Christ entered the human family that He might be a kinsman and thus meet the requirements laid down for a kinsman redeemer. According to the type seen in the Old Testament (especially the Book of Ruth; Leviticus 25:49; Isaiah 59:20), no one could redeem except he be a near kinsman not involved in the condition from which he wished to rescue. He must also be willing as well as able to redeem. Christ fulfilled all this perfectly when He became a kinsman by being born into the human family.

Through His incarnation, Christ combined both the perfect, divine nature of God and human nature in one Person. He was no less God because of His humanity and no more than human as respects humanity because of the divine being which He was.

If the Word (Logos) was to become "flesh" and as Immanuel be one of the human family, there was but one way it could be done. He must submit to a human birth.

It is often assumed that Christ began to be at the time of His birth by the virgin. However, He was from all eternity. From the standpoint of fact, then, humanity was only added to deity.

—From Systematic Theology by Lewis Sperry Chafer, Copyright 1993 Kregel Publications, PO Box 2607, Grand Rapids, MI 49501. Used by permission.