December 2004 New Horizons

The Word Became Flesh

by Robert Y. Eckardt

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Is Jesus God? Every Christian would say yes! "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Unbelievers may challenge this truth, but we have learned the importance of believing in the deity of Christ. Is Jesus man? Sometimes Christians stumble on this question, perhaps because we are afraid of taking away from the majesty or the reality of his deity by emphasizing his humanity. However, Christ is fully man, just as he is fully God-not merely a God-filled man or a human-formed God, but the God-man. This difficult theology is stated quite simply in the classic text: "The Word became flesh" (John 1:14). The apostles were eyewitnesses of the Word, even Jesus Christ, and they knew him both in his deity and in his humanity. We say that the One who was and is fully God became and remains also fully man. ... Read more