Jesus' Incarnation and Suffering: Change or Continuity

This truth addresses the nature of Christ's incarnation and its implications for our understanding of God's immutability. Paul writes in Romans 8:28 that God works all things for the good of those who love him, and this includes the incarnation of Jesus Christ, who took on human flesh without undergoing a change in his divine nature. The descriptions of Jesus in heaven, such as the lamb that was slain, with visible marks of his suffering, do not imply a change in his divine nature, but rather a continuation of his humiliation and exaltation as the mediator between God and humanity.

The Reformed tradition affirms that Jesus' incarnation was a voluntary condescension, in which he took on a human body without compromising his divine attributes. This means that Jesus' human body was subject to change, such as suffering and death, but his divine nature remained unchanged. The gospel connection here is that Jesus' willingness to take on human flesh and suffer on our behalf demonstrates the depths of God's love for humanity.

The idea that Jesus underwent change from his incarnation, suffering, and resurrection is a common misconception that can be addressed by considering the distinction between Christ's divine and human natures. As the Westminster Confession puts it, Christ's human nature was subject to change, but his divine nature remained unchanged, and it is this unchanged divine nature that is the foundation of our salvation and our confidence in God's immutability.