b y J a c h M a cA r th u r
The Great “GIANT LEAP”
I " n the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and tru th ” (John 1:1-14). Rather than devote myself to the speculations of the implication of space technology, space explora tion, and space philosophy, I am anxious to point out that the great giant leap of man toward the stars, as significant and tremendous as it was, nevertheless is dwarfed by the leap of God to earth in the miracle of the incarnation, when the Creator of the universe in vaded the planet and came to dwell among us. A visitor from outer space came to our tiny planet 1900 years ago when Jesus Christ was cradled in the manger of Bethlehem. This was nothing less than the enhumanation of the incomprehensible cosmic God, the coming of God to earth in human form: ‘‘The Word became flesh.” To the human mind there is something almost incredible in the assertion that God became a man, and we would never have pre sumed to believe it, had not God revealed it. Be cause, of all who have ever lived on earth, apart from Adam, only Christ came into existence without a human father. The unbroken rule for the human race is, “ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is sp irit" (John 3:6). But if Jesus Christ had been conceived and born as men are, He would have been conceived and born in sin. Burdened with the same corrupt nature that is yours and mine, He would never have been the sinless Saviour of mankind, and there would have been no essential difference between Jesus Christ and any other human. 10
The miracle of the ages is that Jesus Christ came into the world by the miracle of parthenogenesis. There are many passages that we might take in speak ing of this greatest leap but let us use John 1:10: “ He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.” Here are three great facts from this verse: God was “ in the world.” That little baby wrapped in the homespun clothes of a Palestinian peasant, lying in a feed trough in a cave for animals in Beth lehem, was none other than God coming to earth in human form. Isaiah prophesied that one day God would become incarnate: “ Behold, a virgin shall con ceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Im manuel” (Isaiah 7:14). “ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The ever lasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). The Apostle Paul refers to Jesus Christ as “ The great God.” He declares, "For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9); “ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputa tion, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:5-8); “ For by experience, we know the un merited favor shown us by our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor that ifi order by his poverty, ye might become rich” (II Cor. 8:9). The life of our Lord Jesus Christ did not begin in the womb of Mary, for He was the eternal Son of God, who, by the miracle of the virgin birth entered the stream of human history in corporeal form. How amazing that the infinite God should become a baby and empty Himself so that He could be “ in the world.” This is identification! God came into the stream of our humanity— and it was a polluted stream. He has not held Himself aloof and remote— a “ God up there,” but has drawn near. Nor has He come in the person of a messenger or envoy. He has come Himself in His Son all the way into our sin-cursed, hostile en vironment. How amazing that the God who called the heavens into being, and flung the stars into space, and who upholdeth all things by the Word of His power, should THE KING’S BUSINESS
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