“God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son.” Colossians 1:19
THERE IS A CHRISTIAN SONG, “WHY SHOULD HE LOVE ME SO.” I ADMIT THAT I HAVE NEVER CARED FOR THAT SONG, THE REASON BEING, I BELIEVE EVERY HUMAN BEING SHOULD KNOW WHY GOD LOVES US SO, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO HAVE A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S WORD.
THE ANSWER IS FOUND IN THE FIRST BOOK OF THE BIBLE. GOD TELLS US THAT WHEN HE MADE MAN, HE MADE HIM IN HIS IMAGE AND AFTER HIS LIKENESS. GOD MADE US FOR HIMSELF.
ULTIMATE COMMUNION CAN ONLY BE FOUND IN ONE’S OWN KIND. GOD BROUGHT THE ANIMALS TO ADAM TO BE NAMED AND TO BE GIVEN THEIR OWN IDENTITY. BUT NOT UNTIL EVE WAS MADE COULD ADAM PROCLAIM, “THIS ONE AT LAST IS BONE OF MY BONE AND FLESH OF MY FLESH.”
BEFORE ADAM AND EVE DISOBEYED GOD, THERE WAS A SPECIAL COMMUNION BETWEEN GOD AND THE MAN AND THE WOMAN HE HAD MADE. BUT GOD’S GREAT WORK HAD JUST BEGUN. MAN IN HIS INNOCENCE WAS STILL INCOMPLETE. GOD HAD BREATHED INTO HIS NOSTRILS THE BREATH OF LIFE AND MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL. BUT MAN WAS NOT YET COMPLETE. THE FACT THAT HE SINNED REVEALED THAT HE WAS NOT YET COMPLETE. GOD CANNOT CREATE HIS OWN LIFE. HE CAN ONLY GIVE HIS LIFE. THE ONLY WAY HIS MAN COULD BECOME COMPLETE WAS BY GOD GIVING TO MAN HIS OWN ETERNAL LIFE.
IF GOD HAD NOT GIVEN MAN FREEDOM TO SIN, OR IF GOD HAD NOT ALLOWED MAN TO SIN, WOULD WE EVER HAVE FULLY REALIZED THAT WE NEED GOD, OR DESIRE HIM AS HE SO DESIRES?
THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID THAT IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE LAW, HE WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN THAT HE CAN’T KEEP IT. GALATIANS 3:24 SAYS THAT THE LAW IS OUR SCHOOLMASTER. IT TEACHES US WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW. IT TEACHES US THAT WE HAVE FAILED, THAT WE NEED HELP, THAT WE NEED SOMETHING THAT WE DO NOT HAVE. BUT NOT UNTIL JESUS COULD WE KNOW WHAT WE MUST HAVE.
JESUS TOLD NICODEMUS, A TEACHER OF THE LAW, YOU MUST BE BORN FROM ABOVE. HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT YOU CAN’T EVEN SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD UNLESS YOU ARE BORN FROM ABOVE. NICODEMUS ANSWERED JESUS SAYING, HOW CAN ONE BE BORN WHEN HE IS GROWN UP, HE CAN’T GET BACK INTO HIS MOTHER’S WOMB! JESUS ANSWERED, “THE WIND BLOWS WHERE IT WISHES AND YOU HEAR THE SOUND OF IT, BUT DO NOT KNOW WHERE IT COMES FROM AND WHERE IT IS GOING; SO IS EVERYONE WHO IS BORN OF THE SPIRIT.” John 3:8
JESUS THEN REBUKES NICODEMUS, TELLING HIM THAT AS A NOTABLE TEACHER OF ISRAEL HE SHOULD UNDERSTAND SUCH THINGS. THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES DO SPEAK REPEATEDLY OF THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
THUS FAR, JESUS’ WORDS TO NICODEMUS WERE BASICALLY ABOUT EARTHLY THINGS, PHYSICAL THINGS. “IF I TOLD YOU EARTHLY THINGS AND YOU DO NOT BELIEVE, HOW WILL YOU BELIEVE IF I TELL YOU HEAVENLY THINGS?” THEN JESUS GETS TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER. “NO ONE HAS ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN BUT HE WHO DESCENDED FROM HEAVEN, THE SON OF MAN.”
LISTEN TO WHAT JESUS IS SAYING IN THAT STATEMENT. FIRST HE SPEAKS OF HIS HAVING COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN. THEN HE REFERS TO HIMSELF AS THE SON OF MAN. HE IS GETTING TO THE VERY HEART OF THE WONDER OF THE INCARNATION. HE IS NOT ONLY FROM GOD BUT ALSO FROM MAN!
LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE AND AFTER OUR LIKENESS. HEBREWS 1:3 SAYS, “THE SON IS THE RADIANCE OF HIS, (GOD’S), GLORY AND THE REPRESENTATION OF HIS ESSENCE.” NOT UNTIL THE INCARNATION WAS THE GOAL AND PURPOSE OF GOD REALIZED. GOD BECAME AN ACTUAL PART OF HIS OWN CREATION THROUGH MAN!
WHAT IS MAN? THAT QUESTION IS ASKED BY KING DAVID IN ONE OF HIS PSALMS AND ALSO IN THE BOOK OF HEBREWS. “WHAT IS MAN THAT YOU TAKE THOUGHT OF HIM, AND THE SON OF MAN THAT YOU CARE FOR HIM? YET YOU HAVE MADE HIM A LITTLE LOWER THAN GOD, AND YOU CROWN HIM WITH GLORY AND MAJESTY! YOU MAKE HIM TO RULE OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET.” Psalm 8:4-6 THE BOOK OF HEBREWS QUOTES THAT VERSE EXPLAINING, “WE DO NOT YET SEE ALL THINGS PUT UNDER HIM. BUT WE SEE JESUS, WHO WAS MADE A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS, FOR THE SUFFERING OF DEATH, CROWNED WITH GLORY AND HONOR, THAT HE, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, MIGHT TASTE DEATH FOR EVERYONE.” Hebrews 2:8-9
WHAT IS MAN? PILATE PROPHETICALLY DECLARED, “BEHOLD THE MAN,” AS HE BROUGHT JESUS BEFORE THE PEOPLE AFTER HE HAD BEEN BEATEN, BLOOD DRIPPING DOWN HIS FACE FROM THE CROWN OF THORNS. YES, BEHOLD MAN’S SIN. IS THAT WHAT WE ARE? YES, BUT THAT IS NOT ALL WE ARE. NOW WE CAN SAY AS WE GAZE ON HIM IN GLORY SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. “BEHOLD THE MAN.”
I THINK IT WAS IN THE 1960’S THAT IT WAS POPULAR TO ASK, “WHO AM I?” IT IS A GOOD QUESTION. AM I THE MAN WITH THE MUCKRAKE AS ILLUSTRATED IN THE BOOK “PILGRIM’S PROGRESS,” BENT OVER, LOOKING DOWN, FOREVER TRYING TO CLEAN THINGS UP? OR HAVE I BEEN BORN FROM ABOVE, LOOKING UP AT THE COMPLETE AND GLORIFIED SON OF MAN SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER?
“THIS IS THE WILL OF THE FATHER, THAT EVERYONE WHO BEHOLDS THE SON AND BELIEVES IN HIM WILL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, AND I MYSELF WILL RAISE HIM UP ON THE LAST DAY.” John 6:40
THE ANSWER TO THAT SONG’S QUESTION, “WHY SHOULD HE LOVE ME SO,” IS FOUND IN THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION, “WHAT IS MAN?”
Rosemary E. Hyslop April 26, 2020