God Becomes Man (Revised)

God Becomes Man

We must remember that the Son of God did not become man at His birth, but at His conception.

This message is continued in The Birth of Jesus.

The references for the Jewish calendar dates referred to can be found at Daniel’s Timeline For Jesus.

Our God is a Spirit who has always been, who always will be, who has made everything, and rules over it. Being a spirit, we can’t always understand everything about our Creator, His Heavenly Kingdom, or the universe He made. Our God is one God, one supreme spiritual being, yet has three distinct persons within His one spiritual being.

Our God is the Heavenly Father who is the mastermind of all that has or ever will happen, of all that has been or will be created. Our God is the Holy Spirit who brings life to every spiritual being or physical creature the Father has or will create. The spirit lives within believers’ hearts and introduces us (spiritually) to Jesus.

Our God is the only Son of the Father who is the Word, the activator who makes His Father’s words, plans, and wishes happen. The Son came down from Heaven to become man, became Jesus, and died to save us from our sins. He then arose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, assuring all believers of eternal life. This message is about why, how, and when the Son of God became man.

*In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. Jn 1:1-3 KJV

*so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isa 55:11 NIV+

Our Father knew before the universe was created that the free will given to angelic beings and mankind would bring evil into His creation. That some of the angelic beings and people on earth would oppose and fight the very God who made them. Yet one must have a free will to love, and our Father greatly desired to have children who would love Him back. Our Father knew He would have to make a plan to save believers when sin would be introduced into the world. He knew the great price His Son would have to pay in becoming man, in dying a brutal death as atonement for our sins. Yet out of our God’s great love for those who would become His children, we were created.

*As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 1Pe 4:1 NIV+

*For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:16-17 KJV

God created the world, everything in Heaven, in earth and it was good. Adam and Eve were a new creation, a different creature. They would have a holy eternal spirit and soul, a spiritual being like their Creator, like the angelic spiritual beings in Heaven. But they were also given a mortal physical body in which their spiritual being would live, a temporal physical mind with a free will which could control the decisions of their physical and spiritual beings. The Father designed the man and woman, the Son physically made Adam and Eve, and the Spirit gave life to them. See Our God

Then sin, which is disobedience to our God, was created. Satan, a powerful spiritual being, most likely an archangel, defied God, opposed God, bringing evil into the perfect world of our God. Satan enticed Eve, and then Eve enticed Adam to disobey God. Sin had entered man and woman; the punishment would be banishment from God for they were no longer holy. They would now have to physically die, and their eternal spiritual beings would be sent to live in Hell forever. See Our Sins

Yet out of love for us our Father devised a plan to redeem them, to redeem us. The Father promised to send His Son as a sacrifice to die for the sins of all who would believe in Him. Though Satan would strike Jesus’ heel, and force Jesus to die for our sins, Jesus’ death would crush Satan’s head. For Satan no longer has any control over believers, death has no power against us. Through His death on the cross Jesus can forgive our sins, make us holy once more, make us children of God. When our physical bodies die, our spiritual being goes to Heaven. When Jesus comes again He will resurrect believers’ bodies, and with those believers who are still alive, He will give us glorified bodies and take us home to a new Heaven to live with Him forever. See How Our Sins Are Forgiven

*And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Gen 3:15 NIV+

The Father punished Adam and Eve when they first disobeyed Him in the garden, putting the curse of physical death upon Adam for his sin. We all are conceived in sin because we all inherit Adam’s original sin. Inherited sin came through Adam, comes through his seed, through man’s seed forever. Original sin causes us to physically die, and after our physical death this sin, along with all of our other sins, unless forgiven, will cause our eternal spirit to be cast into Hell to await the judgment day.

*Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." Gen 3:17-19 NKJV+

*Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned - Ro 5:12 NIV+

Our Father’s plan of salvation allowed the Son to be conceived as a holy, sinless physical man, in the womb of Mary. Original sin comes from Adam, from his seed, and will always be passed on through the seed of man. Man’s seed passes original sin to both men and women when it is combined with woman’s egg to conceive a child within her womb. Eve sinned, was part of the original sin committed in the garden, and therefore would have to die. Eve’s punishment for her original sin, inherited by all women, was hard childbirth and a desire for man under whom she would have to live. Our Father’s plan did not pass on inherited sin through Eve’s seed, would not pass inherited sin through any woman’s seed, including Mary. The Holy Spirit miraculously impregnated Jesus within Mary’s womb, using man’s seed without any inherited sin, or any other sin within it. This allowed Jesus to be conceived in holiness, without sin. Jesus is the only perfect sinless physical person who ever was conceived. The only one who was worthy to give His life as a ransom for our sins.

*To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." Gen 3:16 NKJV+

*Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil— Heb 2:14 NIV+

*For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2Co 5:21 NKJV+

We are all given life when the Spirit creates an eternal spiritual being within our tiny mortal physical being, after it has been conceived. The Spirit creates our spiritual being holy, for He cannot create anything which is not holy. We are conceived in sin because of our physical inherited sin from Adam, from his seed, and our spiritual being can sin from its creation. Yet our spiritual being is created holy when we are given life.

*"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Jn 3:6 NASB+

*Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor On those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they? Hab 1:13 NASB+

The Spirit created a holy spiritual being within the holy physical being of Jesus in Mary’s womb. The Spirit then united the Son of God’s spiritual being, which has always been, with the newly created spiritual being of Jesus the man. This is the same way believers are spiritual united with our God today. Through faith, through the atoning death of Jesus, we become spiritually holy before our God. He can then live spiritually in us, and we can spiritually live in Him.

*"In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. Jn 14:20 NASB+

*If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. Ro 8:10 NASB+

The Father’s plan of salvation was completed not by chance, but through His wisdom, His design. All things would work together, happen at the appropriate time, so the plan could be completed. There would be many miracles, blessings, and hardships given in implementing this plan. The plan began with the announcement of the conception of a messenger, John, who would precede Jesus and prepare the way for Him.

*"See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the Lord Almighty. Mal 3:1 NIV+

The conception of John – Jewish month of Tammuz (June/July) before the 10^thday, 7 BC

Look at intimate details of our Father’s plan. Zechariah, a temple priest at Jerusalem, and his wife Elizabeth loved God, prayed to Him for a child, yet they were old and childless. The Father had saved them for a special task, would give them a special gift, a son, though they were too old to have children. An angel appeared to Zechariah in the temple and told him that his wife would have a son, and they should call him John. Luke 1:8-25

*But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years. Lk 1:7 NIV+

*But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. Lk 1:13 NASB+

An angel announced John’s birth and how he was to be named. The angel also said John was not to drink wine or liquor and that he would be filled with the Spirit while he was still in the womb. The angel foretold that John would be a great prophet like Elijah, preparing the way for our Lord. When his father Zechariah would not believe what the angel said, the angel made him mute until John was born. After John was born Zechariah was filled with the Spirit and amazed listeners as he eloquently told many how his son would be a great prophet. These special announcements, happenings, gained notoriety, would be remembered when John began his ministry. They helped him with his credibility, and the ability to get people to listen.

*"For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb. Lk 1:15 NASB+

*He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Lk 1:17 NKJV+

John was called and will always be remembered as John the Baptist. He would proceed and prepare the way for Jesus from his conception until Jesus began His ministry. Because Zechariah was a priest, John would also inherit his father’s position as a priest. As a priest, and prophet, John could consecrate Jesus to fulfill the Old Covenant Laws that were required before Jesus could begin His ministry. Jesus told us there was no greater prophet than John.

*Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. Matt 3:15 NIV+

*For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; Lk 7:ptn28 NKJV+

The time clock for the Son to come down and become man had begun when Elizabeth conceived. After Elizabeth conceived she would remain to herself for 5 months, praising and thanking God for the blessing of her son. In Elizabeth’s 6th month of pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent to Mary announcing she would conceive Jesus. John would always be the time clock for Jesus, preceding the Messiah by 6 plus months. For we do not know how far along Elizabeth was in her 6^th month.

*After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people." Lk 1:24-25 NIV+

*Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, Lk 1:26 ASV

The Son of God became man a little over six months after Elizabeth conceived John. A young woman named Mary, who lived in Nazareth and was a virgin, conceived a Son who was Jesus. Jesus was the Son of God coming down to be made a physical man in her womb.

*So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." Matt 1:22-23 NKJV+

The conception of Jesus Jewish month of Tevet (Dec/Jan) around the 10^th Day, 6BC

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin? The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. Lk 1:26-38 NIV+

The Father’s intimate details continued with the young woman whom He chose to be the mother of Jesus. Mary and her husband had to be descendants of David. Mary was also a relative of Elizabeth and would be accepted into her home as a house guest where the two chosen women could be companions, encouraging each other. Mary was humble and obedient, would trust the Lord, and would be His servant in any task asked. She was also a virgin, yet was engaged so there would be an earthly stepfather to make the family complete.

Mary was frightened when the angel appeared, yet was strong enough to clearly understand what He said. She was brave enough to ask the question of how she could conceive when she was still a virgin. She had a strong faith, and was able to accept the Spirit’s miracle that would happen within her, though she really did not completely understand how she would conceive, how the Holy Spirit would bring the Son of God into the baby Jesus, who would be made alive in her womb. Mary was overwhelmed, yet believed with God all things are possible, and accepted the message she was given. After the angel left, Mary continued thinking about the miracle that would happen - the son that would be within her, the son she would bear, and call Jesus.

Jesus did not come down from Heaven, but the Spirit conceived Jesus in the womb of a woman. The Son came down from Heaven, an almighty eternal spirit and soul, with no beginning, with no end, to become man, to become Jesus.

*God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth. Jn 4:24 ASV

*The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Jn 1:14 NIV+

Jesus was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb as a holy physical being, a tiny body and mind. The Spirit then created a new holy spiritual being of man within this holy physical being. Then the Spirit united the Son’s holy spiritual being with this newly created spiritual being. This created life within this tiny, physical baby who would be called Jesus. The Father’s only Son had come down to us, became man, in the womb of a virgin named Mary.

*but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. Phil 2:7 NIV+

*For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Heb 2:17 NIV+

Today we can say Jesus came down from Heaven because Jesus and the Son of God became the same person. Jesus is both the spiritual Son of God who came down from Heaven, and the physical Son of Man who was created in Mary’s womb. But we must always remember that the Son was God, a spirit. At a later time the Son came down from Heaven and became a man; He became Jesus. The Son of God was made man, named Jesus, and was conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit.

*Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God." Then they all said, "Are You then the Son of God?" So He said to them, "You rightly say that I am." Lk 22:69-70 NKJV+

We must realize what the Son did for us and abide in the love He has for us. The Son came down from the glory of God on high, from being the supreme God of the universe, to become a small frail baby who would live nine months in the womb of a woman. The Psalmist best describes the womb as the secret place in the depth of the earth. Here the Son of God became Jesus, who was both God and man.

*And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. Jn 17:5 NIV+

*My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Ps 139:13-16 NIV+

*The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God Lk 1:35 NASB+

We must accept the Father’s great plan of salvation in sending His Son to become man. Jesus, the Word, was crucified as atonement for the sins of all who would believe in Him.

*He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Ps 107:20 NIV+

Message continued in The Birth of Jesus

Birth-Death-Resurrection of Jesus

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