Who's the Man?

What does it mean to be a human being? What does it mean to be a man or a woman? How do we define ourselves? And who has the authority to give the definition?

It may not seem apparent at first glance, but these are some of the most important questions we could ever ask. And I believe, of all the times of the year, that Christmas particularly begs us to ask these questions. After all, we are celebrating the incarnation. We are celebrating the Biblical truth that God became a man and dwelt among men. Why did He do this? Was it really necessary? If it was necessary, why?

Let's start with this question first, "Who has the authority to define humanity?" This may seem to be a silly question, but I would say that it is more important and pressing than we might think. We live in a world where people have claimed the authority to define themselves. The debate over "Gay marriage," for example, is a definition debate. The mental consensus used to be that the definition of marriage came from beyond us. There was a higher authority who gave the definition, and our role was to hear it and submit to it. If the Bible is the authority that defines marriage, then the term "Gay Marriage" is an oxymoron. It's no different than saying "Married Bachelor." But we are culturally morphing into a people who no longer listens to Biblical definitions, and the only alternative is to define things for ourselves, or beg the State to define things for us. So it is important, first, that we establish who has the authority to define humanity. If we are a people who believe the Bible, then we know that we do not have the authority to define ourselves. Only God has that authority. When God created Adam and Eve, He created them in His own image, and this is where our definition and identity are found.

"But what does all of this have to do with Christmas?" you might ask. Simply put, we celebrate Christmas because Jesus succeeded where we failed. God defined humanity in a certain way, but due to our sin, we did not live up to His definition. We skewed God's image. I would even say that in some ways we became sub-human because of sin (remember who defines humanity). So when we fail, instead of saying, "I'm only human," maybe we should say, "I'm not quite fully human yet." In this sense, Jesus is the only Man that has ever lived up to the real definition of humanity. He is the perfect image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15). The incarnation made it possible for humanity to finally be what it was originally intended to be. So, just as in Adam all have sinned, and therefore all die; Jesus has overcome sin for all who are united to Him (Romans 5:12-21). Therefore, they shall live. In His death for our sins and his resurrection to give us life, Jesus became the firstborn of the new humanity. Colossians 1:18 says, "And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent." (ESV)

I hope that in the midst of presents, lights, trees, nativity scenes, carols, and way too much food, we will consider that this baby, born of a virgin, was the perfect Man. He is the true humanity. May we long for the day when we will be like Him. May we long for the day when we will join Him as His brothers and sisters. May we long for the day when we will see Him face to face. Merry Christmas.

Giving Thanks

"Anything I cannot thank God for for the sake of Christ, I may not thank God for at all; to do so would be sin." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

This past week I was able to spend some needed time with my family. I have always believed that my family is a unique and special blessing from God, but as I have grown older, that belief has become more real to me. So I want to give thanks to God. Every good gift comes from Him. And it is possible for us to receive from His hand because Jesus has made it possible through the work that He accomplished on the Cross.

But as I give thanks, I want to make sure that I do it the right way. Psalm 69:30 says "I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving." (ESV emphasis added) There is a simple truth in this verse that is extremely important and powerful. That truth is, thanksgiving magnifies. Or another way to say it is, thanksgiving glorifies. This is always true. When thanksgiving is offered, the result is magnification, glorification, praise, honor, etc. The question is, "who or what is the recipient?" Bonhoeffer's
statement reminds me that I must be careful to watch my own motives when I pray, because my temptation is to cherish God's gifts in such a way that, even in giving thanks, I magnify the gifts rather than the giver. When I pray, am I simply asking God to take care of the gifts that He has given me? Does my thanksgiving prove that houses, lands, friends, wife, children, career, ministry, security, and reputation are the treasures of my heart? In giving thanks to God, do I really bring Him dishonor? Father, please work in my heart in a way that, whenever I give thanks, it will be to magnify the name of Jesus.