storiesofvalue

The Attack on the Incarnation

There is a difference between sincerely questioning the dynamic of the incarnation and diminishing its mission.  One is a reflection of human curiosity and the other an expression of human rebellion and arrogance.

Permit me to use an unfortunate example with which many of us are familiar.  When a law enforcement officer stops us for speeding, we immediately go into defense mode.  We might choose any number of arguments in an attempt to escape a ticket, including but not exclusive to, 1) the confession we were not paying attention and had no idea we were speeding, 2) that we were in the process of passing, or 3) that this was an anomaly because we never speed.   In reference to this last point, a deputy sheriff once told me, “I find it amazingly coincidental that I happen to be in the very place so many people choose to speed for the very first time.”

In spite of our best efforts to escape a dreaded citation, and our right to contest it in court, most of us would never dream of driving away while a law officer was addressing our crime.  We might not understand where he was parked when he clocked our speed, or the thought process that goes into his decision to write us a ticket or let us go with a warning, but we have enough knowledge of the legal system to respect someone in a uniform, wearing a badge, and driving one of those multicolored cars with big lights on top.

In the same way, we may not understand everything about the incarnation of Jesus, but our lack of understanding is not the same as open rejection.  What I am implying, and need to state clearly, is my personal suspicion many of the attacks on the idea of God becoming flesh are as much about spiritual rebellion as they are an honest intellectual pursuit.  I don’t mean to suggest there are not those who have rejected the incarnate Jesus after an honest examination of the evidence.  However, it seems to me many do so in an effort to justify a desire to walk outside of God’s will.  Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15).

Love does not necessarily require obedience unless the one we love is in a position of authority, which is certainly the case with Jesus.  If we can deny who He is, God in the flesh, we can diminish our responsibility to Him in our minds.  For this reason, attacking the incarnation can be very attractive.

A Sincere Inquiry

It is not a sin to question how God could take on human flesh.  Though we live in a day when we can produce high-resolution color images of unborn children, we still marvel at the birth process.  Is it any wonder we would be overwhelmed by curiosity at the thought of our Creator in infant form?

If the incarnation sometimes baffles you, please realize you aren’t the first to stumble over Jesus’ lineage.  In His hometown of Nazareth, those who knew His family were amazed at His wisdom and miraculous powers.  “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” they asked.  “Isn’t his mother’s name Mary and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?  Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” (Matthew 13:55-56)

The critics in Nazareth unwittingly gave us a profound inquiry: “Where then did this man get all these things?”  In actuality, He didn’t “get” them at all.  Jesus was, in His very person, Wisdom and Power.

On a practical level, it is only natural to wonder how the Creator of the universe could fit into such a small package.  In 2013 the nuclear powered USS Enterprise (CVN 65) aircraft carrier was retired from service.  The power plant onboard the Enterprise fueled one of the most sophisticated ships of its day for fifty years.  But as amazing as this seems, a nuclear power plant that propels one aircraft carrier can hardly be compared to the unlimited resources tucked in a tiny baby in Bethlehem, who happened to be God in the flesh.  All things considered, it is hard to imagine the birth of Jesus occurred so seamlessly, without so much as a high voltage hum in the manger.

When God was on earth, who was minding heaven?  Surely God was there, directly the affairs of man.  He sent His angel to Joseph to direct his escape into Egypt with Mary and Jesus, and again to tell him it was safe to return.  At last, God warned Joseph of a new threat in a dream, which led to the family’s relocation to Nazareth.

There is no question the scriptures record God acting apart from Jesus, even as He was incarnate as Jesus.  By “apart from” I am not suggesting God was uninvolved in His Son’s life, or that Jesus was less God because God was not completely confined to human flesh.  But the “how” of it all is a challenge.  How can any member of the Godhead be in one place, yet everyplace?  How can three manage separate tasks while moving as One?  I imagine almost all of us have asked these, and a host of other sincere questions, as we attempt to understand the presence of God in His Son.  If we never answer them, our faith can still remain unshaken.  They are merely an indication of our narrow frame of reference and limited mental capacity.

I am not embarrassed to say I don’t understand the mechanics of the incarnation, however, there is a spirit of inquiry that takes us to a dangerous place.  It uses the mystery of the incarnation to discredit God’s story of redemption.  Before we continue we need to spend some time understanding how one’s view of “Immanuel” can be a matter of eternal life or death.

Jesus is God in the Flesh

God eternal became God incarnate, entering human history as one of us.  The Nicene Creed proclaims Jesus Christ to be “Very God of Very God” who was “made man.”

The angel told Joseph Jesus would be called “Immanuel” meaning, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).  There was no lengthy theological or metaphysical explanation forthcoming, but Joseph obeyed without an argument.  Perhaps he recognized these words from the prophet Isaiah who wrote, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

The thought that God could take on human form and walk among us is definitely a big idea.  Why would He?  How could He?  But as we will come to understand, the problem isn’t just with our limited human comprehension, but also with some significant presuppositions.  It is not my intention to offer a complete analysis of both, but it will be difficult to appreciate “Immanuel” if we don’t have a general awareness of some challenges posed by skeptics.

The Eternal Hope

Having said these things about the eternal nature of Jesus, “everlasting to everlasting”, we can now appreciate the hopeful message of spiritual life found in the opening lines of John’s gospel.  He speaks of the eternal “Word” or “Logos”, which in Stoic thought represented the force of reason that held the cosmos together.  Jesus was this force, and more.  He was the personal God who created all things, sustains all things, and cares to be intimately involved in our lives.  John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4).

Consider how these profound truths speak to the hopelessness we see around us.  As our society invests more faith in human systems is relies less on God’s strength.  I am a proponent of the “In God we Trust” phrase stamped on our country’s coins, but I must also admit it has become more of an ideal than a fact.  We turn to God when tragedy strikes, or when we reach the limits of our human understanding, but we don’t aggressively pursue His will as a nation.  This secular trend slowly strips life of its significance since man’s goals are largely full of envy and selfish ambition.

But if the Christ who gave His life for us is God, and if He is eternal, then there must be a storyline that gives us meaning and draws all of creation into the design.  We may not always understand our suffering, or the expected twists and turns of life, but a Savior who is “everlasting to everlasting” reminds us He is working everything out for good (Romans 8:28), and can even take the shattered pieces of our worst moments and use them for His purpose.

John’s words remind us there is a moral clause in creation.  In other words, the world of which we have been made stewards is not ours to use as we please.  We are accountable to God for the way we respect all of life, human and otherwise.  We are also responsible for the wise use of natural resources and the precious environmental balance that is so essential to our existence.  Why can’t we use human beings as utilities and cast them to the curb when we are finished?  Why is it immoral to destroy an ecosystem or play dangerous games with genetics?  It makes no sense to care about any of these things unless our Savior made everything and reminds us we are accountable for our actions.

Finally, we know in Christ there is a life that transcends this world.  Our modern world is keenly tuned to spirituality, and rightfully so since we are spiritual beings.  But spirituality only acknowledges a need and can set us on a futile journey if we only focus on ourselves and fail to find the truth.  Jesus, the Word certainly addresses our personal needs, but He does so within the context of eternal themes and divine promises for the entire human race.  He calls us to the life we were always meant to have and frees us from the chains that keep us from reaching our potential.

Only the Eternal Word can help us make sense of our complicated circumstances and point us back to our purpose for being.  Without Him, we are bound to this world and its temporary fixes.  With Him, we taste eternity, and as an old song suggests, “what the world didn’t give, the world can’t take away.”

The Ministry of Grace 

Beyond the events associated with the cross, Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit participated equally, yet uniquely in the salvation and sanctification of sinners through the ministry of the church.  In His letter to the Galatians the Apostle Paul wrote, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).

The ministry of grace in the church included the administration of spiritual gifts, and in the church at Corinth there was confusion over their use.  At the root of the problem was a misunderstanding of why God distributes gifts in the first place.  Since He does so for His own purpose and glory, those with more visible gifts should not think too highly of themselves and those with lesser gifts should not hide in the shadows.  The Godhead helps us avoid these polar positions as, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6).

Following His resurrection, the triumphant Jesus gave gifts to His citizens and apportioned them as He wished (Ephesians 4:7).  The Spirit was manifested in them for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7), and God began to place those who were gifted exactly where He wanted them to be (1 Corinthians 12:18).

The Godhead is generous in all ways, showering us with grace in every form.  Some children are fortunate enough to have parents and grandparents who lavish them with love.  We have a Father, Son and Spirit, with infinite glory and power, pouring spiritual gifts into our lives continually.  No wonder we are disciplined in our faith.  Otherwise we would surely be spoiled rotten!

The Harmony of the Godhead 

Many of the topics we have yet to cover in our study will illustrate why a created Jesus is insufficient for our faith.  Here, however, it is good to touch on one of the most basic reasons it is difficult to cast Jesus in this light.  Throughout scripture, the Godhead or Deity works in concert, and at no time do one or two of the three treat the remaining third like a newcomer, or an outsider.

I have always loved old westerns.  As you are probably aware, any good western must have good guys and bad guys, along with a moral cause which hangs in the balance.  The good guys usually come together in response to a great evil that has been perpetrated by the bad guys.  Inevitably, one of the good guys will display questionable character or motives and will keep the rest of the group on edge.  This leads to distrust and an occasional fist fight around the campfire.  Sometimes a good guy who feels underappreciated will turn traitor and fall in with the enemy, leading to his unfortunate demise when justice is won.

There is no western drama between the Father, Son and Spirit.  Even the painful forsaking of the Son by the Father on the cross is followed by the words, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).  The Almighty “Us” collaborated as full partners in the creation story, and when the Son was baptized the Father praised Him as the Spirit descended (Matthew 3:16).

Jesus’ journey to the cross provided many opportunities for Him to be a renegade or lash out at His treatment.  In some ways, the fact He had the freedom to run the other way adds to the argument against Him being a created being.  If God was creating a son for a mission to free the entire human race from sin and damnation, why would He give him the freedom to choose?  Animal sacrifices in the Old Testament had no choice in the matter.  Instead, we find Jesus on the ground in the Garden of Gethsemane, crying tears of sweat and blood.  He pleads with the Father to release Him from His cup of suffering, but concludes, “may your will be done” (Matthew 26:42).

James tells us the Father “does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).  Neither does the Son, or the Spirit.  The Son’s eternal nature and longstanding relationship with the other members of the Deity is self-evident in His words and behavior.  When we read about their interaction in the Bible it is hard to believe there was ever a time they were not working as One.

An Old Challenge

The notion that Jesus was created by God and not co-eternal, stirred a major controversy in the church near the turn of the fourth century.  Arius of Alexandria took the debate to a new level by popularizing the thought with a more thorough theology.  By the time the First Council of Nicaea was convened in AD 325, Arius doctrine, known as “Arianism”, had become a major problem.  At the council, emotions ran high, and both sides of the issues fought passionately for their positions.  In the end, Arius’ ideas were condemned and the phrase “being of one substance with the Father” was placed in what would be known as the Nicene Creed, establishing Jesus’ nature as the “everlasting to everlasting.”

The Nicene Creed did not make the Arian controversy disappear, although it did help define an official position for the majority of Christians at the time.  Today, its most notable proponents are Jehovah Witnesses who contend Jesus was a created being, and in fact, was actually Michael the archangel.

When I find a debate of this magnitude, I always ask myself, “Is it a matter of salvation?”  If it is, then fighting the error becomes as important as delivering the gospel to those who have no working knowledge of Jesus.  I honestly don’t believe I can pass eternal judgment on those who have come to know the grace of Jesus in the Arian context.  Only God knows the heart of those who have put their trust in His Son.  However, I can say Arius’ teaching presents us with a Jesus who is unable to save.  A most basic aspect of the atonement was God’s willingness to suffer for our sins.  If He merely created a being to take our place, as well as His place, God becomes nothing more than an absent Father who used His creative power to circumvent His personal involvement in our circumstances.  Arianism steals away both the power and the heart of the good news.

Jesus’ place as the “everlasting to everlasting” is important for other reasons.  For instance, His sacrifice on the cross moves our hearts because we know He willingly took on the full form of a man, even though He was fully God.   The Apostle Paul writes, “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross!  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Philippians 2:8-10).  Jesus lowered Himself to our station, though He had “the name that is above every name.”  The name of Jesus could not be above all others unless He was also God.  “I am” became like you and me, then returned to His place of glory.  Why would He go through so  much suffering if He didn’t love us?

We might also ask what right Jesus has to receive our worship if He is not the fullness of the Father.  The first commandment Moses received on Sinai warned, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).  This command effectively condemns the worship of anyone but God, which prohibits the worship of Jesus if He is not God.  Yet, we are clearly encouraged to worship Jesus in scripture.  Those who were healed worshipped Him (John 9:38) as did His disciples (Matthew 14:33).  God even commanded the angels to worship Jesus.

Finally, the ministry of the Holy Spirit become dysfunctional if Jesus is anything but God.  When Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure He promised them the Comforter, or Holy Spirit would come to fill the void.  The presence of the Holy Spirit, though, was not a substitute for the Father, or the Son.  Instead, it was the perfect and complete representation of both.  Jesus said, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:20).  In other words, when the Holy Spirit came to inhabit Jesus’ disciples, they would know His presence was synonymous with the presence of Jesus, just as the presence of Jesus was synonymous with the presence of God.  While we may not understand the metaphysics of these indwellings, we can recognize why they would require all three members of the Godhead be equal in regards to “everlasting to everlasting.”

There are those who do not believe Jesus is the “everlasting to everlasting.”  Colossians 1:15 is often referenced as proof Jesus was a creation and not the Creator.  After all, Paul calls Him the “firstborn of all creation.”  But we must remember the very next statement which states “all things were created by him and for him.”  Jesus’ firstborn designation was, therefore, not a reference to an actual creation, but rather His status as the full heir to the Father.  Not only is the Father’s inheritance His, but we are invited to share in it through the Son’s death on the cross (Romans 8:17).

This point of theology matters.  If Jesus was created by God He can be everlasting or eternal moving forward, but not “everlasting to everlasting.”  His personal claim to be the “I am” would have been grounds for blaspheme after all.  Not only this, but how could Jesus be called “Immanuel” (Matthew 1:23), unless He was “God with us?”  This prophecy, reiterated by the angel to Joseph, would have been nonsensical if Jesus was not fully God.

Some might say, “God was with us in Jesus in the sense an earthly son represents his father in a family business.”  Certainly Jesus was submissive to His Father in this way, but in business the son is not the father.  He may reflect the father, sound like the father or even look like the father.  But everyone knows he is the son.  Jesus didn’t say, “I am like the I am.”  He said, “I am.”

The Godhead

The nature of eternal things makes it difficult to know where to start in our study of Jesus.  The Bible has much to say on the subject, but we are only aware of facts that were known or revealed at the time authors began recording them.  Therefore, it seems the best place to begin is in the opening pages of Genesis.

When it was time for God to create Adam out of the dust, He said, “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26).  Who was “us”?  We find the same pronoun “us” at Babel when a community of rebellious people tried to usurp the place of God.  God said, “Come, let us go down and confuse their language” (Genesis 11:7).  “Us” must refer to the three-in-one, God, Jesus and Holy Spirit, identified as the “Godhead” or “Deity” in scripture (Colossians 2:9).

It is important we not view the Godhead as a group of three gods in beards and white robes, directing the affairs of heaven and earth like Greek deities on a cloud.  They are one God, distinct in ministry in some ways, yet singular in being.  The Father sent His Son, the Son gave His life, and the Spirit came to live in us, but their presence in the affairs of our lives is interchangeable.  This is why we can say all three live in us, even though the Holy Spirit is technically the promised Comforter who came to abide in our hearts (Philippians 2:13, Colossians 1:27, 1 John 3:24).

It is correct, therefore, to say that Jesus existed before mankind, and was a part of the story of redemption throughout history.  This is a biblical fact.  We also know He was there before the first star was hung in place.  In Paul’s letter to the Colossians we told: “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17).

Using this Colossian passage as a basis for understanding, we are able to push Jesus’ existence back before the formation of our universe, if He was before “all things”, and a part of the Deity (John 10:30).  It is logical to conclude He is “everlasting to everlasting”, or eternal in every way.  This is why Jesus was able to say, “Before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58)  It also explains why His enemies picked up stones to kill Him when they heard it.  Jesus was claiming to be one with God and as such eternal and supreme over everything.