God adapts?
Jesus is God adapting to mankind
A question from Big Woods Bible Church: “How can we say that God never changes and at the same time say that God adapts to us?” The question emerges from the idea I presented Sunday that the first Christmas is God adapting to man not man adapting to God. Adapting in that He became like us, we did not become like Him.
God never changes but the way He deals with mankind does.
Aren’t you glad we eat bacon, go to church on Sunday rather than Saturday, and worship in Spirit and Truth rather than in Jerusalem? The arrival of Jesus signals the retirement of the law-way of living. The way God deals with us changed when Jesus arrived.
Not only did God change the way He deals with mankind, He also changed the way He revealed Himself to us. At one point it was a pillar of fire, at another it was earth quakes, and at another sacrifices. Finally, the ultimate revelation is Jesus.
Perhaps an illustration of adaptation will help. Think of parents talking baby talk to their children. They adapt yet stay the same. In a similar way, the arrival of Jesus as a human being is God adapting to mankind.
The first Adam was made in the image of God. The second Adam (Jesus) is made in the image of man.
By way of application, we are like God when we adapt our methods of dealing with outsiders while clinging to our unchanging message.
Thanks for the question. Feel free to leave comments on this topic.
Grace Freak
Dan Rockwell
You can receive Grace Freak in your email. It’s free. It’s private. Go to the main page of Grace Freak by clicking the blue banner at the top of this page, look in the right-hand navigation bar, enter your email and click subscribe. Your email address is always kept private. Note: if it doesn’t arrive, check your spam filter for a confirmation email.
Tags: Revelation
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
February 2, 2010 at 6:44 am
The Law of Conservation of Matter states that matter cannot be created or destroyed, only changed in form. When we burn a log in the fireplace, the substance of the matter, what we see, may change, but the essential substance still consists of the very same molecules that made up the log- now appearing in a different form. God’s adapting to man is not a change in substance, only a change in form.
February 2, 2010 at 9:22 am
Thanks for jumping in Wayne. I appreciate your participation in the conversation. The encarnation is an interesting, challenging idea. We say, God “became” a man. Not that He stopped being God. Honestly, I say it but I don’t understand how it all works. Theologians call this the hypostatic union. WOW… And let me tell you when you start thinking about the encarnation, heresy is at every corner… thanks again… be well my friend. Grace Freak Dan.