The Word Made Flesh
The God-man continues
Does Jesus dwell in you by his Holy Spirit? If he does, it’s because God wants his Word to become flesh…your flesh. He wants to walk this earth once again, not as a suffering servant but rather as a conqueror. How does that sound to you? God wants you to manifest the life of Christ here on this earth in the victory that he obtained while in his holy flesh.
“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth” John 1:14
Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus, our Savior. We rejoice with family and friends. We take off from work for a holiday. We engage in intelligent conversation and go to church. It is there, at church, that we hear all the reasons for the season. Things like:
• Without His birth, we would still be waiting for a Savior, separated from
God.
• He was born to die for the sins of the entire world.
• He was the Messiah, the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy.
• He is the incarnation of God in human flesh.
• He was the replacement of Adam for the purpose of taking dominion as
God originally intended. (Genesis 1:26)
Jesus is 100% God…He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and he is also 100% man…a human being like us. Christmas is the celebration of this event…when God became like man so man could become like God…. not a god or a deity but in the image of God, as it was in the beginning. (Genesis 1:26-29)
Listen to what John says, (John chapter 1), “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God; and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him. Without him was not anything made that was made.”
Everyone knows that the Word is a reference to Jesus being with God and is God, a member of the Trinity, long before anything came into existence.
The God-man continues.
Verses 11-12 of John chapter one says, “He came unto his own (The Jews) and his own (The Jews) received him not…but as many as did receive him, to them, he gave power to become the sons of God…even to them that believe on his name.” Thus the entry of the Word, into human flesh was to open the door for many to become the sons of God or like Jesus, 100% God and 100% man in one place at one time. The God-man continues.
If you object to this notion, read Romans 8:29, “For whom he did foreknow, he did also predestinate, to be conformed to the image of his Son…that he (Jesus) might be the 1st born among many brethren.”
Our predestination by God the Father is to be like or in the image of his Son, which is…God dwelling in man…the Word being made flesh in not just one Son but many. Did not Jesus tell his followers that they would do greater things than he, because he was to go to the Father?
Now let’s look at two images from the record of his birth.
• Born in a stable…a portrait of our new birth…Jesus entering into our hearts…both were dirty and un-kept.
• A Babe in swaddling clothes, helpless and dependent upon God to accomplish his destiny…a portrait of us…A babe in Christ, helpless and dependent upon God to fulfill our divine purpose…. to be Christ-like…born again into the image of God.
The Body of Christ upon the earth
I am sure you can see more images just by reading the accounts of his birth and other related scriptures. The point is…the Word became flesh in the embodiment of Jesus. He opened the windows of heaven and poured out his Spirit upon all those who would believe on him so that the Word can once again become flesh, embodied in his saints…thus the Body of Christ is born upon the earth.
To be Christ-like
To be “Born Again” then is to be the temple of the Holy Spirit who brings the Word to life in you …thus millions of believers, full of God, a mirror image…endowed with power from on high, after that the Holy Spirit has come upon them…made in his image… to do greater things than he. This is the purpose for his birth and the destiny of every believer…to be Christ-like.
We know that he first needed to be obedient unto death, even the death of the cross before he could redeem us and lead us into our Christ-like destiny. If you want to see a portrait of your Christ-like destiny, read Galatians 5:22 and see all the fruits that belong to the Spirit of God… that is also the very nature of God, who Jesus was, is and will always be.
LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONGSUFFERING, GENTLENESS, GOODNESS, FAITH, MEEKNESS, TEMPERANCE…against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22
The story of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection continues in all of us who have been “Born Again”. We are the Word made flesh to dwell among mankind as a shining light, pointing the way to God the Father through Jesus Christ, his Son.
Isn’t this what life is all about? Isn’t this the purpose for which we were born? Isn’t this the reason we are alive today…here at this point in time?
It’s been said before that the only Bible others may read is you. The only Jesus they may see is in you…. so much more the need to crucify the lustful affection of the flesh and walk in the Spirit…the fruit thereof evidencing its reality.
Some may ask, “How can I be Christ-Like”? I don’t understand. Let me explain the process. As Jesus was born of a virgin, outside of the Adamic stream that was polluted with sin, (Romans 5:12), so is the Word placed in us…by supernatural overshadowing of the Holy Ghost.
As Jesus had to grow in wisdom and stature, so do we grow in grace. However, the growth is really that of the Word in us. It gets stronger as we are obedient to its call upon our life.
As Jesus had to deny himself, become as a servant, and experience death…so we are called upon to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him. The more we die, the more the Word lives and grows to maturity on its way to becoming incarnate in our flesh.
Note: The Word in you is like a seed that needs to grow but you must make the choice to allow it to grow and even aid its development. How? By applying the written Word in your life. Read it, absorb it, live it, become it. Clothe yourself with
God’s Word until it rules in your life. To walk in the Spirit is to walk in the Word.
Trying is not the way
Many Christians try to be nice, thinking that this is the way to show that they are Christ-like. Trying is not the way. It will frustrate you and lead others astray because it is not real. However, when you apply the Word, it becomes alive in you and the result is that others see Jesus. Yes, they will still see you but they’ll also sense the presence of Christ in you and the written Word that you absorbed, that changed you, will touch their lives and help them in their time of need. As you move in the Word, the Word moves in you.
Here’s an example: You read in Romans chapter eight, that there is now therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ, who walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh. It becomes a “Rhema Word” from God, setting you free from guilt, shame and despair. It changes your entire personality from a sad, heartbroken, depressed individual to a positive hopeful excited person who is full of assurance and faith.
This change in you is not a, “try to be good” effort. It is a genuine transformation caused by the Word taking root in your heart and you allowing it to grow up in you by believing it. The result is Christ dwelling in your heart richly.
Christ In You…the hope of glory
Your transformation will have a profound effect on others who know you and yet see Jesus. This is Christ in you…the hope of glory. This is to be Christ-like. This is the process of conformation into the image of God’s only Son. This is the life in abundance spoken of by Jesus in John 10:10. This is what Christianity is all about. This is the Word made manifest in human flesh.
Does the story of Christmas continue in you? Are you full of doubt, fear and worry…or the fruit of his Spirit? Let us make this Christmas a real celebration by opening our hearts to the infilling of his Spirit and allow ourselves to be conformed to his image.
Only then can we see the Word made flesh and the story of his birth continue. Here’s a poem that expresses “Christ In You”
With Earthen Vessels
Earthen vessels have never shown
such glory that once was known.
Through time and all of eternity,
came the glory of his majesty.
Full of love and full of grace,
He dwelt among the human race
to heal the sick, the blind and the lame,
to free mankind from sin and shame.
With earthen vessel he conquered all
by perfect obedience to his destined call.
For this we praise his holy name,
full of grace and full of fame.
The glory of his majesty
still shines through from eternity.
Again and again to meet life’s call,
in earthen vessels to conquer all.
Written By
John Marinelli
Until next time
John Marinelli
www.MarinelliChristianBooks.com