Mat 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
WWN 1998 Mar -- XXXI -- 3(98) --Eternal Verities -- Part 3 -- The Incarnation
The first promise after man sinned involved the incarnation.
This Protevangelium reads: And I [the Lord God] will put enmity between thee the serpent and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heal. (Gen. 3:15, Heb)
All the Biblical revelation that follows merely enlarges and confirms the basic elements of this first promise.
Observe that it states - "the seed of the woman" - not "the seed of the man."
Further, the head of the serpent would be bruised, while it would also cost the Seed, His heel would be bruised.
The first element - "the seed of the woman" - has two factors:
1) It was the seed after the Fall. The only nature the woman could give would be the fallen nature resultant from sin. It could not be otherwise, as there was no need of a Saviour until after the fall. The unfallen nature needed no Redeemer.
And
2) No human father would be involved. It was not the seed of Adam. This introduces the basic mystery - how can a woman not impregnated by a man have a child? This Is the very question that Mary asked of Gabriel - "How shall this thing be, seeing I know not a man?" (Luke 1:34)
Both the serpent and the Seed would be "bruised."
Does it matter where a venomous serpent bites you?
"The sting of death is sin" (I Cor. 15:56). This promise indicates the extent of the condescension. He would be made "sin for us who knew no sin" (II Cor. 5:21). To destroy the power of sin at its head - would cost God; His heel would be bruised.
Before leaving this original promise, we need to note how it was perceived by the one whose mind had been influenced to sin. Upon the birth of Cain, Eve declared - "I have gotten a man, the Lord" (Gen. 4:1, Heb). Some translations read - "I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord," thus translating the sign of the direct object (eth) which precedes "Lord" as "with His help." The text plainly states - "Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived." There is no question as to who the father of Cain was. This is simply the evidence of the difficulty of the human mind, perverted by sin, to understand divine revelation. It also indicates the human attitude toward God's promises; man can accomplish them. The element of faith is lacking; is there anything too hard for the Lord?
Further it says in essence that man can create God. This blasphemy is still with us, and is basic in the Eucharistic contentions. Thus from the very beginning we find the seeds of a misconception of the Incarnation, a salvation by works mentality, and base presumption. Well might we tremble as we seek to understand truth with six thousand years of warped thinking behind us. We need to tremble at His Word.
*
There is in the book of Genesis another revelation of the coming incarnation. Through the dream given to Jacob, the first night of his being away from home in his sixty years of life, God reveals to him where his consolation can be. Pause in your reading and take time to review the experience as recorded in Genesis 28:10-13.
Gen 28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
Gen 28:11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
Gen 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
Gen 28:13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed
The first thing Jacob saw was "a ladder set up on the earth." Its base was on the earth, not dangling a rung or two above the earth. The redemption of man was not to be a "chopper" rescue mission, something let down from heaven; but it was to be a mission beginning where sin began, and which would bridge the gulf - the top of it "reached to heaven." Communication was restored; he saw "angels of God ascending and descending on it."
That ladder was declared by Jesus to be Himself (John 1:51).
Joh 1:51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Nathaniel saw in Him "the Son of God, ... the King of Israel" (v.49). Jesus identified Himself as "the Son man" who would create the ladder. Clearly He was God manifest in the flesh of man - the Word made flesh. Further, Jesus did not set up "three ladders" to heaven - just ONE! There are not three ways to understand the Incarnation; just one.
Various revelations of the Incarnation come from the record of the Exodus movement. First the "burning bush" which inaugurated it (Exodus 3:2-3.8).
Exo 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
Exo 3:3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
Exo 3:8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
Moses was doing his menial task of tending for his father-in-law's flock which he had taken to the vicinity of Horeb, described as "the mountain of God." Here he saw a bush glowing with fire but not consumed. Turning aside to see this unusual sight, God spoke to him, telling him that having seen the bondage of Israel, He was "come down to deliver them." Again the emphasis is that human redemption would not be accomplished from a remote distance, but God would dwell even in a form represented by a desert shrine. However, His glory as a burning fire would not consume the form of man but would draw man unto it, even as Moses was attracted to the manifestation of God. It would be God manifest in the flesh, which had become as a thorny desert shrub. He revealed his name to Moses as I AM THAT I AM (3:14). Gesenius, the Hebrew lexicographer, translates the Hebrew as reading, "I shall be what I am," in other words, the Unchangeable, the Eternal One.
The sanctuary, built by Israel in the desert of Sinai, very near to the place where God had revealed Himself to Moses, was but an enlargement of the revelation of the burning bush. It was to be a place in which God would dwell among them (Ex. 25:8).
Exo 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Its outward appearance contrasted with its interior glory. Covered with "rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badger's skins" (26:14), its interior appointments - furniture, and walls - were overlaid with gold (25:10-11; 23-24, 31; 26:29). John catches the significance of the sanctuary and declares that "the Word came to be (egeneto) flesh and tabernacled (eskhnwsen) among us, and we beheld His glory, the
p 3 -- glory of the unique one (monogenouV) of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John l:14). To all outward appearances, Jesus was only a man, "a desert shrub," but that form veiled an inward glory of God - the fullness of grace and truth.
The final revelation of the exodus from Egypt, came as they neared the end of the forty years of wilderness wanderings. "The soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way" (Numbers 21:4). They spoke against both God and Moses. God responded with "fiery serpents" and "much people of Israel died" (v.6). In response to Moses' intercession, God said: Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. (ver. 8)
All the elements of the extent of the condescension and resulting redemption are found in this one symbolism. He "who knew no sin" was "made to be sin for us" (II Cor. 5:21).
He was lifted "upon a pole" that all who would look might live.
The New Testament is clear as to the significance of this symbolism.
Jesus told Nicodemus that as Moses lifted up the serpent, so must He be lifted up (John 3:14).
The book of Revelation translates the very language into the Greek, and applies it to Satan. It Is the puroV drakwn (fiery dragon), or serpent (Rev. 12:3, 9), who contends with Michael, but Michael entering into the strong man's house (Matt. 12:29), and binding the strong man by condemning sin in the flesh, brings "salvation" (12:10).
It is ours to look, believe, and live.
No understanding of the Incarnation which destroys this symbolism has any validity.
Isaiah, the gospel prophet, emphasizing the first gospel promise, wrote: Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. (7:14-15 KJV)
Three points should be noted: 1) "a virgin;" 2) "His name;" and 3) the freedom to choose.
While the KJV uses the word, "virgin," other translations simply state, "woman" (REV & RSV). The Hebrew word is alma, which is used to describe a woman of marriageable age. The Hebrew word for virgin is bethulah and is used five times by Isaiah, but he chose not to use it here. The promised one is to be "the seed of the woman." Paul also makes this emphasis - "God sent forth His Son, made of a woman" (Gal. 4:4).
His name was to be Immanuel, "God with us" (Matt. 1:23). The child of the woman was God who came to be as us with us. He was "as us" through the woman; He was with us because He was God manifest In the flesh.
The third point needs clarification. Literally this part of the text reads - "Butter and honey he doth eat, when he knoweth to refuse evil, and to fix on good." (Young's Literal Translation of the Holy Bible) The concept of "when" would indicate that there would be a time when as all normal earth children, he would not know to choose - he would develop. He learned obedience (Heb. 5:8). He would be endowed with the power of choice - He would be a free moral agent.
Heb 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered
Isaiah prophesies further that He would not only be "a tender plant" but He would also be "as a root out of a dry ground." What a contrast is herein expressed! Then to emphasize the conflicting contrast he added - "He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him" (Isa. 53:2). Well would His life represent the "tabernacle" of the wilderness. His would be a life whose glory of the fullness of grace and truth would be veiled to the eyes of men and only perceived by those who would come to believe on and in Him.
In the New Testament In the fullness of time, God was manifest in the flesh.
In Bethlehem, a name which means "house of bread," the Bread of Life was born and cradled in a feeding trough for cattle. The contrasts prophesied by Isaiah were seen from God's first entry into flesh. The first invitation to behold Him was to shepherds, and His humiliation was emphasized as a signature of His Divine Identity. The angels proclaimed over the hills of Bethlehem - "Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger" (Luke 2:11-12).
This detailed description of the birth of Jesus dare not be overlooked. Paul wrote that when this uniquely begotten One was brought into the world, God declared - "Let all the angels of God worship Him" (Heb. 1:6). The baby Jesus was God in the flesh. The contrast widens as we perceive the significance of Isaiah's prophecy. This child is "the Father of eternity" (Isa. 9:6 Heb. KJV- "the everlasting Father"). Well did Paul wrote - "Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness" (I Tim. 3:16). We need to remove our shoes, for the ground whereon we walk is holy ground.
The Gospels reveal Jesus as the Son of man experiencing all the feelings of our humanity. "He hungered" (Matt. 21:18). He who as the God of Israel neither slumbered nor slept (Ps. 121:3-4), as a man became so wearied that he slept "in the hinder part of a boat...on a pillow" in the midst of "a great storm" until awakened by His thoroughly frightened disciples (Mark 4:37-38). He manifest "anger" due to the hardness of human hearts because they refused to make judgments based in truth (Mark 3:1-5). "Jesus wept" as He saw disbelief mingled with human
p 4 -- sorrow (John 11:35). He saw talent covered with selfish desire, yet "loved" the individual and offered him the way to true success (Mark 10:21). He "suffered" being tempted with the temptations common to man (Heb. 2:18; 4:15). He was in "agony" as He wrestled to accept the
penalty of sins which were not His, even sweating "as it were great drops of blood" (Luke 22:44).
Before considering the Incarnation as set forth in the Epistles, we need to take another look at the announcement of Gabriel to Mary. It reads - "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy [thing] which shall be born of thee SHALL BE CALLED the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).
The word, "thing" (KJV) is supplied by the translators.
The preceding word, "holy" ('agion) is an adjective and requires an object.
The supplied word would be more accurate if it read - "spirit."
The Holy Spirit could only beget Itself.
"A divine Spirit dwelt in a temple of flesh" (YI, Dec.20, 1900). This uniqueness, in contrast to every other human being, dare not be overlooked.
Our identity is the result of father and mother; Jesus' Identity was pre-existent of the Eternal Spirit.
It was the Logos who was with God (proV ton qeon), and who became flesh ('o logoV sarx egeneto).
In this there is both difference and likeness. He was different - He was God; yet likeness - He became flesh, even our flesh through Mary.
This is why He was and is monogenhV, the One of a Kind (John 1:18). To Be Continued
*******
By the grace of God may we continue to study HIS word, may we seek to understand the Incarnation- God made flesh.
1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
WWN 1998 Mar -- XXXI -- 3(98) --Eternal Verities -- Part 3 -- The Incarnation
The first promise after man sinned involved the incarnation.
This Protevangelium reads: And I [the Lord God] will put enmity between thee the serpent and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heal. (Gen. 3:15, Heb)
All the Biblical revelation that follows merely enlarges and confirms the basic elements of this first promise.
Observe that it states - "the seed of the woman" - not "the seed of the man."
Further, the head of the serpent would be bruised, while it would also cost the Seed, His heel would be bruised.
The first element - "the seed of the woman" - has two factors:
1) It was the seed after the Fall. The only nature the woman could give would be the fallen nature resultant from sin. It could not be otherwise, as there was no need of a Saviour until after the fall. The unfallen nature needed no Redeemer.
And
2) No human father would be involved. It was not the seed of Adam. This introduces the basic mystery - how can a woman not impregnated by a man have a child? This Is the very question that Mary asked of Gabriel - "How shall this thing be, seeing I know not a man?" (Luke 1:34)
Both the serpent and the Seed would be "bruised."
Does it matter where a venomous serpent bites you?
"The sting of death is sin" (I Cor. 15:56). This promise indicates the extent of the condescension. He would be made "sin for us who knew no sin" (II Cor. 5:21). To destroy the power of sin at its head - would cost God; His heel would be bruised.
Before leaving this original promise, we need to note how it was perceived by the one whose mind had been influenced to sin. Upon the birth of Cain, Eve declared - "I have gotten a man, the Lord" (Gen. 4:1, Heb). Some translations read - "I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord," thus translating the sign of the direct object (eth) which precedes "Lord" as "with His help." The text plainly states - "Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived." There is no question as to who the father of Cain was. This is simply the evidence of the difficulty of the human mind, perverted by sin, to understand divine revelation. It also indicates the human attitude toward God's promises; man can accomplish them. The element of faith is lacking; is there anything too hard for the Lord?
Further it says in essence that man can create God. This blasphemy is still with us, and is basic in the Eucharistic contentions. Thus from the very beginning we find the seeds of a misconception of the Incarnation, a salvation by works mentality, and base presumption. Well might we tremble as we seek to understand truth with six thousand years of warped thinking behind us. We need to tremble at His Word.
*
There is in the book of Genesis another revelation of the coming incarnation. Through the dream given to Jacob, the first night of his being away from home in his sixty years of life, God reveals to him where his consolation can be. Pause in your reading and take time to review the experience as recorded in Genesis 28:10-13.
Gen 28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
Gen 28:11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
Gen 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
Gen 28:13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed
The first thing Jacob saw was "a ladder set up on the earth." Its base was on the earth, not dangling a rung or two above the earth. The redemption of man was not to be a "chopper" rescue mission, something let down from heaven; but it was to be a mission beginning where sin began, and which would bridge the gulf - the top of it "reached to heaven." Communication was restored; he saw "angels of God ascending and descending on it."
That ladder was declared by Jesus to be Himself (John 1:51).
Joh 1:51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Nathaniel saw in Him "the Son of God, ... the King of Israel" (v.49). Jesus identified Himself as "the Son man" who would create the ladder. Clearly He was God manifest in the flesh of man - the Word made flesh. Further, Jesus did not set up "three ladders" to heaven - just ONE! There are not three ways to understand the Incarnation; just one.
Various revelations of the Incarnation come from the record of the Exodus movement. First the "burning bush" which inaugurated it (Exodus 3:2-3.8).
Exo 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
Exo 3:3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
Exo 3:8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
Moses was doing his menial task of tending for his father-in-law's flock which he had taken to the vicinity of Horeb, described as "the mountain of God." Here he saw a bush glowing with fire but not consumed. Turning aside to see this unusual sight, God spoke to him, telling him that having seen the bondage of Israel, He was "come down to deliver them." Again the emphasis is that human redemption would not be accomplished from a remote distance, but God would dwell even in a form represented by a desert shrine. However, His glory as a burning fire would not consume the form of man but would draw man unto it, even as Moses was attracted to the manifestation of God. It would be God manifest in the flesh, which had become as a thorny desert shrub. He revealed his name to Moses as I AM THAT I AM (3:14). Gesenius, the Hebrew lexicographer, translates the Hebrew as reading, "I shall be what I am," in other words, the Unchangeable, the Eternal One.
The sanctuary, built by Israel in the desert of Sinai, very near to the place where God had revealed Himself to Moses, was but an enlargement of the revelation of the burning bush. It was to be a place in which God would dwell among them (Ex. 25:8).
Exo 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Its outward appearance contrasted with its interior glory. Covered with "rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badger's skins" (26:14), its interior appointments - furniture, and walls - were overlaid with gold (25:10-11; 23-24, 31; 26:29). John catches the significance of the sanctuary and declares that "the Word came to be (egeneto) flesh and tabernacled (eskhnwsen) among us, and we beheld His glory, the
p 3 -- glory of the unique one (monogenouV) of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John l:14). To all outward appearances, Jesus was only a man, "a desert shrub," but that form veiled an inward glory of God - the fullness of grace and truth.
The final revelation of the exodus from Egypt, came as they neared the end of the forty years of wilderness wanderings. "The soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way" (Numbers 21:4). They spoke against both God and Moses. God responded with "fiery serpents" and "much people of Israel died" (v.6). In response to Moses' intercession, God said: Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. (ver. 8)
All the elements of the extent of the condescension and resulting redemption are found in this one symbolism. He "who knew no sin" was "made to be sin for us" (II Cor. 5:21).
He was lifted "upon a pole" that all who would look might live.
The New Testament is clear as to the significance of this symbolism.
Jesus told Nicodemus that as Moses lifted up the serpent, so must He be lifted up (John 3:14).
The book of Revelation translates the very language into the Greek, and applies it to Satan. It Is the puroV drakwn (fiery dragon), or serpent (Rev. 12:3, 9), who contends with Michael, but Michael entering into the strong man's house (Matt. 12:29), and binding the strong man by condemning sin in the flesh, brings "salvation" (12:10).
It is ours to look, believe, and live.
No understanding of the Incarnation which destroys this symbolism has any validity.
Isaiah, the gospel prophet, emphasizing the first gospel promise, wrote: Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. (7:14-15 KJV)
Three points should be noted: 1) "a virgin;" 2) "His name;" and 3) the freedom to choose.
While the KJV uses the word, "virgin," other translations simply state, "woman" (REV & RSV). The Hebrew word is alma, which is used to describe a woman of marriageable age. The Hebrew word for virgin is bethulah and is used five times by Isaiah, but he chose not to use it here. The promised one is to be "the seed of the woman." Paul also makes this emphasis - "God sent forth His Son, made of a woman" (Gal. 4:4).
His name was to be Immanuel, "God with us" (Matt. 1:23). The child of the woman was God who came to be as us with us. He was "as us" through the woman; He was with us because He was God manifest In the flesh.
The third point needs clarification. Literally this part of the text reads - "Butter and honey he doth eat, when he knoweth to refuse evil, and to fix on good." (Young's Literal Translation of the Holy Bible) The concept of "when" would indicate that there would be a time when as all normal earth children, he would not know to choose - he would develop. He learned obedience (Heb. 5:8). He would be endowed with the power of choice - He would be a free moral agent.
Heb 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered
Isaiah prophesies further that He would not only be "a tender plant" but He would also be "as a root out of a dry ground." What a contrast is herein expressed! Then to emphasize the conflicting contrast he added - "He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him" (Isa. 53:2). Well would His life represent the "tabernacle" of the wilderness. His would be a life whose glory of the fullness of grace and truth would be veiled to the eyes of men and only perceived by those who would come to believe on and in Him.
In the New Testament In the fullness of time, God was manifest in the flesh.
In Bethlehem, a name which means "house of bread," the Bread of Life was born and cradled in a feeding trough for cattle. The contrasts prophesied by Isaiah were seen from God's first entry into flesh. The first invitation to behold Him was to shepherds, and His humiliation was emphasized as a signature of His Divine Identity. The angels proclaimed over the hills of Bethlehem - "Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger" (Luke 2:11-12).
This detailed description of the birth of Jesus dare not be overlooked. Paul wrote that when this uniquely begotten One was brought into the world, God declared - "Let all the angels of God worship Him" (Heb. 1:6). The baby Jesus was God in the flesh. The contrast widens as we perceive the significance of Isaiah's prophecy. This child is "the Father of eternity" (Isa. 9:6 Heb. KJV- "the everlasting Father"). Well did Paul wrote - "Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness" (I Tim. 3:16). We need to remove our shoes, for the ground whereon we walk is holy ground.
The Gospels reveal Jesus as the Son of man experiencing all the feelings of our humanity. "He hungered" (Matt. 21:18). He who as the God of Israel neither slumbered nor slept (Ps. 121:3-4), as a man became so wearied that he slept "in the hinder part of a boat...on a pillow" in the midst of "a great storm" until awakened by His thoroughly frightened disciples (Mark 4:37-38). He manifest "anger" due to the hardness of human hearts because they refused to make judgments based in truth (Mark 3:1-5). "Jesus wept" as He saw disbelief mingled with human
p 4 -- sorrow (John 11:35). He saw talent covered with selfish desire, yet "loved" the individual and offered him the way to true success (Mark 10:21). He "suffered" being tempted with the temptations common to man (Heb. 2:18; 4:15). He was in "agony" as He wrestled to accept the
penalty of sins which were not His, even sweating "as it were great drops of blood" (Luke 22:44).
Before considering the Incarnation as set forth in the Epistles, we need to take another look at the announcement of Gabriel to Mary. It reads - "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy [thing] which shall be born of thee SHALL BE CALLED the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).
The word, "thing" (KJV) is supplied by the translators.
The preceding word, "holy" ('agion) is an adjective and requires an object.
The supplied word would be more accurate if it read - "spirit."
The Holy Spirit could only beget Itself.
"A divine Spirit dwelt in a temple of flesh" (YI, Dec.20, 1900). This uniqueness, in contrast to every other human being, dare not be overlooked.
Our identity is the result of father and mother; Jesus' Identity was pre-existent of the Eternal Spirit.
It was the Logos who was with God (proV ton qeon), and who became flesh ('o logoV sarx egeneto).
In this there is both difference and likeness. He was different - He was God; yet likeness - He became flesh, even our flesh through Mary.
This is why He was and is monogenhV, the One of a Kind (John 1:18). To Be Continued
*******
By the grace of God may we continue to study HIS word, may we seek to understand the Incarnation- God made flesh.
1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
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