Christ was Manifested in the Flesh
The Breakdown: In regards to Christ, the church first confesses that “He was manifested in the flesh.” This is a direct reference to the incarnation of Christ—that as God, Jesus took on human flesh, thus God became man in the person of Jesus. John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1,14). The word manifested means “to make visible,” and it refers to how Jesus “is the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15).
Activate: Many are familiar with the story of how Christ came into the world, but few know exactly why He came into the world. Ultimately, Jesus appeared in the manger so that He would go to the cross; He came to die for our sins. 1 Jn. 3:5 states, “You know that He appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin.” Jesus came to take away sin by taking it upon Himself at the cross, thus becoming sin for sinful humans (2 Cor. 5:21).
A Thought: Paul writes, “though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Treasure this great truth: that Jesus, the living, eternal God, was manifested in the flesh so that you may be saved.
