Believes Jesus Came To Earth As Fully God And Fully Man

Believes Jesus Came To Earth As Fully God And Fully Man

A HERO’S TALE

Have you read The Chronicles of Narnia? Author C. S. Lewis’s beloved book series tells the story of a magical, make-believe world called Narnia, ruled by the great lion Aslan, where a family of British children encounter many exciting adventures.

Narnia is filled with mythological beings that are half human, half animal —like fauns, centaurs, and Minotaurs. It’s fun to read about these creatures, and it’s even cooler to see them come to life in the movies!

Did you know the Bible also tells the story of a person who is more than human? His identity might surprise you.

His name is Jesus.

DECODING THE MESSAGE

Jesus’ life didn’t begin in the Bethlehem manger. In fact, Jesus had no beginning at all. Jesus is God, and he has always existed with God the Father and God the Spirit, the other two parts of the Holy Trinity, according to John 1:1-2. As the Son of God, Jesus lived in heaven before human life, or time itself, began.

Jesus’ birth on earth was a wonderful miracle. Bible scholars refer to Jesus’ human birth as “the Incarnation.”

This marvelous mystery is captured in the name “Immanuel,” one of the titles given to Jesus in Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23. Immanuel means “God is with us.” In other words, God the Son came to earth as a man to live among us.

But unlike Narnia’s mythological creatures, Jesus didn’t come to earth as half man and half something else. He came as fully God and fully man.

This amazing truth can be hard to understand. But it’s so important to believe. As the God-man, Jesus experienced everything we do as humans (joy, sadness, laughter, disappointment, pain, etc.) but remained perfectly sinless. Jesus lived a real human life, and he did it with complete holiness. That’s why he, and no one else, could die for our sins on the cross. Incredible!

The story of a little baby born 2,000 years ago in a Bethlehem manger is much more than a nice Christmas tale to read in front of the fireplace. The Incarnation was the greatest miracle in history and an amazing hero story! It’s the story of God becoming man, all because he loves you.

BATTLE PLAN

To better understand the Incarnation and Jesus’ eternal nature, perform a brief exercise: read John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; and Revelation 22:13. These passages all show that Jesus has always existed. Bethlehem was not the start of his life, only the beginning of his humanity. Now, go back and read Genesis 1 —the Bible’s opening account of God creating the universe —but do it remembering that Jesus was right there with the Father, active in all creation. Amazing!