God became a baby?

Today’s devotional reading starts with the pre-eminence of Christ and finishes on the doctrine of the Trinity. Both are too much for my mind to grasp, let alone write about in such a short space, but I can get my head around the idea of God being beyond all I can imagine, that He is more than the human brain can understand.

This is one reason Jesus came — to give us a revelation of God in terms we can understand. God became a man, someone to look at, to talk with, to experience life with. Jesus said that He and the Father are One and the Bible tells me that the only way I can see, understand, honor and worship God is by looking at, by knowing and by understanding Jesus. As I exalt, honor, and worship the Son, I am also worshiping God the Father.

Christ is pre-eminent in all things. The Father allows Himself to be known and revealed to me through the knowledge and revelation of His Son. Christ is the only way God makes Himself known. He is also the only way I can come to Him:

“Jesus said, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6).

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Who then is Jesus? In this modern age of technology, one thing helps me ‘get it’ even though it falls short. This thing is called morphing. A technician with the right software can transform the image of a lion into the image of a lamb, or the image of a king into that of a baby or a carpenter. The software does it. But in the case of God becoming a man, the Holy Spirit does it. This is not a trick of the camera, but a wonderful reality. Even more mysterious is that in His case, the Lion and the King also remain!

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” (Colossians 1:15–20)

Jesus is God made visible. He created all things and came before all things. He holds all in place. He is also the head of His body, the church. He holds the status of being first in line in every way, giving Him top rank. The fullness of God dwells in Jesus! Not only that, it is through this God-man that God reconciles sinners to Himself, and He did it by death on a cross.

Only faith can stop and begin to grasp this amazing reality. Even with faith, the enormity of what God has done in Christ almost makes my brain ache. How can this be? Yet it is — this God became a man. I know it is true but cannot explain it. No wonder those without faith think this is preposterous.

“John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” (Revelation 1:4–8)

^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, there are no words but Your Word — it says it best. You are Lord of all, and I bow before You in utter amazement at the wonder of God becoming flesh that I might live forever with You. Astonishing! Totally astonishing!