Christmas Thought: When Faith Meets Life

If there is one truth we can say about Jesus: He was a man of faith.  As a-matter-of-fact He was the essence of faith.  If you can imagine what was manifested within that tiny body of the infant child - it was the fullness of faith.  And faith through Jesus takes on various meanings.  For example, He was in all ways tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin.  That's faith.  From the moment of His conception He was completely human, subject to every type of temptation to sin.  But Jesus remained faithful unto God.

Some people say that Jesus was completely God; so even though He may have wanted to sin, He couldn't.  But Philippians 2:5-7 suggests otherwise,

"Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.  He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what.  Not at all.  When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!  Having become human, he stayed human." (The Message)

When it was time to be born into the world to become its Savior Jesus willing set aside the privileges of deity (Godship) and depended on faith alone to sustain Him through life.  For this reason we refer to Him as the Way.  The followers of the early church identified themselves as the Way mainly because they were followers of the Way - meaning the life of Christ.

What is so significant about the Way.  Well first, Jesus modeled the way.  If He had resorted to His status with God and privileges of deity to get Him through the tough times of life, then His model for life would have had a different outcome.  It would have been as if He was saying, "Depend upon the god that is in each of you - the god-of-self."

We all have the god-of-self within us - and the ultra ego that he/she is called is foolish pride.  We could have said in our own defense, "If Jesus can trust in His Godship to get Him through life, then so can we, because He is the Way of Godship."

But no!  Jesus modeled faith.  He depended not upon His own strength.  Instead He willing gave up His deity as a human being, and lived as one of us, in order to model the way of faith.  And even though we think it impossible to live without sin, Jesus proved to us all that all things are possible for those who have perfect faith in God.

There is so much more to say in these thoughts about Jesus and His birth - the fact that He was conceived through a sinless process being one thought - but for now may I say: "Merry Christmas, and follow the Way of Christ - walk in faith."  Jesus modeled the way of faith.

-Leo

A Christmas Thought: The Story of New Birth

We evangelicals often use John 3:3 when presenting the gospel to someone who is searching for God:

[Jesus said], "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

  Most of us (especially laity) find it difficult to understand the concept of new birth, let alone explain it. One approach to simplify things is to go back to when birth first began.  Yes, Eve gave birth to Cain and Abel (which were physical births), but she gave birth to something else even before that.  With the help of her husband both Adam and Eve gave birth to sin.

Before that fateful day in the garden Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect favor with God.  But through disobedience (i.e. eating of the apple) they in essence turned their back upon the quality of life that God had created for all of mankind through them.  This sent all of creation, including mankind, into an evolution of erosion, destruction, and death.  What would stop this imminent downward spiral toward complete separation from God?  What would restore humanity and creation back into God's favor of grace? A new birth of course.  Luke 2:11, 13:

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord."

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all men on whom his favor rests."

This was the announcement of the angels of the new birth that would set things right and restore mankind to the relationship that God had planned for them from the beginning.  Romans 5:12, 15,

"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men."

"...How much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the one man, Jesus Christ,..."

Adam and Eve gave birth to sin, and all of their posterity that followed after them was terminally infected by it.  The birth of Jesus was the birth of the Christ child (the only begotten Son of God) into the world.  But even more than that, it was the birth of sinless life and right relationship with God.  His mission was to come into the realm of our physical lives and show us the way back to "as it was in the beginning" before Adam and Eve sinned.

Praise God that new life has come through Jesus.  Simply believe and obey - that very same command to Adam and Eve has not changed (see Genesis 2:16-17) - and you will be reborn into new life.

Merry Christmas,

-Leo