Incarnation
...practicing the presence of God

In God Came Near, Max Lucado described the dual nature of Christ this way..."When God chose to reveal Himself, he did so (surprise of surprises) through a human body. The tongue that called forth the dead was a human one. The hand that touched the leper had dirt under its nails. The feet upon which the woman wept were calloused and dusty. And His tears...oh, don't miss the tears...they came from a heart as broken as yours of mine ever has been."

From God's perspective, during the "incarnation" (God becoming man), "Christ surrendered only the prerogatives of deity but nothing of the divine essence, either in degree or kind. In His incarnation, the eternally existing second person of the Trinity accepted all the essential characteristics of humanity and so became the God-man (Phil. 2:5-8; Col. 2:9). As a result, Jesus Christ represents humanity and deity in indivisible oneness (Mic. 5:2; John 5:23; 14:9,10; Col. 2:9)."

From our perspective, the incarnation avails nothing less than "wonder working power" through God's presence for people of faith today. Herbert Lockyer, in All the Doctrines of the Bible suggests that "at our regeneration (that moment of rebirth, preceding faith, at God's divine initiative in salvation), there was added to our already existing human nature, a divine nature," in the presence of the Holy Spirit (see John 3:3-8 & Titus 3:5). Think about that for a moment...The ramifications of this doctrine, in terms of the capability we can call upon through Christ's Spirit, are "mind blowing" (Eph. 3:20).

Christian News Alert: The people of God, as keepers of the Holy Spirit in earthen vessels, are equipped to impact their world in every dimension of life, and in every sphere of influence!

Try and picture this...In his sermon, How to Practice the Presence of God, Dr. Adrian Rogers mentioned that in the Old Testament period, "God had a temple for His people" but in the New Testament era "God has a people for His temple" (see 1 Cor. 3:16). Essentially, because Christ dwells in our hearts by faith (Eph. 3:17), every day can be holy, every place can be sacred, and every deed can become an act of worship. In other words, those who are "saved" (with the Holy Spirit resident in our hearts) and yielded to His power -- can at anytime "be naturally supernatural"...or if you prefer "supernaturally natural."

Although this may sound a little too ethereal or mystical to the uninitiated, let me assure you that the key to victory in the Christian life is as practical as practicing the presence of God, or being "Christ conscious." In his book The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey writes..."When a light is brought into a room, what was a window also becomes a mirror, reflecting back the contents of that room. In Jesus, not only do we have a window to God, but we also have a mirror to ourselves...Human beings were, after all, created in the image of God, but Jesus reveals what that image should look like."

In The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren affirms this "back to the future" end-game when he explains, "You were created to become like Christ. From the very beginning, God's plan has been to make you like His Son, Jesus. This is your destiny and (the third) purpose of your life. God announced this intention at creation: "Then God said, 'Let us make human beings in our image and likeness'" (Genesis 1:26). In all of creation, only human beings, are made "in God's image." This is a great privilege and gives us dignity."

Incarnation, God becoming man -- is also becoming to His people. According to Dr. Rogers, "as you allow Jesus to inhabit your humanity, He'll display His deity," such that "every demand upon your humanity, becomes a demand upon His deity." Indeed, the very crux of Christian living is bound-up in -- becoming now who we already are eternally in the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the words of the apostle Paul, " I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal 2:20). Child of God, practicing the presence of God...is very becoming.

Roy Tanner