Jesus Christ: The Incarnation of God

Christ came and took on flesh.

In vs. 31-35, we are reminded of the humanity and the deity of Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” Let us note how both natures are presented here:

• Human Nature. Now God could certainly send His Son by just making Him miraculously appear, but as Gabriel indicates, this child would be conceived in Mary’s womb, which means that Jesus Christ possessed a perfect human nature.
• Divine Nature. There are several things said here. However, that reminds us of the divine nature of Christ as well.
  • vs. 32 “He shall be great, Son of the Highest.”
  • vs. 32 “the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.”
  • vs. 33. “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
  • vs. 35 “Holy Spirit will come upon you.”
  • vs. 35 “that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”

Thus, from all of these statements, we also understand that Jesus Christ is fully God.

In Christ, then, deity and humanity are brought together in one person. But how exactly are we to understand this.

Hypostatic Union. After wrestling with the issue for over a century and three church councils, the church gathered in 451 at Chalcedon and formulated what has come to be known as the hypostatic union. This statement affirmed that Jesus possessed two natures: one fully divine, one fully human. These two natures are brought together, “inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisible, inseparably.”

John 1:14. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Thus, in Jesus, we have one person that possesses a fully divine nature and a fully human nature.

Christ came and fulfilled the prophets.

In these same verses, we have a clear reminder that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of messianic prophecy. Consider the following:

• Offspring of a Woman. In vs. 31, Gabriel says, “you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son.” From this, we are reminded of the curse that God placed on Satan in the garden when he said in Genesis 3:15, “I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
• Born of a Virgin. In response to Gabriel, Mary says in vs. 34, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” From this, we are reminded of Isaiah 7:14, where God says, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
• Of the throne of David. In vs. 32, Gabriel also says that Jesus would “the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.” Once again, this reminds us of 2 Samuel 7:12-13, where God promised David, “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom."He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
• An everlasting Kingdom. In vs. 33, Gabriel says, “and of His kingdom there will be no end.” This reminds us of Isaiah 9:6-7, where God said, “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end.”

Thus, with Christ, we also have the fulfillment of messianic prophecy.

Christ came to forgive our sins.

In vs. 31, we are also reminded that the incarnation makes our salvation sure. This is seen in the name of the Messiah where Gabriel says, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.” Now perhaps you are wondering why the name of Jesus is important. Simply put, the name Jesus means “God saves.” This is hinted at in Matt 1:21, where Matthew says, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Thus, in the incarnation, we are reminded that Jesus Christ is the savior of humankind who brings forgiveness for sin.

Isaiah 53:5-6. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Thus, in Jesus Christ, we have forgiveness for our sins.