December 20, 2024

Come now, insignificant man, fly for a moment from your affairs, escape for a little while from the tumult of your thoughts. Put aside now your weighty cares and leave your wearisome toils. Abandon yourself for a little to God and rest for a little in Him.” 

― Anselm of Canterbury

I hoped to have a third and final installation for this brief devotional series on the incarnation by the end of Wednesday, but last-minute Christmas preparations even affect pastors. We’ve talked about the divinity and humanity of Jesus from the vantage point of what I call “double representation.” Jesus reveals the character of God to a world desperately needing to be undeceived from their sin. In Christ, God’s divine character is manifest. Regarding his humanity, Jesus represents us as our intercessor at the cross and through his ongoing heavenly intercession. He also provides a model for imitation. Sometimes, we ask ourselves what godliness looks like in our sin-darkened world…well, the life of Jesus is a great place to start. Hebrews tells us that Jesus was human in every way, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:14-16). Think about that for a moment: from Genesis 3 to Revelation 21, Jesus of Nazareth is the only human who faithfully kept the 10 commandments. He didn’t just avoid violating them but also fully embodied the virtues of godliness they contain. Jesus obeyed God’s word perfectly. In Christ, humanity is both redeemed and restored. 

But there’s more - In Christ, God has not only forgiven our sins and called us innocent (even though that alone would be a ridiculous display of grace), he has declared us righteous by accounting and applying the faithfulness of Jesus to our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. Why? Simply because we believe that Jesus is who he said he is. 

This is the hope of Christmas and the incarnation: because of the grace displayed in the incarnation, life, ministry, death, and resurrection, we can be acceptable in God’s sight, not because of anything we’ve done, but simply by believing in what he has done on our behalf.  I know this season is busy and mixed with all sorts of other things, but I hope you take some time to shelter in this great truth today.