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A MEDITATION O N THE. IN C A R N A T IO N by BERNARD RAMM , M.A.*
O NE of the most famous books in the history of the Christian church bears this title: Cur Deus Homo? It was written by that great theologian of the Middle Ages, St. Anselm. Trans lated into English, this title reads: “Why did God become Man?” The ques tion is asked because of the positive affirmation of Christianity: God became Man! Christianity centers around Bethlehem and Jerusalem. At Bethlehem Jesus was bom. At Jerusalem He was crucified. At Jerusalem He rose from the dead. At Jerusalem the Holy Spirit came. The eternal plan of redemption was wrought out within the few miles between Beth lehem and Jerusalem. Bethlehem means the incarnation. Calvary means the atonement. Easter means the resurrec tion. Pentecost means regeneration! Christianity is not a speculative re ligion about what God ought to be like; it is an historical religion about what God has done. Thus, each of the great theological affirmations of Chris tianity is tied in with an historical event. History gives us factuality, definiteness, specificness. Theology gives us interpre tation and meaning. And so Christianity is theological history and historical the ology! The historical part of Christian ity—Jesus Christ, born, crucified, risen— saves us from the endless reveries of speculation and the changing sands of philosophy. The theological part of Christianity gives life its true and di vine interpretation. And so Christmas is a day in a history book. It is not a dream of some seer, nor the fancy of a poet. It is history. It is something that literally, actually hap pened in 3 or 4 B.C., according to what historians tell us. It happened in a town we may see to this day—Bethlehem, and in circumstances that historians and archaeologists have verified as not fic titious. It occurred to a people with a long history before and after the event. It was not done in a corner, but was heralded by the wise men of the east in the very court of Herod! But Christmas is more than a birth day. It is that, for sure, but Christmas is more! Christmas is theology. Christ mas is this truth: God became Man! If it were merely a birthday, it would be a most ordinary affair, for the greatness of a man is not how he was born, but how he lived, and what he did. Christ mas is what God accomplished through His Son, Jesus Christ. Notice the attestations of God to this birth to show that it is as much theology as a natal day. Angels appeared to the *Head of the Department of Apologet ics of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. D E C E M B E R , I 9 49
of the Gentiles. The wise men signify that all the true wisdom of life is found in this Child, and that the truly wise man is he who is wise unto salvation that is through faith in this Holy One of Bethlehem. Christmas is theology. The dreams, the angels, the star, the shepherds, the wise men, the providences of God, all bear witness to this fact. But what is the theology of Christmas, but the in carnation? Our salvation depends upon the fact that the Holy Spirit has come to regenerate those who believe. The urection. His resurrection is dependent coming of the Spirit is dependent upon the glorification of Christ. The glorifica- tionof Christ is dependent upon His res- rection. His resurrection is dependent upon His death. One can only die if he has a body. Christ could have a body only by an incarnation. So the keystone in the arch of salvation is the incarnation. The first and holding link in the chain of redemption is the incarnation. All that happens afterwards is dependent upon it. Christmas first, foremost, always means to the Christian, the incarnation! Christmas is a birthday; but it is also theology. But what is the theology of the incarnation? The incarnation is grounded upon two focal points. The first is the sin of man. If there were no sin, there would be no incarnation, for the incarnation is the foundational block in the pillar of sal vation. The other point of reference is the eternal love of God. If there were no love, there would be no incarnation. Sin and love—what a strange mixture! And even more strange, the incarnation is found at the center of sin and love! Sin is of man; love is of God. What else could mediate between them but the in carnation? The love of God planned, commissioned and sent. The sin of man demanded a payment, a payment that could only be paid with a body. And so, a body had to be provided, and provided within the full requirements of the Old Testament sacrificial system. The answer was the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, land of the Jews, under the rulership of the Romans. God He was. This was clearly promised in the Old Testament Scriptures. It is not too difficult a task for a good theo logian to show that the Messiah of the Jews was a Divine Person—in Christian terminology, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. God He was, for it is even more facile to prove from the pages of the New Testament that Jesus of Nazareth is God. This forever puts Jesus of Nazareth out of the class of mere prophet, mere teacher, the mere founder of a religion. He stands transcendent ( Continued on Page SU) Page Eleven
parents of John the Baptist to ade quately prepare the scene in Israel for the Messiah’s day of presentation. An gels came to Mary and Joseph that they might know that this was not only a hu man birth, but theology in the making. The marvelous providence of God so moved the kings and kingdoms of this world that Jesus was born in Bethlehem
Etching of Innocence
He lay there in a manger, He had no proper bed, Nor any downy pillow Beneath His lovely head.
Cattle slept about Him, Their breath was warm and sweet.
Perhaps a furry kitten Cuddled at His feet.
Picture baby Jesus, So rosy He, and fair, Among the gentle creatures. I know He liked it there. Sweet, tender baby Jesus, Could I tiptoe in And lay my heart before you? It is so stained with sin!
— Martha Snell Nicholson
as prophesied of the Messiah in the Old Testament. Angels sent the shepherds to behold the Child. These were unusual shepherds. Scholars tell us that there was a special tower near Bethlehem that was kept by shepherds employed by the temple. Any sheep straying as far as this tower could be taken by these shep herds back up to Jerusalem to keep the sacrificial services in progress. So the shepherds of the altar are brought to see the Lamb of God who would end all of their trips to Jerusalem with His sacri ficial death. Through the mysterious providences of God, wise men of the east were brought by the miracle of a star to Bethlehem. What a star that was! Its movements were so close and definite that the wise men could follow it right to the house where the Lord was. Yet it neither burned nor scorched the earth. Nor did the other inhabitants of the land apparently see it. It was His star; and revealed only to those whom He chose to see it. The wise men mean that this Child, though King of the Jews, is a Saviour
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