“Who was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification.”
(Romans 4:25)
The incarnation of Christ is foundational to the Christian faith, as it is the glorious mystery by which the eternal Son of God took upon Himself true humanity in order to redeem His elect. No truth more clearly displays the immeasurable depths of God’s love and the incomprehensible lengths He went to in order to secure salvation for His people.
Philippians 2:6 declares that though Christ was in the form of God, He did not cling to His divine rights or privileges but made Himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a servant and being made in the likeness of men. This willing descent was born out of obedience to the Father and infinite love for His people. The Creator entered creation, clothing Himself in frail flesh for the redemption of sinners.
The writer to the Hebrews reminds us that Christ is a sympathetic High Priest, touched with the feeling of our infirmities, for He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). His full humanity meant He experienced hunger, fatigue, grief, and anguish. In Gethsemane, He confessed that His soul was “exceeding sorrowful, even unto death” (Matthew 26:38). He entered fully into the depths of human experience while remaining without blemish or stain of sin. And it was His willingness to embrace suffering, sorrow, and ultimately the cursed death of the cross that testifies to the sacrificial nature of His love (John 10:18; Psalm 40:6-8).
After His resurrection, He appeared to His disciples in His glorified yet still human body, saying, “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see” (Luke 24:39). In that moment, He confirmed that His humanity had not been set aside, but rather glorified. His ascension to heaven was likewise in His resurrected body, and Scripture assures us that He will return in the same manner (Acts 1:9–11). His continuing humanity, now perfected and glorified, guarantees the future glorification of His people. “When he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
The Son of God did not become man for a season; He remains the God-man forever. This assures believers of His perfect intercession, for He who mediates before the Father is both divine and human, fully able to represent humanity before God. “He ever liveth to make intercession” (Hebrews 7:25), securing the salvation He purchased with His own blood.
Thus, the incarnation assures us that God is near, that Christ knows our weakness, and that our salvation is secure. And it calls us to humility, to obedience, and to love, for the One who stooped so low for us now reigns exalted, and He shall return in glory to bring His redeemed into everlasting fellowship with Himself.
Christ for my sake, sins, and Redemption
From Hell and endless Torments; suffered on
The Cross, a shameful, cursed Death, with all
Alacrity, joy, promptitude: And shall
I not for his sake then most cheerfully
Both stand, and suffer on the Pillory,
Without all blush, or fear? since ‘tis no shame,
But Honor, thus to suffer for Christs name.[1]
Contemplations:
- Voluntary humility. Christ’s decision to voluntarily “become flesh and dwell among us” reminds me that real love is sacrificial and proactive and challenges me to embody humility and obedience in my own life by loving and serving others willingly and selflessly.
- The reality of His humanity. Knowing Christ had a human body and soul deepens my appreciation for the glorious mystery of the incarnation. It also assures me that I can approach God in prayer with confidence, knowing that He really does understand my suffering and empathize with my weaknesses.
- Sinless among sinners. Christ’s sinlessness, juxtaposed with His complete humanity, assures me that grace is a gift and not a reward for perfection, which encourages me to live a life that seeks purity and holiness, even in the face of my human frailty.
- Eternal intercessor. Christ’s ascension in His glorified human nature is a profound reminder of His intercession on my behalf. It comforts me to know that my mediator understands all my struggles firsthand and continually advocates for me before the Father.
Prayer (adoration):
O eternal Word, who was with God and who was God, I bow in wonder before the mystery of Your incarnation. You, the Lord of glory, the One by whom all things were made, humbled Yourself to take on flesh and dwell among us. My heart is filled with awe at the thought that the infinite became finite, that the Creator walked among His creatures, that the Son of God became the Son of Man for the sake of redemption.
I adore You, Lord Jesus, for Your voluntary descent. You were not compelled by force, nor driven by necessity, but moved by love and obedience to the Father. You emptied Yourself, not of Your divinity but of the display of it, choosing instead the path of humility, poverty, and suffering. I marvel that You, who dwelt in eternal glory, took upon Yourself the likeness of sinful flesh, yet without sin, in order that sinners might be saved.
I adore You for entering into our weakness. You knew hunger and thirst, weariness and grief. You wept at the tomb of a friend, You groaned in the garden, You bled upon the cross. And yet through it all, You never sinned. Perfect righteousness clothed in frail humanity—what glory, what love, what grace! You are the true and faithful High Priest, able to sympathize with every sorrow, yet mighty to save to the uttermost.
I adore You for the power of Your resurrection. You bore the curse of death, but death could not hold You. Rising in triumph, You showed Yourself alive, still bearing the marks of Your sacrifice, still truly human yet now glorified. I rejoice that You ascended in that same body, seated at the right hand of the Father, and I adore You as the exalted Mediator who intercedes for me without ceasing.
I adore You for the promise of glorification. As You are, so shall Your people be. Because You took on humanity and glorified it, my hope is secure that I too shall be raised incorruptible, conformed to Your image. What greater assurance could there be than that the God-man, once crucified, now reigns, and will bring His people into His eternal likeness?
O Christ, let my heart ever be captivated by the wonder of Your incarnation. Let me never grow weary of this mystery, but let adoration rise from my soul each day. You are the God who drew near, the King who stooped to serve, the Savior who bled and died, the Lord who rose and reigns. All glory, honor, and praise belong to You forever.
In Your holy name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Romans 4:25:
Romans 8:32, 1 Corinthians 15:17, Isaiah 53:5, 2 Corinthians 5:21
[1] William Prynne, Mount-Orgueil: Or Divine and Profitable Meditations Raised from the Contemplation of These Three Leaves of Natures (London: printed by Tho. Cotes, for Michael Sparke Senior, and are to be sold by Peter Inch of Chester, 1641), 14–15.
