The Mystery of the Incarnation

Pastor Dave Monreal, Lead Pastor

Mystery (noun) 1 a: something not understood or beyond understanding: ENIGMA” (Merriam Webster Online dictionary)

Some truths in the Bible are a mystery to us. This does not mean that they are illogical, irrational, or nonsensical but that they are truths that go beyond our ability to fully comprehend. That does not mean we can know nothing about a particular truth but that there is a limit to our ability to comprehend and we must humbly stop and worship the Triune God in wonder.

Over the minutes I have been asked “How did God the Son take upon himself human flesh?” “How did God the Father accomplish it?” “How can Jesus be fully-God and fully-man at the same time?” “How can Jesus be fully human yet be without sin and without a sin nature?”

When we look at Scripture God tells us what we need to know but he does not tell us everything that we might want to know. Here’s what we do know: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:18)

The angel comes to Joseph in a dream to explain to him why his engaged wife will soon be found to be pregnant, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:20) Quoting the Prophet Isaiah, the angel adds, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:23) Matthew concludes by informing us that Joseph did not have relations with Mary until after Jesus was born so there was no questioning or mistaking that what occurred was the work of God directly.

The Gospel of Luke adds a few bits of information. The angel Gabriel appears to Mary and says, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. (Luke 1:31) Like us, Mary asks, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34) The only answer the angels gives is this, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)

This is as far as the text of Scripture takes us. It does not answer all of the biological or scientific questions that we might have. It does not tell us explicitly how God accomplished this miracle. We know that the baby born in Bethlehem was and forever will be both “fully God” and “fully man.” (e.g. John 1:1, 14) Scripture tells us that he was born without a sin nature and that he was sinlessly perfect Son of God. (Hebrews 4:15) We know that prior to the incarnation Jesus has always been God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity. We know enough but we do not know everything. We should not speculate beyond what the text of Scripture reveals to us. This should cause us to stand in wonder and amazement that the God of this universe would not only enter this planet but become one of us so he could die on the cross for our sins and physically rise on the third day!