“… although He (Christ Jesus) existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
— Philippians 2:6-8
• • •
If it were me, no way I’m leaving heaven. Immersed in unspeakable blessings, comforts and security, you’d never get me to leave. I’m God after all! I would look down on earth and all those little people I created and tell them, “you got yourself into this mess, now you get yourselves out!”
I would remind them of what I said, “You can eat from any tree in the garden, except from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Don’t eat from it. The moment you eat from that tree, you’re dead.” But you went and did it anyway.
I would symbolically wash my hands and state, “And the most galling thing you did was to side with my arch enemy, Satan, after all I did for you. So, go to him for help and see how far you get!” I’m through with you.
Aren’t you glad I’m not God?
Thank you, Jesus. Phew!
But the scripture passage above tells a very different story — one almost too good to be true. The God of the universe, momentarily sets aside His divine privileges, wraps Himself in skin, joins up with the human race, and becomes a servant to the same people who so arrogantly rebelled against Him. Hollywood couldn’t make this stuff up. The movie script is right there in scripture …
The Bible reveals a person who is a flesh-and-blood personal revelation of a divinely winsome Lover, who grabs us by the heart and sweeps us into his arms. He was a real person belonging to a human family with a traceable lineage that runs through Abraham, Moses, King David, all the way back to Adam.
Here are just a few of the 322 prophecies regarding Messiah in the Old Testament:
The Messiah will be born in the city of Bethlehem in the county of Ephrathah when a bright star appears. It will be a miraculous virgin birth. He will perform many miracles: calming the sea and causing the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk and the mute to talk.
The Messiah, however, will come to save mankind. He will become man’s sin offering and present himself to Jerusalem as both the anointed king and the Passover lamb. He will be rejected by many, including His friends. He will be betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver.
The Messiah will be taken to a mountaintop identified by Abraham as “the Lord will provide.” There he will be crucified with his hands and feet pierced. His enemies will encircle him, mocking him, and will cast lots for his clothing. He will be buried in a rich man’s grave. In three days, he will rise from the dead.
Regarding Christ’s indispensable work as our substitutionary sin bearer, physiologist Arthur Custance touchingly observed:
“Can we have even the remotest conception of what it would mean for One who was morally perfect, pure in spirit in the absolute sense, without the slightest taint of guilt in any form and altogether sinless, to be suddenly held responsible for the appalling record of crime and injustice and brutality and hatred and insane cruelty that marks the frightful record of human history from the murder of Abel to the extermination centers and labor camps of yesteryear? What would it mean to be so accounted guilty that the Father Himself turned away from his beloved Son as One who now, as the sin bearer, was abhorrent in his sight?”
How About You?
He did all this for you. He suffered grievously so you could have a future with Him in heaven. And what a future it will be.
Philosopher Dallas Willard observed, “Your eternal destiny is not cosmic retirement; it is to be part of a tremendously creative project, under unimaginably splendid leadership, on an inconceivably vast scale, with ever increasing cycles of fruitfulness and enjoyment. That is the prophetic vision which ‘eye has not seen, and ear has not heard.’”
Now that’s something to give thanks for over your turkey dinner this Thursday.
— D.C. Collier is a Bible teacher, discipleship mentor and writer focused on Christian apologetics. A mechanical engineer and Internet entrepreneur, he is the author of My Origin, My Destiny, a book focused on Christianity’s basic “value proposition.” Click here for more information, or contact him at don@peervalue.com. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.