The Bible is filled with stories of miracles. By an Oxford definition, miracle is “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.” Our life is filled with miracles—whether we realized it or not—because we are God’s masterpiece created by Him for [and to reflect] His glory.
This Christmas, and every year’s Christmas, we celebrate one of the greatest miracles in history: the incarnation of God. The Creator of all things—God of the universe—took a human body [flesh] as it is written: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14). Of His miraculous birth, Scripture records: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23).
Jesus, the Son of God, came to this world through the miracle of virgin birth—an account that is unequivocally testified by both the Gospel and the Qur’an—that has never happened to anyone else in history. Remarkably, this miracle of incarnation happened long before the miracles of water-to-wine conversion and even resurrection.
We, Christians, often have a stronger association of God’s miracle with the story of Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana or the story of His bodily resurrection from the grave than with the story of Christ’s embodiment of God. But, what if God’s incarnation is more than just a story?
Scripture reveals that Jesus Christ is the exact representation [perfect image or imprint] of God (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus Himself declares that He has ALL authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18), including His power over life and death (John 10:18; John 11:25; Revelation 1:18); all of which signify His divine nature. What a humbling story it is that the [holy] One who rules the universe is willing to come down from His heavenly throne and reach out to [sinful] humanity to save us from sin, evil, and death and restore our relationship with Him!
This divine work of redemption is preceded by the divine miracle of incarnation.
Concisely, there are at least three aspects that, I believe, demonstrate why God’s incarnation is the miracle of Christmas we all need in life.
God’s Incarnation: Divine Love In Action For Our Salvation
We know the heart of God is always for people—the crown of His creation—created in His image. That’s why it is written, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). God loves, so He gives. And the best gift He can offer to humanity is His own life. This is the beauty of the Gospel: God reaching out to men rather than men reaching out to God. In other words, as C.S. Lewis penned it, the Son of God became a man, so that men might become the sons of God.
Of course, the Almighty God, in His sovereignty, wisdom, and power, could choose to become anything He wanted—water, fire, rock, book, even heavenly or earthly creature—to save His people. Yet, He chose to empty Himself by giving up His divine privileges and took the humble position of a slave by being born as a human being (Philippians 2:7). God’s incarnation in Christ shows that true love always acts for the good of His beloved ones. And this love is so powerful that it is given sacrificially, not to His friends, but to His enemies, as it is written, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). In order to rescue and redeem humanity, God chose to become a human being—so small that we could know Him personally and experience His love.
God’s Incarnation: Divine Answer To Our Deepest Need
As humans are created in God’s image and for His glory, we cannot truly live apart from Him. Therefore, our deepest need is relationship with Him, which was broken by sin due to our willful choice to disobey Him. To bring us back to Him, God took the unexpected path: the holy and perfect One was born in a manger into this fallen world and made His dwelling among sinners. In humility, He came [and still comes] to us in our disastrous circumstances, so we know that He is faithfully with us and that He mercifully cares for us. As it is written, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15). What a great blessing that our deepest need is fulfilled, not by other persons or earthly things, but by God Himself!
Perhaps, the most extraordinary exchange or substitution ever happened in history is this: “God made Christ who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21). It’s as if God said to us, “Let Me take all your sin and you can have My righteousness.” or, in my own simpler terms, “Let Me be so ugly that you can be holy, pure, and beautiful.” It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? To me, this truth only makes sense in the light of His “crazy” (passionate and compassionate) love for us. In order to relate with humanity, God chose to become a human being—so lowly that we could humbly realize, believe, and delight in His presence: in us and among us.
God’s Incarnation: Divine Call To Embrace Life
The God of men became a Man of God to be our ultimate example, so the sons of God and man can follow the Son of God. For so long in history, mankind has searched for truth: people have mistaken creation for the Creator and they wrongly chose to worship the visible objects rather than the Invisible One. While sinners, in their disbelief, demand visible evidence for God, Scripture has long revealed that God’s invisible attributes—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen in the creation so that people have no excuse for their disobedience (Romans 1:20). God’s invitation for humanity to “embrace” Him is everywhere and even more, with the Internet and information technology, we are really without excuse for not paying attention and responding to His call today.
As if the [visible] creation were not enough, we have been given Christ—the visible Person of God taking a human body which consists of flesh, blood, and bones and had been touched and seen by the disciples and the eyewitnesses over two thousand years ago. Today, we are the recipients of this testimony, much shared to us at a great cost of Christ’s followers giving up their own lives. A careful study of Scripture, science, or history should lead us to faith in God that enables us to see this Jesus Christ as our role model to trust and follow—more than just as an influential or a historical figure to know. Scripture presents to us this call or challenge: “Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:6). The Lord Jesus Himself gives us this command that elevates our life’s standard: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48), consistently reflecting the character of Jehovah God who calls His people into His holiness (Leviticus 11:45; 1 Peter 1:16). This is God-given purpose for us: to live as Jesus lived, to walk as He walked, in His ways of love. This message of God’s reconciliation and restoration still rings true and calls us today to repentance. Every year, especially during Christmas season, God gives us the opportunity to “embrace” this newborn baby. In order to restore humanity, God chose to become a human being—so gentle that we could ask Him to be born in us today, softening and transforming our hearts from within.
This article was originally written by the author in Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada on December 15, 2025.
The featured image was generated with AI.
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