Hmmm. A little light reading about the Christian use of the word incarnation.
The Meaning of Incarnation
Do you subscribe to the definition in this link Adrian?
On reading it, I can see so many problems. Can you tell me what verse in the Bible mentions an "incarnation"?
Do Christians understand that it isn't even in the Bible at all? "Carnal" means "flesh". By its very definition, there is no such thing as a 'spiritual incarnation'.
John the Baptist took on a similar role to Elijah in "preparing the way" for the Jews to accept Jesus as their Messiah.
There was no "incarnation" with regard to Jesus as most Christians have been taught. His life was transferred from heaven to the womb of a human woman and he was born as a human child with a future mission that would see him lay down his life to pay a debt left for the human race by Adam.
The use of the NIV in this case makes things even worse, because this is not an accurate translation.....
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!"
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (NIV translation).
Here is Philippians 2:6-11 in the ESV....
"6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
NASB....
"6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
DLNT:
"6 Who, while being in the form of God, did not regard the being equal with God a thing-to-be-grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, having taken the form of a slave, having come in the likeness of humans. And having been found as a man in outward-appearance, 8 He humbled Himself, having become obedient to the point of death— and a death of a cross! 9 Therefore God also highly-exalted Him, and granted Him the name above every name 10 in-order-that every knee should bow at the name of Jesus— of heavenly ones and earthly ones and ones under-the-earth— 11 and every tongue should confess-out that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
This is a passage of scripture that needs proper translation or it can come out as the exact opposite to what Paul was saying.
The very first verse sets the stage for what follows. If that first verse is claiming that Jesus "being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage" the rest of the passage makes no sense.
If OTOH Paul was saying that the pre-human Jesus existed in "God's form" we have to ask what form that was? God is a spirit, so Jesus was in the same form before coming to the earth as a human. All who dwell in the spirit realm are spirits, like God.
You will notice in the other translations, that "equality with God was NOT something to be grasped" as if he would use his status as the son of God to claim equality with his superior Father. No, he willingly emptied himself and took on human form. Not as some God/man, but as a spirit being who was given a human body.
In the flood account in the Bible, angels materialized human form and co-habited with women to produce a freakish hybrid race of humans called the Nephilim. (Genesis 6)
As a spirit being, Jesus too could have materialized a human body and laid it down....the only trouble was, he had to be a fleshly relation to Adam to pay the debt. That is how redemption worked in Israel. He had to be a son of Adam to pay the ransom.Through his mother Mary, he was.
Look at the rest of the scripture with that understanding and you will see that it now makes sense.
God exalted Jesus and gave him a new name that was above every other name. YHWH already has a name that is higher than any other, (Psalm 83:18) so every tongue confessing Jesus as Lord recognizes that the glory in all that Jesus accomplished by his sacrifice, belongs to the Father, not just to the son.
Hope that makes sense.....
