The superlative uniqueness of the CHRISTmas Message of the truly staggering Reality of GOD's unfathomable INCARNATION into His own Creation boggles the rational mind. GOD The SON was that helpless baby JESUS -- EMMANUEL, "GOD with us," the Second Person of the GODhead -- Who took on Manhood to Himself without any loss of His personal Deity, Who became TRULY and FULLY Divine GOD, and yet, TRULY and FULLY Man. The INfinite ONE limited Himself into finite Flesh -- and within that finite Flesh was treasured The INfinite ONE!
'In the Beginning was The WORD, and The WORD was With GOD, and The WORD Was GOD. HE was (ALREADY) in the Beginning With GOD. ALL things were made Through HIM, and without HIM NOthing was made that was made. IN HIM was Life, and THE Life was THE Light of men. And The WORD became Flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld HIS GLORY, The GLORY as of The ONLY Begotten of The FATHER, Full of GRACE and TRUTH.' (John 1:1-4,14)
"GOD's Word in the Old Testament is His creative utterance, His POWER in action fulfilling His Purpose. The OT depicted GOD's utterance, the actual statement of His Purpose, as having POWER in itself to effect the thing purposed. 'GOD said, "LET there be... and there was..." (Genesis 1:3). 'By the Word of The LORD were the heavens made... He spoke, and it came to be' (Psalm 33:6,9). The Word of GOD is thus GOD at work." (This quote and the following exposition of the Book of John's prologue is an excerpt from "KNOWing GOD" by J.I. Packer.)
"'In the Beginning WAS The WORD' (John 1:1). Here is The WORD's Eternity. HE had NO Beginning of His own; when other things began, HE--Was (ALREADY). 'And The WORD was WITH GOD' (1:1). Here is The WORD's Personality. The POWER that fulfills GOD's Purposes is the POWER of a distinct personal Being, ONE Who stands in an ETERNAL Relation to GOD of active Fellowship.
"'And The WORD WAS GOD' (1:1). Here is The WORD's Deity. Though personally distinct from The FATHER, HE is NOT a creature; HE is Divine IN Himself, AS The FATHER IS... this is the mystery of personal distinctions within the Unity of The GODhead. 'THROUGH HIM -- ALL things were made' (1:3). Here is The WORD Creating. HE was The FATHER's Agent in EVERY act of making that The FATHER has EVER performed. ALL that was made was made THROUGH HIM.
"'IN HIM was Life' (1:4). Here is The WORD Animating. There is NO physical life in the realm of created things EXCEPT IN and THROUGH HIM. Here is the Bible answer to the problem of the origin and continuance of Life, in ALL its forms -- Life is GIVEN and MAINTAINED by The WORD. Created things do NOT have Life IN themselves, but Life IN The WORD, the Second Person of The GODhead.
"'And THAT Life was The LIGHT of men' (1:4). Here is The WORD Revealing. In giving Life, HE gives Light too... ALL people receive intimations of GOD from the very FACT that they are alive, is due to the Work of The WORD.
"'The WORD BECAME Flesh' (1:14). Here is The WORD Incarnate. The Baby in the manger at Bethlehem was none other than The Eternal WORD of GOD... a Divine Person, Author of ALL things. The WORD was REVEALED by the INCARNATION to BE GOD's SON. 'We have SEEN HIS GLORY, The GLORY of The ONE and ONLY, Who came from The FATHER' (1:14).
"The SON of GOD IS The WORD of GOD. The CHRISTmas message rests on the staggering FACT that The CHILD in the manger was -- GOD! The Baby born at Bethlehem was GOD made Man. The WORD had become Flesh -- a REAL human Baby. HE had NOT ceased to be GOD; HE was no less GOD then than before -- but HE had begun to be Man. HE was NOT now GOD Minus some elements of His Deity -- but GOD Plus ALL that HE had made His own by taking Manhood to Himself.
The world's traditional concept of CHRISTmas is but a meager show of goodwill that ends at midnight of the 25th of December. ALL the "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Xmas" or "Santa's Coming!" are shelved for the next shopping frenzy in 2022.
BUT the breathtaking Wonder of CHRISTmas is that GOD GAVE GOD! The AWEsome TRUTH of CHRISTmas is that The LORD of GLORY, The SON of GOD and Creator of ALL things visible and INvisible -- was treasured within the cramped confines of the Virgin Mary's womb for nine months -- like a natural human baby!
The GLORY of CHRISTmas is the INcomprehensible EXpression of The GLORY of the GRACE of GOD towards arrogant, proud, rebellious SIN-natured, SIN-doers like you... like me... like ALL of the posterity of Adam and Eve!
Oh The GLORY of CHRISTmas -- GOD IN CHRIST reconciling us GOD-hating, UNbelieving, UNrepentant sinners back to Himself, redeeming us from the slave market of SIN with The SON's own BLOOD, so that by FAITH in His atoning DEATH for us helpless sinners, we may receive FULL Pardon, 100% Forgiveness for ALL our sins -- AND abundant LIFE forEVERmore! -- by enTRUSTing our very lives IN CHRIST JESUS as our Sovereign LORD, and as Redeeming SAVIOR of our eternal souls from GOD's Holy Wrath and Righteous JUDGMENT, from a destiny of EVERlasting HELL.
Oh The GLORY of CHRISTmas! HalleluJAH! \o/
No comments:
Post a Comment