Luke 1:1-4; John 1:1-18; Matthew 1:1-17

Think About It

The Bible teaches us that Jesus is equal to God. Many critics of the Bible claim that the gospels do not say that Jesus is God. Identify verses in the John passage that show us that Jesus was God:

Jesus became what He was not – He became HUMAN – so that we could become what we should be. What were some of the things that Jesus had to put aside so that He could be fully human?

Digging Deeper

The idea of God becoming human is difficult for us to fully understand. How could the all-powerful God, who created and sustains the universe, become like us? What does it mean for the eternal Son of God to limit Himself by taking on human form? One way to think of it is to imagine that you suddenly became a slug. While this is an extremely limited idea in comparison to Jesus’ incarnation, imagine the restrictions you would have, especially having no arms or legs. Picture yourself taking a couple of hours to slide across the room. Philippians 2:7 says that “he made himself nothing, by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” Jesus left heaven's glory for earth's dirt. What a huge sacrifice God made to save us!

When we read that ‘the Word became flesh’, that means that everything God is and everything that God says, is embodied in Jesus. He sounds and acts just like His Father. He says what God would say, He does what God would do.

So why did Jesus become a man? The first reason is that we were unable to save ourselves from our own sin. We needed a Saviour, and Jesus offered up His own life for us.

But there is another reason that Jesus came to earth. Very often words are without meaning until they have flesh and blood. God did not want to just tell us how to live, He wanted to show us. And it is Jesus who came to show us a new way of life. When someone you know and respect tells you to do something, you are more likely to listen to the person you know, than to a stranger saying the same thing.

The life of Jesus shows God's commitment to be with His people, just as He was with Adam and Eve.

God's strategy to change lives has always been through relationships. By Jesus living with us, He was

changing the world through relationships, rather than through programmes or an institution.

God was willing to do anything so that He could have a relationship with us. What is a practical thing you can do to be more committed to your relationship with Him in the coming weeks?

What is something that you can do today to impact the lives of the people you believe God is calling you to disciple?