Christ is fully God and fully human. He is not 50% God and 50% human. That would make him neither God nor human. But the church has come to understand that Christ is fully God and fully human. He is the God-man. He is the Divine Redeemer. For him to atone for human sin, he had to be human. For him to reconcile the human race to God, he had to be divine. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven and was made man.

One of the benefits we gain from Jesus’ incarnation is that he came to be our Savior. That is the meaning of his name: Jesus. His name speaks of the salvation of God. We know that he came to die to atone for our sins. If he was not human, he could not have died. If he could not have died, he could not have died for us. All that is said about the cross of Christ and the death of Christ could only take place because he became human.

Another benefit of Christ becoming human is that he understands us fully. And we can know that he understands us. Sometimes we hear that someone might be able to help us, but we are hesitant to go and ask. We wonder, does he really understand what I go through? How can he help me if he cannot relate to me? Does he know what I go through? In Hebrews we read that we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with us, but who is just like us in every way, except for sin. Therefore we can go to the throne of mercy and receive grace and mercy in our time of need. Christ knows exactly what we go through. He went through it himself.

Because Christ is fully human, he can be our example. God wants us to copy Jesus. He is the pattern that we are being fashioned into. This happens by the work of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is that process whereby we day by day die to the old sinful ways and live unto righteousness more and more. It is an act of God’s grace. The means that the Spirit uses to sanctify us is not a mystery. It is through the preaching of the Word and the Sacraments that we get Jesus more in us. It is by reading the gospels (and really knowing all of God’s Word) that we learn about the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. Christ is indeed our example.

The incarnation is also important because it underlines how valuable human life is. Not only did God create us in his image, but God to our human form in Christ. Is that not amazing? Does that not tell us how we are to value human life? In the traditional wedding service (and I like the traditional service) we are reminded that Jesus honored marriage by performing his first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. The crisis? They had run out of wine for the celebration. It was a social faux paux. Perhaps a significant one, but still, it was not life or death. Yet Jesus honored it by performing his first miracle there. He started his ministry in one sense at the wedding. That does say something about what Christ thinks about weddings and people’s celebration of them.

Now think about the fact that Christ did not become an angel or celestial being. He became human. He became one of us. What does that say about the value of human life? Human life is not valued in many quarters. War makes life cheap. There are other things that cheapen life. The sheer numbers of senseless deaths on the highways, through abortion and acts of violence tend to numb us to the horror of all that loss. Are we lulled into accepting a view that human life is cheap? It is not in God’s eyes. That is one thing we learn from God’s decision to become human in Christ.

Do you understand what it meant for God to become human in Christ? Do you understand its significance for you? Do you know that Christ came to die for you? Do you know that he understands what you go through? Do you know the example he gave for you? Do you know the compassion he has for human beings? Most importantly, do you know the love he has for you? Knowing the love of God for you, impressed on your mind through the Holy Bible and sealed on your heart by the Holy Spirit is the root of what faith is. Do you know his love for you?