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 truth. John 1:14

In six simple words, the apostle states the most profound mystery of human thought—how deity could cross the gulf separating what is God from what is not God.

Although mankind in all of our scientific advancement has made the world very complex, John breaks down the entire universe into two things: God and not God. The mystery is compounded by the fact that between that which is God and that which is not God is a great and impassable gulf. The mystery is how the infinite can become the finite, and how that which has no limit deliberately imposes upon Himself limitations.

It is the arrogance of man that believes that he is, or at least acts as though he is, the only order of being. Our Lord had been there from ancient time. He was in the beginning with God, and it was His voice that called out something out of nothingness. Before there were any hills or valleys, He was. And before there were any archangels or seraphim, He was. This was the One who now is among the people.

God Came Near to Man

The deists say that God never got close to humanity. They say “How could it be? Why the great eternal God that made the heaven and earth is too exalted, too high up, too transcending ever to think that He’d be interested in you or me.”

Logic says that a Holy God could not come and be with sinful fallen man. The Lord of glory should not come down to the men of low earth, that He who walks among the interstellar spaces should come down, confine Himself and be among men.

God With Us

The Bible says that He was here among people; and if you read the Gospels, you will find Him there, sleeping among them, eating with them, sitting down, going to their funerals, going to their weddings, patting their babies on the head, helping them up on their feet when they fell.

He was among them, and He was God.

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.

Reason says to the shepherd, Why are you here in this dark cold night far from home? And Jesus the shepherd says, down in the valley somewhere there’s a lost sheep, that’s why I’m here. If the sheep could get to Him, He would not have had to come. But because they could not come to Him, He came to them.

Men Still Do Not Receive Him

John 1:11 He came to his own, and his own received him not.

The first reason many do not respond to Christ has to do with personal priorities. To receive Jesus, one cannot compromise with the world. Many reject Jesus because they know they cannot do what they wanted to do if they received Him.

The second reason has to do with our habits. For us to receive Jesus Christ would mean a change in our way of living. We simply refuse to allow the pattern of our lives to be disturbed.

A third reason for refusing to commit a life to Christ has to do with personal cleansing.

You can be sure that the manger in Bethlehem was clean. Joseph never would have let Mary and her little baby lie there in a dirty crib. Even they knew that Jesus would not inhabit any place that is not clean.

A fourth reason refuse to accept Jesus is that it would mean a complete change in direction for them. Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Most of mankind has no interest in doing that. Few want to be that serious.

A fifth reason people reject Christ is they will have to have faith in the unseen. They will to throw themselves on God and trust Him instead of manipulating their way through the world to get what they feel they need. They might have to give up their tangible comforts and trust completely in Jesus Christ.

What Really Matters To God

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

It is hard to find anything to compare with this 25-word text. Each person really matters to God. You and I really mean something to God. Once that phrase is stated, nothing more needs to be said. It sums up in compressed, pressurized fashion the whole intent of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.

When I read those words “God so loved the world,” it means in deeply personal terms that I mean something to God. God has His eyes upon ME and is emotionally concerned about ME. If this simple message could rise above the confusion of the religious world, it would offer hope to all those who embrace it.
Let’s ask God to help us absorb that reality more than ever before.

Come Just as You Are

God cares about each of us as an individual. Really. This is true no matter what the swirling circumstances around our life are at the present. God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved!