INCARNATION

John 1:14 recorded: And the Word was made 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.

According to the dictionary definition of the word Aincarnation,@ it means to Aembody in flesh.@ In the incarnation the Logos (Word) became flesh, the Logos being God, according to verse one. Thus God became manifest, or revealed in the flesh. Paul affirms this also in 1 Timothy 3:16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

This is correct scriptural terminology. God could not be born of the virgin Mary, but He did manifest Himself through the One who was born of Mary. He was the one who brought about the conception and birth of that Son called Jesus. The flesh that was born was the Logos incarnate. This does not make two persons, because the Logos was God. What it did bring into being was a dual‑natured person. Jesus was both God and man.

Someone put it this way:

Before Jesus was born with His human nature, He was the Divine, visible equation of the invisible God. This Being, who prior to His physical birth, was in the very form of God ‑ the full equation in a majestic form of the invisible God. This Being, God, took upon Himself the likeness of men in His incarnation. He assumed human nature in the incarnation, but did not cease to be God. But now, in addition to what He always was (Jehovah God), he is in possession of an assumed human nature.

WHERE DID THIS TAKE PLACE?

Micah 5:2: But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, {though} thou be little among the thousands of Judah, {yet} out of thee shall he come forth unto me {that is} to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth {have been} from of old, from everlasting.

Bethlehem is one of the oldest towns in Israel, and while the Gentiles controlled it, it was called Ephratah. Thus the Gentile name for the city, Ephratah and the Jewish name, Bethlehem are linked together for the incarnation. Jew and Gentile who would be brought together, fulfilling the mystery in God's plan from the beginning of time, are linked at the birthsight of the Savior who would bring about this union.

Bethlehem is approximately six miles from Jerusalem. This was David's home town. The story of Ruth also took place here. This is where Benjamin was born and where Rachel died.

WHEN DID IT TAKE PLACE?

Paul informs us in Galatians 4:4,5: But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Matthew 1:17 states: So all the generations from Abraham to David {are} fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon {are} fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ {are} fourteen generations. So Jesus was born in the fourteenth generation of the third cycle.

The first advent of our Lord was right on time according to God's program. We may expect His second coming to be on time as well!

WHY DID HE COME?

Jesus said in John 10:10: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have {it} more abundantly.

Paul states in 1 Timothy 1:15: This {is} a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

While we will cover this in greater detail later, suffice it to be said here that the purpose of the incarnation was to provide a sacrificial Lamb for the atonement. Christ was born to die!

PERFECT HUMANITY

Jesus Christ was God‑man. He was very God and perfect man. We should not use the word perfect with Deity, for there are no degrees of perfection with God, but there are with man. We say that Jesus was very God and perfect man.

Jesus was a perfect man, but such statements as, AMary, the mother of God,@ and AThe blood of Calvary was the blood of God,@ need some explanation and qualification. God was manifest in the flesh, which was born and which died, and the Word incarnate, was God. However, God Almighty could not be begotten, born, nor die. There is no scripture to prove that the flesh of Jesus was not identical to our own. So, while the blood which flowed from Calvary was in the body of Jesus, manifest in the flesh, it was still the blood of humanity, the humanity of Jesus Christ. The blood which flowed through the veins and arteries of Jesus Christ was the source of life to His body just as the blood which courses through our bodies is life to us. The difference is that God was the one who caused the conception and birth of the body of Jesus, thereby making Jesus the body of God.

JESUS IS CALLED A MAN

No less than 80 times in the Gospel accounts does Jesus call Himself The Son of man. References are made to:

a). The seed of Abraham

b). The seed of David

c). The lineage of David

d). The seed of the woman.

Jesus had the appearance of a man:

John 4:9: How is it that thou being a Jew...

Luke 24:18: Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem...

John 20:15: She supposing Him to be a gardener..

Jesus experienced all the infirmities of man ‑ except sin:

Hebrews 4:15: ...was tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin.

Matthew 26:38: My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.

Matthew 4:2: ...He was afterward an hungered.

Matthew 8:24: ...but He was asleep.

As a man, He was born the Son. Sonship denotes beginning; also a relation to time and place. Only as He became a man was He able to become the only begotten Son. Not an eternal Son, nor a created Son, but a Son that was conceived in the womb of Mary. As a Son, He grew and matured and was subject to the Father. As a Son, He tasted of our infirmities and weaknesses, and was tempted in every point that we are, or will be, tempted.

PURPOSE OF HIS SONSHIP

The purpose of His Sonship was:

a). That he might become our Redeemer. The necessity of the atonement demanded that there be a sinless sacrifice offered up in our stead. Only God could provide such a sacrifice (Hebrews 2:14).

b). That He might become our Mediator. Our Mediator knows our weaknesses through His omniscience and also by way of actual experience (Hebrews 4:15).

c). That He might become our King. In order to have a kingdom there must be a king. He reigns now in our hearts, but soon He shall come to reign on this earth.

d). That he might be our Judge (Acts 17:31).

HE WAS CALLED GOD

John 1:1: The Word was God, Or, as the Greek has it, God was the Word.

John 20:28: My Lord and my God.

Titus 2:13: The great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.

Jude 25: To the only wise God our Savior.

HE WAS CALLED THE SON OF GOD

Matthew 16:16: Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 8:29: Jesus, thou Son of God.

Matthew 14:33: Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

HE WAS CALLED THE FIRST AND THE LAST

This title was given to Jehovah in the Old Testament and to Jesus Christ in the New Testament. The trinitarian doctrine states that Jesus is the second person in the Godhead. The Bible clearly refutes this by saying that Jesus is both the first and the last, showing that He is the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Isaiah 48:12: I am the first, I also am the last.

Isaiah 41:4: I am the first, and I am the last.

Revelation 1:8: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Revelation 1:7: I am the first and the last.

HE IS THE I AM

John 8:24: I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins.

John 8:28: Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am, and {that} I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

John 8:58: Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

John 8:58 in the above argues that Abraham was dependent upon Jesus, not Jesus upon him for existence. Abraham came into being at a certain point in time, but Jesus is the eternally present One, the self‑existent One, dwelling in the eternal present. This title <169>I AM<170> is positive, indisputable proof that Jehovah in the Old Testament is Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

PRE‑EXISTENCE OF JESUS CHRIST

John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Note well that it was His deity, not His humanity, that pre‑existed. Before Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Ghost, the Son existed only in the mind and plan of God. There is absolutely no scriptural foundation for the Eternal Sonship theory.

DIVINE ATTRIBUTES

Jesus possesses divine attributes of Omnipotence, Omnipresence, and Omniscience. Are there two or three Omnipotent Beings? We know that is impossible. Jesus cannot possess these three attributes of Deity unless He is Deity!

OMNIPOTENCE

Matthew 28:18: All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Jesus had power over:

a). Disease: Luke 4:38‑41.

b). Death: John 11:25‑44.

c). Nature: John 2:1‑11; Mark 4:35‑41.

d). All Things: Hebrews 2:8.

OMNISCIENCE

John 2:24,25: But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all {men}, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

John 16:30: Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.

OMNIPRESENCE

Matthew 18:20: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Matthew 28:20: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, {even} unto the end of the world. Amen.

With such facts in mind it leaves us with no other conclusion than the fact that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh. He is NOT a part of God; but He is God!

No man could have manifested the power which Jesus did unless He was God. He controlled the angry waves, turned water into wine, multiplied loaves and fishes when He wanted to feed the people; and raised the dead back to life again. Many other acts of our Lord should convince all that He was God robed in flesh. Yet, like many today, there were those then who refused to acknowledge Him. They closed their minds to this great fact, and by doing this, they drew back into the darkness of unbelief. They degraded Jesus to the level of an imposter. Men today relegate Him to the level of a second person status in the Godhead.

May we thank God that we have the knowledge of who He is. This knowledge is indeed a most precious possession. Cherish it. Appreciate it.

DIVINE PREROGATIVES

Three Divine Prerogatives manifested in the life of Jesus emphasize to us that He is God;

1. The right to be worshipped.

2. The right to forgive sins.

3. The right and power to create.

If Jesus possesses these three prerogatives, then He is God. There is actually no need to continue our study concerning whether Jesus is indeed God or not! These three points offer proof of the Oneness of the Godhead in spite of all the arguments by skeptics and unbelievers to the contrary. Does Jesus indeed possess these prerogatives? Let us see.

JESUS ACCEPTED WORSHIP AND ENCOURAGED IT

Matthew 14:33: Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

Matthew 15:25: Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

Luke 24:52: And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

There was not the slightest reluctance on the part of Jesus to accept worship, therefore either Jesus is God or He was an imposter. It was He who said, Worship God only. And He had no right to take the place of God if He were not God. Even the angels are commanded to worship Him (Hebrews 1:6; Philippians 2:10).

JESUS FORGAVE SIN

All sin is against God and, therefore, only God can forgive sin. It was for this reason that the Pharisees charged Jesus with blasphemy. If Jesus can forgive sins, then it is evident that He must be God.

Genesis 39:9: How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

Psalm 51:4: Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done {this} evil in thy sight.

Luke 7:47,48: Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, {the same} loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

JESUS CHRIST IS CREATOR

Jesus showed He is the Great Creator by:

a). Turning water into wine: John 2:1‑11.

b). Feeding the five thousand: John 6:1‑13.

c). Walking on the water: John 6:19.

d). Quieting the stormy sea: Mark 4:39.

John 1:3: All things were made by Him.

Were there two Creators? No! There is only One.

Psalm 104:1‑9.

Colossians 1:16,17: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether {they be} thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Hebrews 2:10: For it became him, for whom {are} all things, and by whom {are} all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

So, from these passages it is shown that Jesus Christ obviously did indeed manifest these three Divine Prerogatives.

THE MIGHTY GOD IN CHRIST JESUS

2 Corinthians 5:19: To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Once we can understand the truth expressed in this scripture, the revelation of the Oneness of the Godhead and the Deity of Jesus Christ becomes clear. We see Jesus as both God and man ‑ God manifesting Himself as flesh, and God in that human temple to reconcile the world unto Himself. Are there two persons who are reconciling us to themselves? No, certainly not!

FULLNESS OF THE GODHEAD DWELLS IN JESUS CHRIST

Jesus Christ is not in the Godhead. The Godhead is in Jesus Christ!

Colossians 2:9: For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

The Amplified Bible has it: For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form.

The New English Bible renders it: For it is in Christ that the complete being of the Godhead dwells embodied.

This verse also proves the Oneness truth. Anyone who argues for the theory of the trinity must first remove this verse from their Bible.

Let's examine Colossians 2:9 by asking ourselves a few questions:

1. Is Jesus in the Godhead, or is the Godhead in Jesus? The trinitarian contends that Jesus is in the Godhead ‑ in fact, the second person in the Godhead. The Bible states that the Godhead is in Jesus!

2. Are there three fullnesses of the Godhead? Certainly not! There is only one fullness, and that fullness dwells in Jesus Christ.

3. Is there only a part of the fullness of the Godhead in Jesus? The Bible says ALL THE FULLNESS, not just part of the fullness, dwells in Jesus Christ.

4. What does this verse tell us then? It informs us that all the offices and manifestations of God, His attributes, and the essence of His very being are all to be found in Jesus Christ; that the only way we will ever look upon the Father is to look into the face of Jesus Christ; that the only way we will ever look upon the Holy Ghost is to look into the face of Jesus Christ. It is all in Him!

ONENESS OF THE FATHER AND JESUS CHRIST

John 10:30: I and {my} Father are one.

John 14:9: Jesus saith unto him, have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou {then}, Shew us the Father?

The Jews understood Jesus far better than do most people today. They understood that He claimed Oneness with the Father, and it was for this reason they were going to stone Him to death. Jesus told Philip that when we see Him we see the Father. Shall we see the Father apart from Jesus Christ? NO! Never!

JESUS CHRIST IS JEHOVAH

Saul of Tarsus spoke to Jesus, and recognized that He was Jehovah:

Acts 9:5: And he said, Who art thou, Lord? (Jehovah) And the Lord (Jehovah) said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: {it is} hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Saul knew only the Old Testament scriptures, and the Jehovah God of the Old Testament. The New Testament had not at that time been written. To Paul, there was but one God ‑ Jehovah ‑ the Jehovah he read about in the Old Testament.

Stephen saw Jesus as God:

Acts 7:59: And they stoned Stephen, calling upon {God}, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

How many persons did Stephen see? Only One! Whom did Stephen see? Jesus Christ! What name did Stephen give unto God? Lord Jesus! Many would have think that this verse proves trinitarianism. However, it shows the Oneness truth conclusively.

TRINITY DOCTRINE LEAVES CONFUSION

The erroneous teaching that there are three distinct persons in the Godhead leaves many questions that even the trinitarian admits he cannot answer. There is confusion and contradiction in this man‑made doctrine which was adopted from paganism in the early days of the Roman Catholic Church. The reason for this, of course, is that it is not built upon scriptures, but upon man's natural reasoning. Here are a few of the questions that trinitarianism does not answer:

1. Who was the Father of the Babe in the manger at Bethlehem? Was it the Father or the Holy Ghost? Did the Christ child have two fathers?

Matthew 1:18: Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Luke 1:35: Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

2. How can the Father be greater than the Son if they are both equal?

John 14:28: Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come {again} unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

3. Does God pray? How can He be God and still need to pray?

Matthew 26:39: And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed.

4. Can God die? If the Son is God the Son, how could He die?

5. Is Mary the mother of God? If the Son is God the Son, wouldn't this make Mary the mother of God?

6. If there are three persons already in the Godhead, what would be wrong in adding a fourth? Why not deify Mary?

7. Whom are we to worship?

8. To Whom are we supposed to direct our prayers? Or, do we pray to each member of the trinity?

9. How many will we see when we get to heaven, or come before the throne? How many thrones are there?

Revelation 4:2: And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and {one} sat on the throne.

Revelation 20:11: And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

10. If Jesus is God the Son, then why does He not know when He will return?

Mark 13:32: But of that day and {that} hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

Such questions could go on and on, but it would be foolish to do so. The correct answers and explanations to all of them prove the Oneness doctrine. The attempt on the part of trinitarians to answer these questions simply leads to contradictions and confusion. Many of their own leaders admit that the doctrine of the trinity must be accepted by faith, as it cannot be explained.

The more one attempts to make three separate, distinct, and equal persons in the Godhead, the more confusion he runs into. The only simple and plain ‑ and yet profound ‑ Bible truth is that there is only One in the Godhead, and that the only Person anyone will ever see will be the person of Jesus Christ.