WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT GOD WAS MANIFEST IN THE FLESH?

[Doug]

[1Timothy 3:16 KJV] 16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Many think that when this verse says God was manifest in the flesh, it is saying God was made flesh.

[Isaiah 7:14 KJV] 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

[Matthew 1:22-23 KJV] 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

What needs consideration is that 1 Timothy 3:16 says it is a mystery. That God would be among us in the flesh was not a mystery, but was found in Isiah.

[2Corinthians 4:10-11 KJV] 10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

What I see is that God was manifest in our mortal flesh. 2 Corinthians above clearly states that the life of Jesus is manifest in us.

 

[LoveYeshua]

The words “God was manifest in the flesh” do not mean that God stopped being God and turned into a man, nor do they mean that every believer equally becomes a manifestation of God in their body. What it means is that God revealed Himself to the world through His Son Jesus Christ, who came in human form. Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9), and again, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). In Him, God’s character, power, and love were made visible in a way mankind could see and understand.

The prophets had already spoken of this when Isaiah declared, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14), which Matthew explained means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). This does not mean God left heaven or ceased to be divine, but that His presence and glory were among men through His Son. Jesus carried the very image of God, showing us exactly who the Father is.

The mistake some make is to confuse this with the believer’s life in Christ, as if God being manifest in the flesh meant that God is equally manifest in all our mortal bodies in the same way He was in Christ. That is not so. When Jesus lived on earth, He was the unique and perfect manifestation of God’s nature. The Father Himself testified, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). No man has ever revealed God in that perfect fullness except Jesus. Yet it is also true that through Him, His life can shine in us if we abide in Him, just as He said, “Abide in Me, and I in you”(John 15:4). But that is a reflection of His life in us, not the same as the incarnation of God in Christ.

The great mystery is not simply that God would be among His people—for Isaiah had already said He would be Immanuel. The mystery is that the Almighty chose to reveal Himself in humility, through a child born of a virgin, living as a man, yet carrying the authority and Spirit of God in full measure. In Christ, God’s words, will, and presence were revealed in human flesh so that all could see Him and believe. As Jesus Himself explained, “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak” (John 12:49).

Thus, “God was manifest in the flesh” means that through His Son, the invisible God became visible, and His glory, mercy, and truth were shown to the world in a human life. This is the mystery of godliness—that the eternal God made Himself known to men through His Son, so that in seeing Christ, we behold the Father, and by following Him, that same life may be reflected in us.

Jesus if the one we all need to follow and no one else.