He came down so we can rise up

Before Christ came into my life, I read a book in which the author believed gods from out there somewhere had come to earth leaving evidence such as crop circles and other hard to explain phenomena. It didn’t take me down that path but did suggest that God DESCENDED to this earth. I’d heard the gospel without remembering it, but this time that idea sparked something in my heart. Did God actually visit this planet? Now I know that He did.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1; 14)

The Hebrew verb for descend is to move downward and lower (whether to a physical or abstract location or some other location culturally determined to be downward). It describes the Lord coming down in a pillar of cloud or fire to direct His people after the Exodus from slavery in Egypt.

The Greek word has the same meaning. It is used to describe the Holy Spirit descending like a dove on Jesus, the angel of the Lord that descended from heaven and rolled back the stone from Jesus’ tomb and sat on it, and the fact that Jesus both descended from heaven and ascended back to that place.

No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. (John 3:13)

In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. (Ephesians 4:9–10)

God came to earth putting on humanity to become fully man yet also fully God. This descent was one of humility for He choose to live as a man, relying on His Father to give Him all He needed to do His will. In this way, He is not only my Savior from sin but my example of how to live as a Christian. I am also to rely on the Father for all things, including the will to do His will and the empowerment, meaning a godly attitude of heart with words that reflect His words and thoughts and actions that show His love and character.

Jesus came to give His life for sinful people. He demonstrated the love of God at great cost, yet in doing this, He defeated death and offers us that same victory. All those who believe in Him are “in Christ” and in Christ there is no further condemnation. Not only that, He promises to take all who believe, whether alive at the time or from their graves, into His heavenly realm to be with Him forever, forever alive.

For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15–18)

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. I am encouraged by these words. Whether death comes by illness (Covid) or being hit by a truck or any other means, it will come. Yet the promise of God is not about death but about life, life that is forever with Jesus. His death and resurrection prove His power over death and His promises assure that His people will have that same experience. Today and every day I want to encourage everyone with His promises. That often means descending or going to wherever they are to share the good news that Jesus is faithful —He will accomplish every promise in He made and fulfill all the reasons He descended to this messed up world.

 

Reducing God?

In a Bible class, I suggested that the participants close their eyes and imagine themselves on a park bench with Jesus. They could talk with Him about their issues, praise and thank Him, or just sit there appreciating His love for them and resting in His grace.

This week I read various theology papers suggesting that this could be a form of idolatry in that we should never reduce Jesus to our imagination so we can control what He says and does. In other words, we are not to make an image of God the Son in our minds.

There was nothing in these papers that told what to do about those times He appears to us in startling reality that is not initiated by our imagination. What about the unexpected yet vivid sense of Him when in great distress or incredible sorrow? What about the sense of His presence in our worship?

Today’s devotional reading attempts a distinction between His actual incarnation and our attempts to “substitute a lesser god for the true God.” It says this imagining of God is an attempt to control Him and should not be done. I am having trouble relating to this form of idolatry.

The following verses are descriptions of who Jesus really is — God far beyond the scope of our imagination, yet God becoming the Son of man that we might become the children of God . . .

In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. (Ephesians 4:9–10)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (Colossians 1:15)

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high . . . (Hebrews 1:3)

Jesus is God high and lifted up, but also God who descended to us, not by our will but of His own free choice. I can grasp this amazing event with my mind, but cannot completely fathom His choice or what it was like for Him to do this. He is God, not a representative of God, nor like any other. He is not created, but the Creator; not a prince, but the King of kings. In some respects, my mind does not know what to do with Him for God is too lofty, beyond my capacity. Yet this same God became one of us . . .

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)

This reality almost makes my head hurt. I can mentally picture a man riding a donkey, but I cannot fully fathom how (or why) the God of the universe could put Himself into the body of a human child who grew up and died for us, yet remains the God of the universe, even as He remains in that human body from the incarnation into eternity.

I do know one thing – Jesus became man that we might know God, see God, grasp the wonder of God. He did this freely, not because of anything we have done to deserve it. In fact, He did it because we are helpless to do anything that pleases God. It is by believing and receiving Jesus Christ that we receive His righteousness. Because of who He is and what He has done, I am set free from my frantic efforts to be the person I imagine God desires me to be.

Jesus said, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:27–29)

Why would anyone want to control Him? He has revealed the wonder of God and offers me rest! Clearly, this Christian life is not about me, but all about Jesus. My imagination of Him cannot bring Him down to my level, but even if it could, the grandeur of who He is would never be diminished and I’d have no control over Him anyway.