Oftentimes I have been asked about
this topic, or I hear people say something like this. Yes, Jesus is great. I
consider him a teacher, a prophet, a healer, maybe even revolutionary. BUT, and
that is the big word, I do not consider him the son of God. Others say, are not
we all children of God? So I thought I would address it.
Christ is considered fully human and
fully God. Fully human, flesh and bones, he ate and drank, felt joy and sorrow, the human
experience. Fully God, I will explain.
Yes, we are all children of God,
made in his image. “God created man in his own image.” (Gen. 1: 27)
However, we are all sinful. Don't cringe, all that means as I have written
about before is that none of us are perfect, we all "miss the mark of
perfection."
So why does it even matter if we are
following Jesus, whether he is actually the son of God, or fully God? We can all agree he is a
great role model, right? And maybe more importantly what does that even mean the son of God?
Well let me explain.
I think there are many important
facets. One is the idea that we are all, yes, children of God made in his
image. We are all here with a purpose and a reason for being. “Even the hairs
of your head are all numbered.” (Matt. 10:30) So Christ also is a child of God
and came to earth with a purpose and mission. The big difference and one aspect
that makes Christ THE "son of God" is the fact that he came to earth
already perfect, he was without sin. He did not, and would not ever miss the mark
of perfection. This is one of the reasons why we say, he was of one substance
with the Father.
That one substance has qualities
(transcendent, eternal, incorporeal, perfect by nature). He was perfect in
understanding, intention and actions. God had a plan for him and he walked that
plan perfectly. He spent three years as a young man preaching and some two
thousand years later still has billions of people who worship him. Clearly the
guy did something right, and that right thing was to walk God's perfection
mission. To demonstrate with his own life what we are to do in our lives in
order to have communion with God.
So while we daily live with our actions
having consequences – “Whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” Gal. 6:7) – sometimes
good, sometimes not so good, Christ's actions were already aligned from his
birth with perfect intention, or God's will. Unlike us, who sometimes think we
have good intentions, but perhaps a misguided motivation leads us to a lot of
trouble. Or as grandpa Joe used to say: "The road to hell is paved with
good intentions!"
So in some ways Christ IS exactly
like us, a child of God, a human being, here with a God-given purpose. Yet in other ways he is not
like us, mainly, he is already perfect, without sin. Herein lies the clincher
of why we do not just follow Christ like a guide or teacher and why he must
remain THE "son of God" (of one substance with the father).
Yes, we do follow his commandments
like one would with a teacher or guide. But we also embrace the idea of
literally taking him into our being, his likeness; or his one-and-same substance
as God, is invited into our innermost being. Then through this communing with
that one substance we are transformed. “I will give them a heart of flesh.”
(Ezekiel 11:19). To become like him, not only on the outside by our choices in
life, and exterior actions, but on the inside by a transformation of the inner
being.
We make an agreement to die
initially and continue daily to our own sin so that we may with faith and hope,
grow in his likeness. We acknowledge our sin and repent of it as is commanded,
so that we can receive his grace. “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your
sins may be blotted out.” (Acts 3:19) He does not want to punish us for our
sin, he wants to love and forgive us, but we need to give it up, or perhaps
more appropriately at least be willing to. (Thy will be done).
Really all that willingness means is
to recognize that we are sinful, and say it's ok it's here, but I don't want it. I am sorry it is
here, I want to hand it to you, let it go and become like you. “Go and sin no more.”
(John 8:11). This is where the mystical transformation manifests. When the will
is there, the transformation begins. When we allow him to be there, by our
willingness and relinquishing, then there he resides. When we ask, we receive.
When we truly want to follow his will, then he will show us the way. However,
we need to be willing to die, as he did on the cross, which is not easy, and was
not easy for Christ either. “Father, remove this cup from me.” (Mark 14:36).
We are called to release false sense
of self, or our own self-righteousness, willingly. Once we give up our own
life, we are reborn. “Whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matt.
16:25) We are "reborn". “You must be born again.” (John 3:7) into his
perfect self, or born into his one substance with the father. So you can see
why this distinguishing factor must exist. The question could be why would we
die, to be born in him, if he is just another human being?
There must be something in him that
is higher, better, or even perfect for us to want to become like him in our most sacred inner
self. “Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
(Matt. 5:48) This is why it is not only important but essential that Christ not
only be a great guy, etc., etc., but truly be "the son of God", that
one substance with the father.
It is God's grace that gives us
peace and forgiveness, inner peace. It is perfect, transcendent, consciousness,
God, that one substance that we seek in our deepest interior and invite in
willingly in order to rest and find comfort.
