The Word Became Flesh

One of the things that intrigues me the most about the Christian faith is the Christmas story. Not because of the stars or shepherds or even the angels, but rather because of the mystery of the incarnation. When we say, "God is with us" we literally mean it. He became one of us.

In John 1:14 the Bible says, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." John, unlike Matthew and Luke, gives us the Christmas story from a theological perspective. He delves into the mystery of the incarnation. When John used the phrase, "...dwelt among us..." he was alluding back to the Old Testament scenes of God dwelling among men in the Tabernacle and the Temple. The Shekinah Glory would fall from heaven and rest on the Ark of the Covenant...God with us. But now the Shekinah Glory rests in a Man. No longer is God found in tent or temple, now He is found walking the streets among men, flesh and bones.

The Word (Logos in Greek) became one of us. What a staggering thought. In the Greek "Logos" means "a saying, decree, doctrine, precept, wisdom, reason." Jesus is all of these things! He is the saying, the decree of God. It was through Jesus that God the Father spoke the worlds into existence. Jesus is our doctrine and our precept. He is the all in all when it comes to the Bible and our belief. We are to know nothing but Christ, and Him crucified. He is wisdom and reason. God's thoughts are higher than out thoughts and these thoughts find their summation in Jesus. He is the Logos of God.

In Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament he says that "Logos signifies both the outward form by which the inward thought is expressed." This sounds alot like the definition of a sacrament, an outward sign of an inward grace. It is for this reason that many theologians call Jesus Christ, the God-Man, the Primordial Sacrament. Jesus is the visible and tangible reality of all that the Bible speaks of. He is the grace of God incarnate.

God is with us! What a joyful expression. Emmanuel, Jesus Christ, the God-Man, the Logos. O come, let us adore Him...Christ the Lord!