I think Selwyn makes some very good points in today’s study. His introduction, is concise and to the point: ‘Let there be no mistake about it, the centre of the Christian faith is the incarnation – God becoming man.’
I also like his comment on teaching: ‘What greater teaching could there be than that derived from God taking on Himself, human flesh? In a flash the meaning of humility, of service, of self-giving – of everything that is good.’ We have a God who knows what it is like to be human with all the fralities that entails. We can’t say to God – “you don’t know what it’s like – to live through the ups and downs of life” because He has and that’s why we can pray to Him knowing that He fully understands our daily worries, hurts and moments of happiness.
He concludes by saying: ‘Jesus is utterly unique and become incarnate once – and once only. Nothing like it had happened before and nothing like it will happen again. By its very nature the incarnation was the event of all events – the most surprising event in all history. And never to be repeated.’ These comments are worth considering – it’s important to understand that Jesus will not be returning to earth – only as a man filled with God’s Spirit- but as our glorified God. Our response to seeing Him will be the same as John’s reaction as described in Revelation 1:17, “When I saw him, I fell at His feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: ‘Do not be afraid, I AM the First and the Last. …”
Never to be repeated
I think Selwyn makes some very good points in today’s study. His introduction, is concise and to the point: ‘Let there be no mistake about it, the centre of the Christian faith is the incarnation – God becoming man.’
I also like his comment on teaching: ‘What greater teaching could there be than that derived from God taking on Himself, human flesh? In a flash the meaning of humility, of service, of self-giving – of everything that is good.’ We have a God who knows what it is like to be human with all the fralities that entails. We can’t say to God – “you don’t know what it’s like – to live through the ups and downs of life” because He has and that’s why we can pray to Him knowing that He fully understands our daily worries, hurts and moments of happiness.
He concludes by saying: ‘Jesus is utterly unique and become incarnate once – and once only. Nothing like it had happened before and nothing like it will happen again. By its very nature the incarnation was the event of all events – the most surprising event in all history. And never to be repeated.’ These comments are worth considering – it’s important to understand that Jesus will not be returning to earth – only as a man filled with God’s Spirit- but as our glorified God. Our response to seeing Him will be the same as John’s reaction as described in Revelation 1:17, “When I saw him, I fell at His feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: ‘Do not be afraid, I AM the First and the Last. …”