Saturday, July 19, 2008

God Personified

We are still looking at that first truth, that Jesus is the a person.

In the Review and Herald, January 30, 1900, Christ or Barabbas?, Mrs White says:

The world is not improving. Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. By rejecting the Son of God, the personification of the only true God, who possessed goodness, mercy, and untiring love, whose heart was ever touched with human woe, and choosing a murderer in his stead, the Jews showed what human nature can and will do when the restraining power of the Spirit of God is removed, and men are under the control of the apostate. Those who choose Satan as their ruler will reveal the spirit of their chosen master. {RH, January 30, 1900 par. 6}


From this we see that the Son of God is the personification of the only true God.

Websters 1828 defines personification as: The giving to an inanimate being the figure or the sentiments and language of a rational being.

While the Son isn't inanimate, I think Mrs White wants us to see that the figure, sentiments and language of 'the only true God' are in Christ because she goes on to say "who possessed goodness, mercy and untiring love, whose heart was ever touched with human woe." So not only is He lovely in form, He is lovely in sentiment as well.

We can see this clearly at the cross which surely has to be the greatest demonstration of "mercy and untiring love" that this world has ever seen. Mercy because we were the ones who should be punished but Jesus bore that punishment instead. Untiring love in that He loved us until death, despite all the coercion of Satan to give up on us.

We see this idea of Christ as a person being reflected in Adam and Eve:

Created to be "the image and glory of God" (1 Corinthians 11:7), Adam and Eve had received endowments not unworthy of their high destiny. Graceful and symmetrical in form, regular and beautiful in feature, their countenances glowing with the tint of health and the light of joy and hope, they bore in outward resemblance the likeness of their Maker. Nor was this likeness manifest in the physical nature only. Every faculty of mind and soul reflected the Creator's glory. Endowed with high mental and spiritual gifts, Adam and Eve were made but "little lower than the angels" (Hebrews 2:7), that they might not only discern the wonders of the visible universe, but comprehend moral responsibilities and obligations. {Ed 20.2}


Our first parents reflected the mental/mind and spiritual/soul of the person of their Creator as well and the outward physical form. In other words a 'person' consists of a mind, soul and form. Christ, Even preincarnate Christ had all these features.

As a human, I too, reflect the form and features of my Maker, not as much as Adam and Eve did of course. But with his help I can reflect His mind and soul.

So the truth that Jesus is a complete person means that He has real feelings of mercy and love towards us and we can reflect his thoughts.

No comments: