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Hebrews 2:14–18 (ESV)
11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family...
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 18: The Incarnation
So then we confess
that God fulfilled the promise
which he had made to the early fathers
by the mouth of his holy prophets
when he sent his only and eternal Son
into the world
at the time set by him.
The Son took the “form of a servant”
and was made in the “likeness of man,”
truly assuming a real human nature,
with all its weaknesses,
except for sin;
being conceived in the womb of the blessed virgin Mary
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
without male participation.
And he not only assumed human nature
as far as the body is concerned
but also a real human soul,
in order that he might be a real human being.
For since the soul had been lost as well as the body
he had to assume them both
to save them both together.
In this way he is truly our Immanuel—
that is: “God with us.”
Summary
As we began our journey through the Belgic Confession earlier this year, we looked at what it means when we confess that our God is omnipotent, and how although God can do all that He pleases, it doesn't mean He can do all things. For example, God cannot do evil, since doing so would violate who and what He is.
This is critical to remember as we begin to understand exactly how our salvation was accomplished. God could not save us from a distance. He couldn't just declare "Let them be saved" the way that He called light into being. Only a man could satisfy God's covenant, so therefore God needed to become a man so "that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death (v14)."
This is why Jesus had to become a man "in every respect (v17)." It wouldn't be enough for Him to just come down and be with us, or even to simply look like us. He needed to become a man in every regard: He needed a physical body, as well as a spiritual soul.
Jesus took on human nature "so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest..." Remember, whereas a prophet is one who represents God to us, a priest represents us to God. The only way for you to be perfectly represented before God was for Jesus to become God incarnate: that is, God in flesh.
Dig Deeper
How often haven't you said to someone going through a trial something along the lines of "I know what you're going through..." Certainly we say this sincerely in a way that we hope helps, but ultimately the only way to truly know what it's like to go through something is to actually go through the exact same experience ourselves.
Certainly the primary reason the Son of God became man was "to make propitiation (atonement / payment) for the sins of the people." Jesus did this by taking on all of our sin and bearing the holy wrath of God as He hung on the cross. But in doing so, Jesus came to know first hand exactly what it's like to live as a human being in this fallen and broken world.
Jesus suffered as He was tempted through life to a degree the rest of us will never truly experience. He can honestly say that He knows what it's like to be us, but we could never say that we know what it was like to be Him as He endured the worst of what Satan could muster. But because He endured this unimaginable suffering in life, "He is able to help those who are being tempted."
Jesus suffered physically, mentally, and spiritually. Know that in whatever of these ways you are suffering (maybe even all of them!), Jesus can help you endure it.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who sent His one and only Son to become a man;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will cling to Christ when suffering through temptation, since He knows what you're going through and is able to help;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Romans 13
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