God Among Us:
This is the part of the trinity that seems to be understood and perhaps emphasized (sometimes overemphasized by Evangelicals) the most. When people think of Christianity they think of God among us, or Jesus Christ, God become flesh. When you have those moments in life when things are the most clear and you stop and think about the implications of God among us, it is truly astounding and mind blowing. This is the thing that good stories and movies want to happen; a deity coming to live beside us, to interact with us, share life with us. And this is what did happen, God came to live among us, eat with us, face our problems first hand.
This flesh wearing part of the trinity is what makes it possible for us to commune with the God above us. Job, in his self titled book, alludes to this when he says he wishes there was one to take up and plead his case before the Father. That cry has been heard and now God among us makes this possible.
God among us.
1 comment:
This is indeed an amazing quote ...
"...Jesus Christ, God become flesh. When you have those moments in life when things are the most clear and you stop and think about the implications of God among us, it is truly astounding and mind blowing. This is the thing that good stories and movies want to happen; a deity coming to live beside us, to interact with us, share life with us. And this is what did happen, God came to live among us, eat with us, face our problems first hand."
However, was this so?
What I believe we have here ... is an Gentilization of the pure Hebrew thought of Scripture.
How did people of Biblical times understand 'GOD being among them?'
(Exo 4:30-31) And Aaron spake all the words which YAHWEH had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 And the people believed: and when they heard that YAHWEH had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
(Luke 1:68-70) Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; 70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
(Luke 7:16) And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.
(Acts 10:38) How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
That's right! By how GOD would operate through a chosen vessel ... a chosen person.
Through a chosen human being!
Israel would perceive that YAHWEH GOD was with such a one! [Gen 21.22, 39.2-3,23, Acts 7.9; Exo 3.12, 1 Sam 3.19, 1 Sam 18.12,14; 1 Chr 9.20, 2 Chr 1.1, etc]
Thus, in how GOD would bless Israel through such a person, the people would proclaim that GOD has indeed visited His people.
GOD had indeed visited His people through & via His Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.
It was GOD's Son, not GOD himself, who lived among us, ate with us, faced our problems, and died for our sins.
The Scriptures to NOT teach that a deity came to live beside us!!!
However the Scriptures do give us some idea where such a concept comes from and how we ought to deal with it ...
(Acts 14:8-18) And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: 9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, 10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. 11 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. 12 And they called Barnabas, Jupiter [Zeus]; and Paul, Mercury [Hermes], because he was the chief speaker. 13 Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. 14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, 15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: 16 Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. 18 And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.
So, what did Paul advise us? ... turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
Now think about it. If the doctrine of the trinity and the so-called deity of Jesus Christ i.e. Jesus Christ was in fact, God become flesh, was indeed truth;
this would have been the perfect opportunity to inform the people that neither Jupiter nor Mercury were the true God, however Jesus Christ is!
Paul said no such thing! Why? Paul and the apostles had absolutely no concept that Almighty GOD had indeed become flesh!! NO! This was a pagan, Greek, Hellenistic, Platonic concept.
It is not from Scripture. It is not from the GOD of the Hebrews. It comes through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. [Col 2.8]
The Greeks & pagans had doctrines of incarnation of gods, hundreds if not thousands of years before Christ. They were well familiar with such a concept.
The doctrine of the so-called incarnation of GOD Himself, a deity coming to live beside us; is a vanity that one would be wise to swiftly turn from and embrace the living GOD, the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob; who is now the GOD and Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah. [Rom 15.6, 2 Cor 1.3, 11.31, Eph 1.3,17; Col 1.3, 1 Pet 1.3]
The GOD of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob has indeed glorified His servant Jesus [Acts 3.13] and made him both Lord and Messiah,
[Acts 2.36, 10.36]
Jesus the Messiah is still That Man whom YAHWEH GOD is with; and through whom He will visit and judge the world in righteousness. [Acts 17.31]
YAHWEH GOD, the Creator of the heavens and the earth spoke everything into existence by His word. [Psalms 33.6,9] In the fulness of time, GOD's word was made flesh resulting in the conception of Jesus of Nazareth. Therefore the man Messiah Jesus is what the word of GOD became. That's is all that the monotheistic writer John is saying in his prologue. John had no concept of GOD Himself becoming a man!
Let us turn from such vanities and embrace the GOD & Father of Jesus Christ.
And let us confess who Jesus is ...
the Lord Messiah, the ONE GOD's Son.
Remember ...
(Num 23:19) God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
(1 Sam 15:29) And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
(Job 9:32) For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.
(Isa 31:3) Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; ...
(Hosea 11:9) ... for I am God, and not man; ...
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