An Act of Humility<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nIn the second book that I will do later, I’m going to talk more about the particulars of Jesus’ birth. But here’s the more important point I’d like you to remember at this point in time. Going back to that fundamental question, why did God become a man? And we’ve seen throughout Israel sister, that promise was kept alive for the people of Israel, really for the whole world. Why did God become a man? Why did He come in the form of a small baby who is helpless and dependent upon others? The answer I think is given for us, at least in one way. In 2 Corinthians chapter 8 and verse 9 where it says, “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, how, even though he was rich for our sakes, he became poor. That by his poverty, we might become rich.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nJesus Christ, the Word made flesh, exchangedthe glories of heaven for the poverty of earth. So that enriching our poverty, we might be lifted up to the glories of Heaven. And this is an act of humility beyond belief. And that’s why Saint Francis of Assisi once wrote to his friars when he spoke about the Eucharist in the same way, he said, “Oh, sublime humility, that the Lord of the universe, the son of God, so humbles himself for our salvation, and he hides himself under the form of a morsel of bread.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, before that, he hid his divinity under the humanity of a small babe. Why did God humble himself in this way for us and for our salvation? Well, it indicates to us two things about our salvation, two problems as it were that needed to be solved, in order for us to be saved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first was the problem of our sin to restoring us to that righteousness, which Adam and Eve had lost by their own sin. But think about it for just a moment. Could God not just have forgiven the human race, sort of salvation by Fiat? Why did he not do that? He could have just said I forgive everyone. Perhaps you, like I, were told by your parents when you were growing up that in order to appreciate things, sometimes we have to work very hard for them. If things are just given to us, we sometimes don’t appreciate them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No, there had to be sacrifice involved. There had to be, sometimes, pain and suffering for us to appreciate the wonderful gift of forgiveness. By coming into the world, the Savior of the world, the eternal son of God brought us the gift of forgiveness from our sins. But even that was not enough because salvation is not just being forgiven of our sins. It is being united finally. And once, and for all with God. The Father in Heaven wanted more than forgiveness. He wanted us to share in His life. He wanted us to share in His love. He wanted us to be united forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reunited with Us Forever<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nLet’s think about a tragic situation for just a moment. And extrapolate it to God. I’ve been blessed to be the father of three children and 11 grandchildren. And I sometimes think what if I lost one of my children, or my grandchildren? Would I be as a word, devastated, emotionally? Oh, yeah, you bet I would be. But suppose even worse, that one of those children or grandchildren, took their own life. Could I forgive them? Oh, I certainly hope and pray that I would be able to. But forgiveness can never bring that person back. All I can do is cherish that person within me, but I can’t have a living union with that person who has died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God did not want just to have a living memory by forgiving us. God wanted to be united with us forever. And so, in sending His son down to be a baby in Bethlehem, He was going to unite us with him so that we would be forever with Him in Heaven. But let’s become practical now, and think about this question. Why did God become man? If he wanted to unite us to himself, how was he going to do that? Well, what do we need to do during these next few weeks, during Advent, to be more closely united to God?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, I have an answer that might surprise you. And the answer that is in scripture and said in different ways in different times, we don’t do anything. No, we do nothing. God is the one who has done everything for our salvation. We don’t need to initiate anything. He has been the one who initiated salvation and given us the gifts whereby we may grow closer to Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n