In the Flesh
Scripture Reading — 1 John 4:1-3
Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God …
1 John 4:2
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This month we’ve been observing how God uses all kinds of people in the project of salvation: Zechariah and Elizabeth, Caesar Augustus, the shepherds, the wise men, Joseph and Mary. Their presence tells us that God loves to partner with his human creations. God loves to accomplish his will through them even if they assume they are acting on their own. This is one of the wonderful mysteries of Christ’s incarnation: the God who created us with minds and wills, who did not make us like robots, somehow makes wise and perfect use of us in bringing his Son to earth as a human being.
In our text John encourages believers to stand firm for the truth that Jesus Christ became human. As we obey his teaching today, we not only acknowledge that Jesus became a man, but we also recognize other players who are a part of the story—people who verify that Jesus came in the flesh. We hear them proclaim that Jesus did not merely appear to be human. He came “in the flesh” as the son of Mary, who was married to Joseph. Jesus was therefore one of the many affected by Caesar’s decree, the fellow citizen of shepherds and villagers, a cousin of John the Baptist, and a descendant of David.
This Jesus is our Savior. Joseph and Mary, as well as all the others whom God used in the amazing events of Christmas, show us clearly: Jesus became one of us!
Dear God, thank you for sending Jesus to become one of us and to do what we never could: give up his perfect life as an atoning sacrifice for sin. Thank you! Amen.
About the author — Dave Den Haan
Dave Den Haan is an ordained minister who works for Thrive, the Christian Reformed Church in North America agency that equips and encourages congregations. His main focus is to serve churches experiencing conflict and challenge. Before working with Thrive, Dave served as a pastor to two congregations, one in Minnesota and one in Michigan. He and his wife, Connie, have three married children and two grandchildren.
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