But He emptied Himself, taking the identity of a bond-slave, becoming like mankind just as we are, coming among us as a real human being (Philippians 2.7)
The self-emptying of God in Himself is manifestly expressed in Emmanuel, God with us. In the very act of coming among us, Jesus Christ expresses and manifests the reality of God. Here is God, not hidden on some distant throne, but coming fully in the presence of the Messiah, the Anointed One, to reveal His divine identity to us.
The descendent of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had always known that God shows Himself through His promises fulfilled and in His actions of intervention in the history of Israel. But those in power and who exercised control could simply not conceive that God would so act: divesting Himself so completely of private contentment, self-containment, or any hint of detachment from the real affairs of His Creation.
Here is a God truly to be feared and wondered at. One who gets involved in the affairs of mankind to bring about the justice and righteousness He demands; and who is prepared to go to such terrible lengths of self-divestment to achieve His determined objectives for the whole Cosmos.
To be continued .....
To be continued .....
