INCARNATIONAL THEOLOGY: God resides in human flesh and blood.
READ the Gospel of John, chapter one, verses 1-18.
"The Word became flesh and abided with us, full of grace and truth." (v.14)
What does it mean to you that God took on human form? Do you think Jesus struggled with the same issues of identity and self-awareness as we do?
READ the Gospel of Matthew, chapter one, verse 23.
The Hebrew word "Immanuel" literally means "God with us." The words are quoted from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. Some five hundred years before the birth of Jesus the intention of God to "pitch his tent" with us, to "tabernacle" with us, to dwell within the human experience was already revealed.
In what ways do you know that God is with you? Does it help to know at times when God seems far away to you that the promise of God has always been there from the beginning?
PJ
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Now I dont know if you want responses to the actual questions posted on here, but I guess I need to write them down in some form for my own contentness.
ReplyDeleteFor the first part based on the Gospel of John, I do think that Jesus struggled with issues of identity and self-awareness as we do in todays world. With so many people protesting him and almost in a way shunning him, I'm sure Jesus asked himself why he was there, why is it he that God sent? Part of being human is to identify yourself and I believe everyone struggles at that.
2nd part: I have been struggling to understand this part for sometime now with my life, in that sometimes I lose the belief that God is with me everywhere, and everytime in my struggles. It's hard to understand that God can be with you all of the time, that he is guiding you to safety in rough waters. When I am starting to venture off of course and start losing faith, he sends little reminders that I'm not alone. That God's love is everywhere you look--for example, in a small city like Charleston, it's easy to just think fast paced and busy busy lifestyles, but then if you just walk several blocks over, there is a beautiful harbor with dolphins playing, seagulls calling, the beautiful sunset, children playing in the park, the list can go on and on. This is where I am reminded of God's promise and love, which is eternal.
Peace and Love,
Becky
Thanks for the comment, Becky. Sometimes we have trouble thinking of Jesus as a real human being with real emotions, with joys AND fears. Remember, the shortest verse in the Bible - John 11:35 - "Jesus wept."
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that you can still hear God speak to you at times you need it the most.
I'm sure Jesus must have struggled with identity & self-awareness issues as a human being in experiencing the human condition in its entirety, and at the same time be God and retain the attributes of God.
ReplyDeleteImagine having the negative feelings of a human being, and then not being able to act upon them they way you want to (as a human being) because you are also God (and it's impossible for God to sin). I can't imagine the constant struggle between the two entities of being God and human that Jesus must have gone through. Maybe he actually thought he had two identities -- Jesus the Son of God and Jesus the son of man. Two entities co-existing into one being, but yet having to recognize their "separateness" to fulfill his mission. I'd call that a struggle.
Regarding sensing God being with me. I do sense a presence watching over me, but not necessarily in close proximity. God does speak to me subtley in my thoughts. It's not an "in-your-face" experience by any means. It's comforting to know that God is real. How did everything get here? Everything had to be just so for it to exist and only God can achieve that kind of precision. I can't believe that all this was the result of chance. Look at how the Scriptures are written -- written by different people at different times and they all point to the same person and what his purpose is, right from the beginning.
Sharon, you make an interesting distinction between Son of man and Son of God. Do you think Jesus always knew he was the Son of God, or was it a gradual realization?
ReplyDeletePJ
In terms of the biological growth of the human brain (and Jesus was fully human), I believe he had to have gradually realized the idea that He was the Son of God. I don’t believe something like that could be comprehended in a child’s brain(or a mortal adult's brain for that matter) although I do believe he’s always known that there was something different about himself.
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