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Chapter 4:

Our Humanity

May Not Be Such

A Bad Thing

After All

Nothing is more incredible than the incarnation.

John 1:14: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

The most incredible story in the history of religion is simply stated in these few words from the Gospel of John. It marks the beginning of the Christian calendar. It marks the beginning of God’s most strategic move in his plan of salvation, redemption, and reconciliation with his creation. It is a miracle story at the highest level. It is not the miracle of our becoming like God but of God becoming a human being, becoming one of us. When I am asked if I believe the miracle stories in the Bible, my response is, “Well, once you accept the miracle of the Incarnation, all the others are a piece of cake.” This is the miracle in the New Testament.

The earliest heresy the church confronted was the belief that Jesus did not become a real human being — he only appeared to be one. The earliest of the Gospels, Mark, goes out of its way to picture Jesus as fully human. The big debate during Jesus’ lifetime was not about his humanity, it was about his divinity. The final “solution” offered by church councils was that Jesus was fully human and fully divine. No one has yet explained just how this works. Ink and blood have both been spilt in attempts to defend this faith assertion but it remains just that — our faith assertion.