world as an actual man. The result is that we have One who is really what all men were intended to be. He represents what we can be through faith in the real Man, our Saviour. Yes, Jesus Christ became like you and me in order that some day we might become like Him. The incarnation was not an end in itself. It was God's way of com ing to man that we might be re deemed from the penalty of sin. We can be transformed from with in into the image of His own Son. The Bible reminds us, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." The prophet Isaiah speaks of His coming, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given" (9:6). Jesus was always God's Son, consequently as a Son He could only be given. In the incarnation He became a Man and before that a Child. This is why as a child He is born and not given. Divine na ture is without beginning. His hu man nature dates from the moment of birth in the city of Bethlehem. Paul points out that Christ was made of the seed of David, accord ing to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. The Saviour was made man in the line of His earthly ancestor, David. In exactly the same way, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law (Galatians 4:4). Christ was first in the form of God and now then came in the form of man. The Greek word "form" has different senses refer ring both to the inward character Page 31
ity or deity that characterizes all human beings. Our reference is specifically to that kind of deity and divinity which can only char acterize God. Everything that He is to me, so Jesus is also to me. I trust, my friend, that this is true of you as well. It should be because this certainly is the teaching of the Word of God for us in these im portant days. EXAMPLE IN HUMILITY In Living Letters we have an in teresting paraphrase of Philippians 2:7, 8, “But laid aside His mighty power and glory, taking the dis guise of a slave and becoming like men. And he humbled himself ev en further, going so far as to actu ally die a criminal's death on the cross." C. S. Lewis presents an interest ing illustration of Jesus coming into this world, born of the virgin Mary. He points out, "Did you ever think when you were a child what fun it would be if your toys could come back to life again? Well, supposing you could really bring them back to life, imagine turning a tin sol dier into a real little man. It would involve turning the tin into flesh. And suppose the tin soldier did not like it? He is not interested in flesh. All he sees is that the tin is being spoiled. He thinks that you are killing him. He will do every thing he can to prevent you from turning him into a regular man. He will not be made into a man if he can help it. What would you do about that tin soldier?" As far as we are concerned, what God did about us was to cause the second member of the Godhead, the Lord Jesus Christ, to become human Himself. He was born into the
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