The Glory of the Gospel

I asked the question earlier, "How can God, Who is unchanging, in Jesus take on human form (permanently I might add) and still be unchanged?" I know what I think. What do YOU think?

This is just an aspect of what I have been pondering as of late. But before I continue, you need to read, "What is the Love of God?" As well as, "God's Glory" and "The Glory of God in the Gospel". Yes, quite a bit of reading, but what I am about to embark in writing is deeply connected to the foundation upon which I have already built.

I do not want to separate God's Glory, God's Love and His unchanging character. How can God, In Jesus, take on human flesh yet be unchanged? Seth Rone hits the nail on the head, at least in part- maybe more :) .

We must keep in mind before creation, OUTSIDE time, God’s creative plan included the cross: see Acts 2:23, Acts 4:27&28, 1 Peter 1:19&20, and Revelation 13:8. In eternity past, God planned (foreordained) the cross- meaning, it was meant to happen and there was no chance that it could not not happen. In other words, the cross was not optional. It was THE plan of the ages.

Further, since God is love, then it is God's nature to give up His life as a ransom. Jesus said in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." There is no possibility that God could have done otherwise. None. The cross was not plan B. It was the only plan.

This is why when God in Jesus took on human flesh, He did not change because there was never a time that God in Christ did not plan to die to save.

But at the same time, pardon the pun, WITHIN time, God did change.

Douglas Kelly says that the Incarnation is a greater miracle and mystery than God's creating everything out of nothing. The change WITHIN time from God to God/Man is ultimately what makes it a miracle and mystery at the same time. Amazing.

This is such a deep subject that it will take all of eternity to plumb its depths (and then we'll still need an infinite amount of eternities to continue the quest of plumbing those depths!). Wow.

It reminds me how absolutely insane it is to seek our satisfaction in idols that can neither see nor hear. When THIS God--the God that has come to us in Jesus like this--calls us to come to him....

So what do we do now? We place our faith in Jesus because He always planned to take on our sin, guilt, and shame- to be the Spotless Lamb slain from the foundation of the world for without faith, we can never please God (Hebrews 11:6).

If you've never placed your faith and trust in Jesus, now is always a good time to start. If you have placed your faith in Jesus in the past, continue to believe, look to the cross, and be saved.

There has never been another option for salvation.

This is the glory of the Gospel.