The Word Became Flesh

Cover Article

by Michael Jones · Week of April 5, 2026

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Most of us know these words from John's gospel, but when we pause to consider what John actually claims, the audacity should take our breath away. He tells us that before creation, before time itself, there was God and with God was the Word, and this Word was not merely divine thought; this Word was God himself. Then John makes the staggering claim: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." To speak of the incarnation is to speak of a mystery so profound that all our theology is only an attempt to approach its edges.

We cannot fully comprehend how the one who upholds all things by the power of his word, who is infinite and eternal, could become finite and temporal. How could the infinite become an infant? How could the eternal submit to the limitations of human flesh? How could God become vulnerable to pain, hunger, fatigue, and death? Yet this is precisely what the gospel claims happened: not a temporary appearance but genuine incarnation. This was the expression of God's love so complete that it could only be demonstrated by God emptying himself, taking human form, and personally experiencing the cost of human existence and the weight of human sin.

When the Word became flesh, we witnessed the most profound act of love in all creation. God, knowing the suffering it would entail, knowing the rejection it would bring, knowing it would ultimately lead to the cross, became one of us so that we could become one with him. The incarnation fundamentally changes how we understand God. We no longer serve a distant, impersonal force. We serve a God who has walked where we walk, who has experienced hunger and thirst, who has felt human limitation, who has wept at loss, who has been tempted. In Jesus, God became knowable in person. We can observe how he treats the sick, the poor, the outcast, and the broken, and we can know that this is how God treats them.

The incarnation also reveals something profound about human nature and value. If God thought we were worth becoming human, then human existence must matter in ways we often fail to recognize. We live in a world that constantly tries to diminish human worth, to treat people as commodities. But the incarnation declares that human beings are of such value that God himself became one of us. Every person bears the image of God, and God thinks we are worth his love and his life. The incarnation also fundamentally alters our understanding of suffering. For centuries, philosophers struggled with how an all-powerful, all-good God could allow suffering.

The incarnation does not provide an intellectual answer, but it provides something better: God's solidarity with our suffering. God did not stand outside our pain. Rather, God came and experienced pain himself. He experienced loss, rejection, torture, and death. He knows what it is to suffer, and in knowing, he proves that he is with us. This is not a solution to the problem of evil, but it is a presence that transforms it. The incarnation also reminds us that we are called to embody God's love in the world as Jesus did. We are called to see people, really see them, and be present with them in their pain and joy. We are called to speak truth with compassion, stand with the marginalized, , and offer healing wherever we have opportunity.

Other congregations are welcome to reprint this. It may be reproduced in another congregation’s bulletin or newsletter without asking permission. An acknowledgement of Orange View Church of Christ is appreciated but not required.

Bible Questions & Answers

Why is baptism essential for salvation?

This is perhaps the most important question a person can ask, and it deserves a clear answer rooted deeply in Scripture. The simple truth is this: baptism is not optional. It is not a mere symbol; it is essential to becoming a Christian. The Greek word baptizo means to immerse or be buried, which is significant because Paul explained baptism in terms of death and resurrection: we are buried with Christ and raised to newness of life. This picture is not merely poetic. When we are baptized, we are dying to our old way of living apart from God and being raised to a new way of living in obedience to him.

Peter, on the day of Pentecost, when thousands asked what they must do to be saved, did not offer a prayer. Rather, he said: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." Baptism is connected directly to repentance and forgiveness of sins. It is the visible, concrete expression of inward transformation. Throughout the New Testament, the pattern is consistent. When people believe in Jesus and commit themselves to following him, baptism follows. The Samaritan woman, the Ethiopian eunuch, the Philippian jailer and his household, Lydia: in every instance where people became Christians, we also read of them being baptized.

The command Jesus gave to his disciples was clear: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Why is baptism essential? Because it is the point at which we publicly declare our allegiance to Christ and our willingness to follow him as Lord, as well as the time and place where our new life in Christ begins; 1 Peter 3:21 directly says that baptism saves us. In a culture where faith is often treated as private, baptism stands as public declaration. We emerge from the water as a sign to ourselves and the community that we have died to ourselves and risen to new life in Christ. Moreover, forgiveness of sins is specifically connected to baptism in Scripture.

Jesus himself was baptized, not because he needed forgiveness, but to identify with us in our need for transformation. Paul wrote about being baptized into Christ's death, meaning that his death becomes our death and his resurrection becomes our resurrection. This is not merely symbolic; it is a real spiritual reality. When we are baptized, we are baptized into Christ, sharing in his victory over sin and death. We are no longer separated from God by our sins because we have died with Christ and risen with him. This is why baptism is not simply an act that follows belief; it is integral to becoming a Christian.

Some may wonder whether baptism alone is sufficient for salvation. The answer is no. Salvation requires repentance, belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior, submission to him as Lord, and baptism as the public declaration and seal of that commitment. But baptism is essential as part of that complete package. We cannot separate baptism from the other elements of becoming a Christian, nor can we treat it as optional. It is the way God has ordained for us to enter into his family. When we obey God in baptism, we demonstrate our faith and willingness to follow him, and God responds by washing away our sins and giving us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is not works-righteousness but obedience to God's revealed will for how we enter his kingdom. - MJ