“It is finished.” –John 19:30
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. (John 1:14 NLT)
The joining of God and man in the person of Jesus was something altogether new. The very idea of the Incarnation was like nothing that had ever been imagined by humanity before Jesus arrived on the scene. Jesus was not exiled from heaven, nor was He merely pretending to be a man. He truly was fully God and fully man in one person.
Most importantly, it was the only way for the cross to work. For God to restore all of creation back into right relationship with Himself, and us with each other—for those who follow God to be made into new creations—Jesus needed to be the perfect sacrifice. This meant Jesus needed to be more than a man, for no mere human could ever be perfect. It was only in the joining of the two natures—man and God in one person, both in their fullness—that redemption could ever be possible. The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world also needed to be the Lion of Judah. Though we have been made new through Christ, this newness does not always fully manifest in our lives. Invite Jesus to go to work today renewing those places that are still in need of His redemptive blood.