The Incarnation: God Became Man
Last updated: 2026-09-08
The Incarnation is the miraculous event where the eternal Son of God took upon Himself a true human nature, becoming one person with two natures—fully God and fully man—to secure our salvation. This mystery signifies that the Creator entered His own creation to live, suffer, and die on behalf of sinners.
The Mystery of God Become Man
The Incarnation is the foundation of our hope. As the Athanasian Creed confesses, our Lord Jesus Christ is one Christ, not by the conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking the manhood into God. He is perfect God and perfect man, possessing both a reasonable soul and human flesh. This is beautifully summarized in the Westminster Shorter Catechism Q.22, which explains that Christ became man by taking to himself a true body and a soul, conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary. As the Apostle John declares: John 1:14.
Sources Athanasian Creed Westminster Shorter Catechism Q.22 John 1:14
The Purpose of His Coming
The Incarnation was not a mere display of divine power, but a necessary act of redemption. As John Owen notes in The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, the incarnation is peculiarly ascribed to the Son as the first step in the work of our salvation, leading directly to His oblation and intercession. Christ became small so that we, who are deeply flawed and sinful, might be lifted up. In this God-Man we find full acceptance before the Father, for He assumed our human nature to act as our representative. As it is written: Galatians 4:4-5.
Sources The Death of Death in the Death of Christ (John Owen) Galatians 4:4-5 The Death of Death in the Death of Christ
It was necessary for Christ to be both God and man so that as our Mediator, He could fully represent both parties, satisfy divine justice on our behalf, and bridge the infinite gap between a holy God and sinful humanity. By becoming man, He was capable of suffering and dying in our place, while as God, He had the infinite power to overcome death and secure our salvation.
A Mediator for God and Man
The necessity of the Incarnation lies in the role of the Mediator. Scripture teaches there is "one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). Because humanity had fallen into sin, alienated from the life of God, it was impossible for us to ascend to Him. Thus, the Godhead descended to us. As explained in Westminster Larger Catechism Q.40, it was requisite for the Mediator to be both God and man in one person so that the proper works of each nature might be accepted by God for us and relied upon by us as the works of a single person.
Sources 1 Timothy 2:5 Westminster Larger Catechism Q.40
Suffering and Victory
Christ needed to be man so that He could truly represent our nature and pay the penalty for our disobedience. Since God as God cannot suffer, and man as man cannot overcome death, He united the two natures. In this union, He was "in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). This allows us to trust Him, knowing He is intimately acquainted with our infirmities. As noted in the Institutes of the Christian Religion, Chapter 12, by assuming our nature, He converted us from heirs of hell into children of God, extending to us the inheritance that was His by nature, making us partners with Him.
Sources Hebrews 4:15 Institutes of the Christian Religion Institutes of the Christian Religion, Chapter 12
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