Saturday, December 6, 2014

The War over God meeting Man


incarnation : Close view of beautiful stained glass paintings depicting religious Christian scenes. 
From the beginning of Creation, the purpose of Lucifer's sin has been to sever the ties between Man and God.  Ultimately the plan and existence of the incarnation of Jesus Christ has destroyed this goal.
Yet those with an earthly understanding wonder in amazement and disgust.  How can God become man?  The pagans, attempted this doctrine on the half-breed Gilgamesh to no avail.  For Gilgamesh remained a mortal. The Gnostics, in protection of their platonic “god”, had a spirit adopt Christ.  The early church vomited this notion as they remembered Paul saying, “One Lord, one Faith”(Ephesians 4:5) and John reminding us that the spirit of antichrist would deny that Christ came in the flesh.(1John 4:1-3)
Some would attempt to downgrade the divinity of Christ as only a “son of god”.  Yet this would've justified the scribes retort, “who can forgive sins but God only?” Mark 2:9

Many would later turn against the spiritual realm and strip Christ of divinity, only with a reputation as a great teacher.   Yet, how could Christ be great, or even a good teacher, if he were a liar claiming to be the only way to heaven? (john 14:6)
Some would return to the gnostic view by claiming a Christ of Faith separate from a Christ of history. Yet this was only the rejected false teaching of two Christs, which would be rejected as it had earlier been.
New Age philosophers would claim that Christ was simply a guru who taught the deification of all mankind.    This contradicts John’s teaching that Christ was the “only begotten Son in the bosom of the father”.  (john 1:18) Scripture clearly teaches Christ as unique far from the rest of mankind. He was unique making him an able Savior. John 3:..."that He sent His only begotten Son.."

Many have hoisted up scores of antichrists and pretenders to replace the Biblical Jesus.  But Paul admonishes us that there is only “one mediator between God and Man, the man Christ Jesus”  1tim. 2:5

The genealogies plant one step after another up Jacob’s ladder; as we see Jehovah planting the “seed” of redemption deep in the earth only  to spring forth the first fruits of the resurrection.   Luke3:23-38, Genesis 28:10-14, John 1:45-50, Galatians 3:16-18, Ephesians 4:7-10, 1 Corinthians 15:20-38
Some protest, "How could a Holy God be comprised in sinful flesh?" In Mary, the fetal Jesus was a sanctified temple within Mary's womb("holy thing" Luke 1:35)  But how could two become one? There was not two that became one; There was one that became two natures of the one person. John 1:1,14, 1 Timothy 3:16

Many pastors and theologians get fixated upon the title “Christ”.  Which though reverent has always come across to some as less personal.  We have a similar problem when speaking the word “God”.  We often mean to speak abstract about an entity. Yet the scriptures speak “God” as a personal spirit.  It is in the incarnation that we, like David, can dance before the presence of the almighty without the curtain under the tent.  It is here that we can look to the Messiah as Jesus.  It is through Jesus that we can pray not simply to an abstract deity; but to pray to our “Abba” Father in heaven.  It is here that God reaches to us in the spirit to bring us past slavery and into adoption.

Romans 8: 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

It is here through the Father that Satan is defeated. Romans 8:35-39.  Here we kiss the Son, lest he be angry.( psalm 2)  Here we know God; yet here, God knows us.

No comments: