God and man, continued
By LEON YOUNGBLOOD
Last week I shared a tremendously condensed discussion my friend the Reverend-Brother-Doctor John H and I had with our friend Walter, a good man, but a professed agnostic who is sometimes antagonistic toward Christians. He inquired, “Why do you two want God?”
This is a fair question. If you ask most believers, the answers typically run along the lines of being “saved from hell,” to “have the peace that passeth understanding,” to “have eternal life in heaven,” or other stock answers. But John threw Walt off a little when he answered, “We want God because He is God.” John went on to explain that wanting God for any other reason is idolatrous.
BRIAR CIRCLE
Being asked by John, Walt admitted his agnosticism and added, “I was born this way.”
“We all were,” John responded. “That’s why the Bible says, ‘You must be born again.’” This is where last week’s column stopped and where this week’s will begin.
At “‘You must be born again,’” Walt frowned. It was a subtle frown, but he knew John and I were not Muslim, Hindu, Wiccan, Buddhist or whatever; he knew we were Christian, and that our comments and discussion would come from that foundation. To “You must be born again,” Walt said, “Okay, you’re quoting Jesus. Jesus was a good man, perhaps an exceptional man; but he was still a man. No man can be an authority on an infinite god.”
John countered, “But God can be an authority on God. You don’t accept the credibility of the Bible, so you’re handicapped. But the Bible says, ‘In the beginning was the Word’—the Word is Jesus—‘and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ We believe Jesus Christ is God. As God, He can certainly testify with authority about Himself.”
“But did Jesus do that? The disciples did not think Jesus was god, did they?” Walt interjected.
“Not at first, apparently. At the Passover observance before Jesus’s crucifixion, Philip asked Jesus, ‘Show us the Father, and that will suffice us.’ Jesus answered, ‘Those who have seen Me have seen the Father.’”
“Why was Jesus subservient to God, then?”
“The Bible says, ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’ Jesus served God because Jesus was a Man. He wasn’t a man, or human, in the sense that we are, though. Jesus was Human in the way God intended Men to be.”
Walt thought about this for a few moments. “Hmph,” was all he could think of to say.
John continued. “Jesus came for several reasons, Walt. First, He came as our Savior and Lord. Then, to show us who God is. And then to show us what true Humans are supposed to be. Humans run around with the attitude that we are gods. Jesus Christ never presumed to be anything other than Human, a Man as God intended Men to be. He was perfectly obedient, perfectly sinless, He lived physically and Spiritually, and was connected every moment to God His Father. And according to the Bible, ‘As many as received Him, He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.’ It’s pretty comforting, Walt, to be able to call God ‘Father.’”
At this point, the young folks began to arrive, ending our conversation. John and I were not sure what was going through Walt’s mind as he sat quietly for a few minutes.
“Well,” he finally said. “At least you have given me some things to think about.”
Well—we hope he does!
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