13/5/26 - Could Jesus Relate to Humanity as God Incarnate?
Philippians 2:6-11 (from the NRSVUE) says the following:
...[6] who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human, [8] he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God exalted him even more highly and gave him the name that is above every other name, [10] so that at the name given to Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
In verse 7 in the context of the passage, we find that when God the Son became incarnate He 'emptied' Himself or 'set aside' not only His equality with God - as in God's authority, but also set aside His perfect foreknowledge and all-powerful elements to be able to truly relate to humanity that He desired to save and because He was to be the perfect High Priest who could relate to us. Jesus could relate to us and sympathise with us perfectly.
We can have assurance that when we are uncertain Jesus understands us and how we feel as Jesus Christ would have experienced uncertainty. Jesus understands our anxieties as He would have also experienced anxiety, especially when He was going to be crucified. Jesus never carried the cross without feeling what we would feel. This is because He had set aside His perfect foreknowledge at the incarnation (when He became Human). Having that lack of certainty of knowledge of what may and will happen in the future and what possibilities there are, and how these things could transpire would be unnerving. God knows and has exhaustive foreknowledge of all possibilities and knows everything that a possible future entails. Jesus would not have had all that exhaustive knowledge in His incarnation.
Remember, the things that Jesus set aside He regained at His exaltation and after His resurrection. He regained His foreknowledge, and His all-powerful elements, and omni-presence. Jesus was glorified at the exultation, however, there was no time when Jesus stopped being God while human. Additionally there are mysteries and paradoxes we cannot fathom as these are beyond our human comprehension. Such mysteries include God the Son's incarnation as Jesus while the Father and Holy Spirit are everywhere present, the God the Son's relation with the Father and Holy Spirit while incarnate, and there are other mysteries. These are not contradictions but mysteries.
Either way, we can be assured that when we go through a struggle, in a sens, Christ has been there with us in that struggle. Glory be to Him who reigns!
8/5/26 - Why Should Christians and Others be Social?
Most humans are social in nature and need to interact with others whether sometimes or at best most times depending on how social one is. Perhaps you are more introverted (a little more like myself) or extroverted (a little more like my beloved wife) either way a part of living and a healthy life is socialising with others. Now, we might ask why we are like this. Is it because of evolution where a part of an evolving process is socialising with others? Perhaps that is one aspect, but what if our sociality was derived from a Being prior to humanity's existence - God. Now, you might ask how a single Being could be 'social' if there is nothing else out there in existence before humans evolved, before the big bang, before everything came into being. Perhaps one possibility could be from a Social Trinitarian perspective, but what is Social Trinitarianism?
Well, let us define 'social' in the sense of one or more persons interacting with another person or persons. It may be that you may be talking right now to someone, or maybe you are in a social group, family gathering, political party, study group, classroom, or religious group. Being social can be applied to animals too, but of course we are speaking in the context of humans who I believe were made in 'likeness' to God in certain ways - in our ability to socialise, to love, to be creative, to love justice, be gracious and merciful, kind, and more.
This is the 'social' aspect for those who have a conscience. Now, let's speak of what we mean by Trinity. Not everyone will agree with this definition, but in the faith of Christianity, God is 'Three Spirit Persons'. The three Spirit Persons exist as 'Father', 'Son', and 'Holy Spirit'. These are a part of the Divinity of God! Imagine - as a friend Wayne suggested - about the three faces of God. Each face belongs and is attached to the invisible, all-powerful, same and undivided 'Divine' substance. So, God is three Persons from One Divine substance. The Trinity is our one God! The Persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have distinct centres-of-consciences just like how humans have their own conscience centres or minds'.
So, God is the ultimate 'social' Being as God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all mutually in a self-giving way love each other and indwell in each other and know each other in ways that are incomprehensible. This is where In believe humans derive their sociality from and we are designed to be social in our nature and to be involved in community and family.