Have you ever had a thought hitting your mind so persistently that you thought it would never go away? I’ve been thinking about the incarnation of Christ. The whole concept is totally incomprehensible. Contemplating the reality that God becomes human to save filthy, depraved, unworthy, stinking, and morally corrupt human souls through the shedding of his precious blood is an unfathomable mystery. The Prince of God left the splendor of his eternal abode and clothed himself with humanity, temporarily installed in the womb of a very young woman who finally gave birth to him in a stable made for sheep and donkeys. The Baby Jesus was laid in a manger full of straw and his first breath was filled with the offensive smell of manure.
Why did he do it? He came to live the life of a human being and his arrival was filled with love and purpose. He came to reveal to us what the holiness of God is like in human life. His coming provided the only ray of hope in a world darkened by the sins of unbelief and disobedience. He lived the life that he lived so that he could die the death that he died. The death that died died so that we could have the opportunity to live the life that he lived. Through the impartation of the Comforter He promised to send, we can live a Christ-like life. We can be Christians.
I went to the garage a few weeks ago and recovered some seeds that I saved last year. I took out my cultivator and worked the soil in my little garden and then planted the seeds. In just a few days I saw the shoots start to grow. And I wondered like every year, how does it happen? Those seeds were in my garage all year and never sprouted. There have been reports that seeds that were more than 800 years old have been found. These seeds were planted and sprouted and grew and produced fruit. Scientists know what happens when a seed germinates, but they are not sure why it happens. When a seed is placed in fertile soil, it will germinate and grow.
Paul contemplated the mystery of the seed when he wrote to the Corinthians: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but God who gives the growth.” (1 Cor. 3: 6-7) Who can explain this miracle of life? The best explanation is simply that the Author of life demonstrates his gift of life through the germination of the seed and the growth that follows. Men should humbly bow their heads as they contemplate what God can do and what they cannot do.
Christ came to live the life that he lived to qualify him for the death that he died. The boy born in a barn was finally nailed to a Roman cross. Then his body was gently removed and buried in a grave and like a seed buried in the ground. Christ experienced the miracle of life, the resurrection. This miracle is the basis of our salvation. Those of us who are followers of Christ share the same hope that Paul expressed to the Philippians: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and fellowship to participate in his sufferings, to become like him in his death, and so on. , in some way, to achieve the resurrection from the dead. ” (Philippians 3: 10-11)
But there is a previous resurrection that Christians must not overlook. Some Christians can live their entire lives in a state of lethargy like seeds on a shelf. If they are never buried, they will never experience a germination or a resurrection. They will never know the fullness of growth and life. The journey has just begun when Christ responds to our repentance and forgives us. God wants us to continue on the path that leads to life in abundance, but this life is preceded by death and burial. The sanctification of our souls requires that we die to our own selfish desires and bury our own ambitions and bend in total submission to God. Then the miracle happens. The burial of our seeds of selfishness is the prerequisite for a resurrection to a life of holiness and growth.
The new life we experience is the indwelling life of Christ. Many believe in the deception that salvation is available simply by offering mental assent to a list of doctrines. Even Satan and his devils believe that Christ is the divine Son of God. Acceptance of your divinity does not save you. It fills them with dreadful fear. God wants more than a verbal admission of his divine nature. He wants us to fully experience salvation. Simply having knowledge of God does not change behavior. A radical change in behavior occurs when we experience the indwelling Christ. When we are filled with his love, we learn to love him correctly. We are motivated to please him, not because we want to be rewarded with heaven or escape a terrible hell, but because of our love for him. We don’t want to hurt you.
Just as this experience is not based on an exercise of the mind, it is not based on an accumulation of good works. If we believe that we should be granted entry to heaven based on good behavior, why don’t we stand before God in judgment and reject the benefits provided by the shed blood of Christ and demand that we be judged by God’s law? Would we dare to put our righteousness, our filthy rags, (Isaiah 64: 6) next to the righteousness of Christ and demand that we be weighed in the balance of His righteousness? Of course we wouldn’t.
If we had had our eyes open (John 9:10), we would never dare to do such a foolish thing. Some have “eyes to see but cannot see.” (Ezekiel 12: 2) Those who see understand that our only righteousness is in Christ Jesus.