Biblical Truth #4: God Became Human (the “Incarnation”)
The “Ant” Analogy
Suppose you saw a large ant hill in your yard, and you knew the new pest exterminator was coming tomorrow to spray, bomb and kill all such pests. You have first-hand knowledge that this colony-of-ants was in imminent danger, doom and destruction, yet the ants have absolutely no clue. So how could you communicate this to the ants? The only real way to help save them would be to come to them as an ant yourself, as a member of their own colony. Some would listen and heed your warning and seek a new life, a new way of thinking, and a new place to live, while others would scoff at the idea and not understand nor agree with all the odd descriptions and concepts you were teaching, preaching, and warning. Whether or not they listened, at least you would have done your best to save them while still preserving their freedom of choice.
God faced a similar dilemma in communicating with us. And he decided to come to us as one of our own, God in human form, as Jesus Christ. He shared a new way of thinking, a new way to live, the importance of obedience to his commands, and about our impending danger, doom and destruction. Out of love, Jesus humbled and reduced himself to our level so that he might teach us and save us.
Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?
“Before Abraham was, I am,” or “I and the Father are one” were statements Jesus made in John 10, and they resulted in the Jewish leaders attempting to stone him. The Jews knew what those claims meant. Jesus was claiming to be God. Today, we are left with the question, was Jesus lying when he said these things? Was he insane or delusional? Or was he telling the truth? If you choose to believe he lied, then he can’t be a good moral teacher. He would be a hypocrite instead. If you choose to believe him a lunatic, then you can’t make him a moral teacher with any credibility. The only option left to us is to believe his entire message, even those points that we can’t fully understand.
The Virgin Birth
The Old Testament portion of the Bible states that the Messiah (the promised deliverer or savior) would be born of a virgin. The miraculous events surrounding Jesus’ birth should not go understated. Mary was a virgin and was suddenly found pregnant. Joseph, her husband-to-be, had the option to divorce Mary quietly to protect her honor if she had been unfaithful. However, he risked his life and hers for this child that wasn’t even his. Also, if Mary had become pregnant normally, why did she raise such a ludicrous story of a virgin birth as an excuse? No Jewish authority would have believed her. Most people today don’t believe her. If she were to lie, using a miracle as a lie would be incredibly hard to uphold.
Conclusion
In summary, the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth are filled with miraculous implications. Having a virgin give birth can only be evidence of God’s work, which was also fulfilled prophecy. Similarly, another related fulfilled prophecy was that Jesus would be born in the little town of Bethlehem, which of course came true. And let’s not forget that our calendar is based all on the birth of Jesus! Although, this truth may be hard to fully understand, there is sufficient evidence supporting this miraculous historical event!
Will you go to Heaven when you die? Here’s a quick test:
Q. Have you ever told a lie?
Q. Have you ever stolen anything?
Q. Have you ever used God’s name in vain?
Q. Have you ever lusted over someone?
Q. Have you ever hated someone?
If you have done these things, God sees you as a liar, a thief, a blasphemer, an adulterer-at-heart, and a murderer-at-heart. And this is only 5 of God’s Ten Commandments (a/k/a “God’s Law”). And the Bible warns that on the Day of Judgment, God will punish you in a terrible place called Hell. But, there is “good news”! God is not willing that any should perish. Sinners broke God’s Law, but Jesus paid their fine by shedding His sinless blood on a cross ~2,000 years ago. This means that God can legally dismiss their case (and yours!): “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Then Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death. Today, repent (turn away from your sins), put your complete trust in Jesus, and confess Jesus as your Lord & Savior… and God will give you eternal life as a free gift.
Contrary to popular belief, being a “good person”, doing “good deeds”, or being “religious” will not get you a ticket to heaven! Many people are hoping God will dismiss their sins because their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds. They further hope that because God is “good” he will let them go unpunished and enter heaven. However, because God is “good” he must by nature punish sinners (i.e., God would not be a good judge if he let criminals go free). The Bible states: “There is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20) The Bible also states: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) And finally, think about this, if your goodness could save you, Jesus would have died in vain (i.e., for no good reason). The Bible states: “I (Jesus) am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father (God) except through me. (John
14:6) Friends, please don’t “roll-the-dice” and gamble your eternal life on the life-threatening lie that being a “good person” will get you to heaven.
Here is a prayer you can use to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord & Savior. It is a suggested prayer – the key is that you are speaking from your heart.
“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me turn away from sin going forward. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus into my heart and I confess him as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for sending your Holy Spirit to help me obey you, and to do your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
Congratulations! And welcome to God’s family!
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