John 1:18, says that no man has seen God at anytime; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained him.
Christmas, and the nativity is all about the wonders of incarnation. Our deliverance from the penalty of sin is the result of His blood shed for us; but our deliverance from fallen self and the power of sin, is the result of His life lived in us. In the nativity human flesh clothed divine life, and the likeness of God was revealed through the Son of Man. At our new birth, once again divine life is clothed with human flesh that the sons of men may reveal the likeness of God. This is what sets humanity apart from every other creature; we were created to carry His image, and bear His likeness. You see, Jesus was not just an example for us; he was an example of us. He was the prototype of the new creation; a whole new humanity.
1 Tim. 3:16, “By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:
He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.”
Godliness is a great mystery that can be a frustrating and elusive pursuit without understanding the miracle of incarnation. True godliness, and holiness of life is all about divinity being manifested through yielded humanity. Notice the second line in that 1 Timothy verse; “He who was revealed in the flesh.” The Incarnation was a miracle of course; and of course the Christian life itself is a miracle; and therefore God by the Holy Spirit clothed in your humanity, revealing His likeness in the routine of your daily life, is the greatest sign and wonder of all. You and me, in our weakness and imperfection, become the abiding place of His glory, allowing His light to shine like a star once again, out of our darkness into a fallen world.
