8 Minute Read
Be Still
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a couple of minutes to breathe deeply, to quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, prayerfully ask the Lord to speak to you in this time and let Him know that you will be listening and will make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Today’s Bible Reading:
Job 8:1–11:20
1 Corinthians 15:1-28
Psalm 38:1-22
Proverbs 21:28-29
Listen to the Lord
Slowly and reflectively read the following verses and listen to what God will say to you through them. Then, consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (NLT) “So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.”
Reflections from Scripture:
First Corinthians 15:21-22 aren’t the kind of verses that will warm your heart. Instead, they are the theological type that will rev up your brain.
However, rather than dive into the depths of these verses (which would require a post the length of a book), let’s just skim the surface.
When many Christians read the Gospels and observe Jesus, they see God in the flesh. That is an accurate assessment. Jesus is entirely God (John 10:30; John 14:9). While there were rights and privileges that He laid aside when He came to earth (Philippians 2:5-7), He fully maintained His deity.
Yet, it is also true that He was fully man. However, while we also acknowledge that Jesus was fully man, we don’t really see Him that way. When we look at Him in the Gospels, we see God with skin on, but we just can’t see Him as fully human like us (yet without the sin nature). With our flawed view of Jesus’ humanity, we struggle to justify things such as how God could get so exhausted that He fell asleep in a boat during a torrential storm (Luke 8:22-25).
Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully man.
He was just as much God as if He were not man, and He was just as much man as if He were not God. He was entirely both!
Why was it necessary for Him to be fully man (and not just God with skin on)? We read the answer to that in 1 Corinthians 15:21-22.
1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (NLT) “So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.”
Simply put, since a man (Adam) sinned against God and brought death upon all of his descendants (the whole human race), so another man (Jesus) defeated death at His resurrection and passes on this victory over death to all of His posterity (all who are saved).
What the first man (Adam) lost, the second man (Jesus) regained. Paradise was lost by a man, so it had to be recovered by a man.
This is why it isn’t simply a good story that Jesus became a man and died for us. It was essential. He had to rightfully gain back what the first man lost.
This conversation could keep going but let me end it by encouraging you to begin looking at Jesus a little differently when you read the Gospels. Continue to recognize Him as fully God but also view Him as fully man. He was human, just like you and me (yet without the sin nature). And when you see Jesus as fully man, how he lived his life will become much more fascinating and relevant to you.
Spend Time in Prayer
Lord Jesus, I know and believe that You are fully God. Yet, I can see the benefit of seeing You also as fully man. You become even more relatable and easier to imitate. Further, understanding what a relationship with You could be like becomes a little easier to comprehend. Help me, Lord Jesus, to come to know and enjoy and obey Your more. I pray this in Your Name, Amen.
Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com). His latest book is God’s Grace in the Real World. Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
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