“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.”
John 1:14-18

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God’s original intention in creating humanity was for people to live with Him as family. This began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, preserving the human bloodline with Noah, and then in His creation of the Jewish people through Abraham and Sarah to help bring the rest of the nations back to relationship with God. 

The very last chapter of the Bible sums up all of history like a good logline for a new Blockbuster movie: “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3).

This God, the one in Revelation with whom we will dwell, might be really hard to grasp. That is, if we didn’t have His perfect Imager as our guide. By becoming human, Jesus made the invisible God visible. In becoming a human, He continues to teach and inspire every generation since His resurrection on how to become a part of God’s family and grow in the characteristics and qualities that God has. Even after 2,000 years, Jesus’ life and teachings are still rippling in our world with a vigor that can transform anyone He touches—if we agree to it, if we ask Him to become the God of our life.

Jesus’ love, kindness, patience, and wisdom inspire me daily to grow and become a better man. Without Him, I would not understand the high value and importance of practicing those God-qualities with other people and the rest of creation. An example of His inspiration is what I call a “Love Tax.” When I worked in downtown Chicago, I would at times buy myself a coffee drink from Starbucks or another local coffee shop. If I passed by a person begging for money, I would respond to that person by showing them respect by looking directly in their eyes and would either give the person money, buy them food, or just offer them a sincere smile and a moment of conversation. Then I would get my cup of coffee and continue on with my day. I always enjoyed the coffee more when I did it that way.  

Without Jesus’ incarnation and becoming human,  we would not have the Holy Spirit of God living inside of us. He empowers us to live and partner with Jesus to reflect God into our broken world. Thank God He came!

Next Steps

Take the time to read and contemplate the following passages over the next several days. Make notes of what you notice and feel and consider coming back to these Scriptures over the years (mysteries are not easily revealed): Psalm 8 and Colossians 1:15-23.

Consider reading “What Does God Want?” by Dr. Michael S. Heiser. It’s a short book that provides laser clarity to what the entire story of the Bible is about, and how we can become members of God’s family.