration not only reinforces the theological significance of the Incarnation but also invites listeners to reflect on its implications for their faith and daily lives, urging them to embrace the reality of Christ dwelling among us as both God and man.
Takeaways:
- The podcast emphasizes the significance of the term 'Incarnation' in relation to Jesus Christ's dual nature as both divine and human.
- Listeners are encouraged to explore the concept of hypostatic union, which denotes the complete unity of Jesus’ divine and human natures.
- The discussion articulates how understanding the Incarnation is crucial for comprehending the essence of Jesus' sacrifice for humanity's sins.
- Hebrews 4:15 is highlighted to illustrate that Jesus experienced human infirmities yet remained sinless, reinforcing the importance of His humanity.
- The hosts assert that the term 'Incarnation' is not explicitly present in Scripture but is essential for articulating theological truths found within it.
- John chapter one serves as a foundational text for understanding the Incarnation, illustrating that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
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This podcast is produced by Ralph Estep, Jr., host of the Ask Ralph Podcast, a daily podcast on Christian Finance you can find it at https://www.askralphpodcast.com/
Transcript
Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church podcast, where we are proclaiming the truth to the world.
Speaker A:In this podcast series, we're going to be looking into biblical words that have great significance to our faith.
Speaker A:The name of this series is called the Word of the Week, where once a week we will dive deeper into these words that we are familiar with in scripture.
Speaker A:So come along with me, let's study.
Speaker B:The Word of the week.
Speaker B:Pastor Josh here with another word of the week.
Speaker B:The word of the week this week is Incarnation.
Speaker B:Now the word incarnation is not explicitly found in scripture, but the teaching of it is very similar to the word Trinity.
Speaker B:Cannot find the word Trinity in Scripture, but we know that the idea of the Trinity is, is definitely explained and taught to us in Scripture.
Speaker B:So the word incarnation, what does the word incarnation mean?
Speaker B:Um, incarnation is a word used by individuals who have studied God to describe or to indicate Jesus who is God.
Speaker B:But how Jesus took on flesh.
Speaker B:And, and so we believe that Jesus is a hundred percent God and a hundred percent man.
Speaker B:Now the theological term for that union between God and man, 100 God, 100 man, is called hypostatic union.
Speaker B:Now I know we're using some big words today, so I hope that you have your thinking caps on.
Speaker B:Uh, so, so we have the hypostatic union of Christ.
Speaker B:And so the idea that Jesus took on flesh and came to live in this world, that term is called incarnation.
Speaker B:And so the, the hypostatic union explains how Jesus has those two natures.
Speaker B:100% God, 100% man.
Speaker B:But the incarnation is, is on the specific side of Jesus taking on flesh Jesus 100% man.
Speaker B:And that's important for us to understand in our theology when it's talking about Jesus sacrifice for us, it's important to know that yes, he is a hundred percent God, but he's a hundred percent man.
Speaker B:When we talk about Jesus understanding our infirmities, as Hebrews chapter four says, it's important to know that, that he is, that he is man.
Speaker B:He is a hundred percent man in the flesh.
Speaker B:And so the, the passage of Scripture that we would go to to point to this.
Speaker B:And now there's many passages of scripture that we could go to, but one that really teaches this very clearly is John chapter one.
Speaker B:John chapter one is a beautiful display of the deity of Christ.
Speaker B:So, so Jesus is God, Jesus is man.
Speaker B:And so it says in verse one, in the beginning was the Word.
Speaker B:Now when we see the word word here in John chapter one, where we're talking about Jesus, the Greek word is Logos.
Speaker B:And So it's speaking of Jesus.
Speaker B:And so it says, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Speaker B:And so anyone who doubts that Jesus is completely God is doubting John chapter one.
Speaker B:Because it doesn't just say that Jesus was with God only, but that Jesus, as it says here, was God.
Speaker B:The same was in the beginning with God.
Speaker B:All things were made by Him.
Speaker B:And so this speaks of the aspect of, of creation.
Speaker B:Jesus is the Creator.
Speaker B:And then it goes on to say, in him was life.
Speaker B:And then verse five, and the light shineth in darkness.
Speaker B:And so it speaks of him being the life, the light, the Creator.
Speaker B:But then we skip forward to verse number 14, really, where we get the teaching of incarnation.
Speaker B:And it says, and the Word Jesus was made flesh and dwelt among us.
Speaker B:And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Speaker B:And so John chapter 1, verse 14 explains to us what the incarnation is, and that is Jesus in the flesh.
Speaker B:Another name of God that would be linked to this is Emmanuel, God with us.
Speaker B:And so we, we have to believe that Jesus came in the flesh and went through the same struggles that we went through.
Speaker B:But the Bible says in Hebrews chapter four, he did that all without sin, which I think is important to note.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's vital to note that Jesus wasn't just a human in the fact that, hey, you know, we're all sinners.
Speaker B:We're all flawed human beings.
Speaker B:No, Jesus was human, but he was not flawed in any way.
Speaker B:There was no sin that was present in his life.
Speaker B:And so there, there's a lot of biblical support to Jesus's humanity.
Speaker B:Obviously, in the Gospels, it speaks of Jesus doing things that humans do.
Speaker B:I think of the times where it mentions that he eats, that he drinks, that he sleeps, that he feels pain.
Speaker B:And you know, we, we know that he even in the garden perspired, he sweated.
Speaker B:And so we know that he bled, right?
Speaker B:So there's all these indicators that Jesus wasn't just this heavenly being that was exempt from the struggles of mankind, but Jesus knew our sorrows.
Speaker B:And not just on the physical realm of things, but even in the emotions.
Speaker B:We know that Jesus had joy.
Speaker B:We know that Jesus wept.
Speaker B:We know that even Jesus had righteous indignation or anger.
Speaker B:And so during his.
Speaker B:His life that we can study in Scripture, even Jesus referred to himself as, as a man, though he also in other places referred to himself as God.
Speaker B:And so throughout all of Scripture, we know that Jesus Is specifically in the New Testament, Jesus is mentioned as a man.
Speaker B:Now we know that again, Jesus is mentioned as God as well.
Speaker B:So there's some people that take it on the other side of things and say that Jesus was just a man and he was not God.
Speaker B:And that's another heresy, right?
Speaker B:That's, that's a heresy of denying the deity of Christ.
Speaker B:But we can also embrace the deity.
Speaker B:Deity of Christ, but then reject his humanity.
Speaker B:And I think that would also be a heresy as well.
Speaker B:And so the, the idea of the incarnation was to understand us.
Speaker B:Yes, but I think more so than just understanding us, it was that Jesus came in the flesh to be the sacrifice for us.
Speaker B:Remember, we said that he was the one who came and lived the life similar to ours.
Speaker B:And the fact that there was trials, temptations, pain, suffering, emotional anguish, but yet, as we see in the book of Hebrews, it says, yet without sin.
Speaker B:And I think it's important to note that I referenced that passage a few times here, but I haven't told you this specific verse.
Speaker B:I think that would be important to do.
Speaker B:Hebrews, chapter 4, verse 15, it says, for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was at all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Speaker B:And there's that disclaimer, there's that distinction that Jesus went through all the things that we go through as a human, but he did it without sin.
Speaker B:And so, yes, Jesus came to understand us.
Speaker B:And there, and there's a big teaching out there today that, that, you know, Jesus came and he understands us.
Speaker B:And that is true, though he understands us, he doesn't condone our wrongdoing.
Speaker B:And, and so, yes, one element of Jesus's incarnation is that he does understand us.
Speaker B:But there's more to the incarnation than that.
Speaker B:It is that Jesus came to a people who were under the law, who could not fulfill the law.
Speaker B:You and I cannot fulfill the law, but yet Jesus comes and fulfills the law.
Speaker B:Some people think that Jesus came to destroy the law, yet we know that Jesus did not come to destroy the law.
Speaker B:Matthew, chapter 5, verse 17.
Speaker B:He says, Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets.
Speaker B:So he says, don't.
Speaker B:Don't think that I'm coming to tear this all up.
Speaker B:He says, I'm not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
Speaker B:And so Jesus fulfilled the law.
Speaker B:Now, now the fact that he fulfilled the law meant that he's the only one who was worthy to give a sacrifice for sin.
Speaker B:My sacrifice means nothing.
Speaker B:Because I cannot fulfill the law.
Speaker B:We know this because In Galatians chapter 4, verse 5, it says to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Speaker B:So Jesus came to those who are under the law to redeem them, to pay the price for their sins.
Speaker B:And we even know in Hebrews chapter 9, verse 22, that without the sharing of blood, there's no forgiveness or remission of sins.
Speaker B:And so it was his sacrifice that was able to pay that price for us.
Speaker B:And so that's a huge element of the incarnation.
Speaker B:And so there was a, there was a growing belief system, system even back in the time of the New Testament.
Speaker B:And it was a, it was a teaching that Jesus was not human.
Speaker B:He couldn't be human to be God, right?
Speaker B:So he, he can't be God and human at the same time.
Speaker B:So therefore he was perceived as a human by other humans, but he was not at any way, shape or form a human.
Speaker B:And that would be a heresy.
Speaker B:Um, there are other people that taught that yes, Jesus was a human, but, and he was a great human.
Speaker B:He was miraculous in his humanity and he worked in, in many great ways, but yet he was still a creation of God.
Speaker B:We know that in John chapter one that that is not true.
Speaker B:In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.
Speaker B:So that speaks of his eternality.
Speaker B:And so just because Jesus came in the flesh there in Bethlehem when He was born, that, that doesn't mean that Jesus was, was created at that point.
Speaker B:Jesus has always been and always will be, he's eternal.
Speaker B:So the incarnation is that he took on flesh.
Speaker B:That wasn't his beginning, and that was just the incarnation.
Speaker B:And so, so God the Father did the work of sending his only begotten Son.
Speaker B:We know that through John 3:16, he provides a way for us for, for salvation.
Speaker B:And so we are thankful for the Word who becomes flesh and dwelt some dwelling, dwell, dwells among us.
Speaker B:And so we know that he is the perfect lamb.
Speaker B:We know that he is the perfect sacrifice.
Speaker B:And so it's important for us to understand the teaching of the incarnation because it helps us understand other things like that hypostatic union, 100% God, 100% man.
Speaker B:So that is the teaching of incarnation.
Speaker B:Jesus came in the flesh, he dwelt among us.
Speaker B:He's full of grace and truth.
Speaker B:And, and I know that it might be something that we're somewhat familiar with, but I think it's important for us to put a, a word to it.
Speaker B:Now you don't have to know that word, to understand that principle.
Speaker B:But it is nice to succinctly put together that, yes, Jesus came in the flesh.
Speaker B:That's the Incarnation in the flesh.
Speaker B:That's what it actually literally means, in the flesh.
Speaker B:And so Jesus came, lived a perfect life, fulfilled the law, paid the price for our sins, conquered death and hell through his sacrifice and his resurrection.
Speaker B:So that's something that we can celebrate so we can know that in our minds, we can believe it in our hearts, we can live it out in our lives.
Speaker B:So that's the Incarnation.
Speaker B:We'll, we'll talk more about some of these terms that may not necessarily be listed in Scripture.
Speaker B:So, so that's where some people get nervous.
Speaker B:They say, well, show me in the Bible where it says the word incarnation.
Speaker B:Well, you know, there are certain elements of, of the teaching of God that we don't see a word, but we see the elements of that teaching throughout Scripture.
Speaker B:And so we, we tag a word onto it to describe it.
Speaker B:So like I used at the very beginning as an example of the Trinity, you don't see the word Trinity in.
Speaker A:Scripture, but you definitely see the teaching.
Speaker B:Of it all over.
Speaker B:And, and so that's the same thing with the Incarnation.
Speaker B:So we're going to talk about some of these words and what they mean and why we should know them.
Speaker B:So, because sometimes people say, well, why do I need to know that?
Speaker B:Like what, why is that important to me?
Speaker B:Well, that specifically in incarnation, the reason why that's important is because when other people come along and teach things that are against that biblical teaching, we're able to identify the wrong teaching and we're able to correct it in the word of God?
Speaker B:So you would say, like, where do I go to try to correct someone who doesn't understand the deity of Christ or the humanity of Christ, the incarnation, hypostatic union.
Speaker B:I would think a great place to go would be John chapter one.
Speaker B:Now, again, we have to be careful with proof texting, but in context, read John chapter one.
Speaker B:And I think it very clearly explains Jesus's hypostatic union.
Speaker B:100 God, 100% man.
Speaker B:Not 50, 50, but 100 and 100.
Speaker B:And I think really, if you've just read all the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, you can see Jesus and his and his character holding both aspects of God and man.
Speaker B:The Son of man, the Son of God.
Speaker B:So I think that that's it, that that would be important.
Speaker B:So, so pointing folks to the Gospels.
Speaker B:But even if you look at most of the New Testament, you, you can understand these things by just reading and by just comprehending what God has told us about himself.
Speaker B:So there's a start, there's our start to talking about different theological truths that sometimes get confused and so incarnation.
Speaker B:And we'll talk more about some of these different terms here in the near future.
Speaker B:So I hope that this has been a blessing for you.
Speaker B:If you want to take with you a scripture reading, I would read John Chapter one.
Speaker B:That would be a great place to start when it comes to, to talking about this topic.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:Well, I hope you have a fantastic week.
Speaker B:We will be coming back next week with another Word of the Week and I hope that this has been beneficial for you.
Speaker B:I hope that you can share this with other people around you, family, friends, coworkers, whoever that you might think would benefit from studying these words that we find in Scripture.
Speaker B:All right, God bless you.
Speaker B:Take care.
Speaker B:We will hopefully be back soon, Lord willing.
Speaker B:God, God bless.
Speaker A:Hey, I really appreciate that you listen to the Word of the Week podcast.
Speaker A:If you have any questions about the podcast or about our church, Middletown Baptist Church, you can find more information about us on Facebook or YouTube or you can find the podcast on NBCPodcast.org you can contact me directly at Josh Massaro at middletownbaptistchurch.org stay tuned for future worship Word of the Week episodes where we dive deeper into words that impact our life according to scripture.
Speaker B:Thank you so much.
Speaker A:God bless.
Speaker A:We'll talk to you soon.
