2006-09-06 - Finding the Obvious

Numbers 23:19 (HCSB) - God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes His mind.

Psalm 89:34 (HCSB) - I will not violate My covenant or change what My lips have said.

Hebrews 13:8 (NIV) - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Based upon these verses and ones like them, it has been said that God never changes. The first verse says God will not change his mind and the second verse says he will not change what he has said. Notice the final verse Jesus as the role of Christ, the ultimate sacrifice has not changed. The Old Testament saints looked forward to his sacrifice as the New Testament church has looked back on his sacrifice.

However, none of these says God never changes ever at all in any aspect. Personally, I am grateful he does change. I am very grateful for one change.

John 1:1-4, 14 (AMP) 1 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. ² He was present originally with God. ³ All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being. ⁴ In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.

¹⁴ And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.

Jesus was always God. He was always the Word. Jesus has always been the Life and the Light of Men. However, praise God, He became flesh. Can you see that difference? In Greek, the word changes from en (was) to ginomai (became). He did not have to change. No one could fault him for just letting humanity kill itself off slowly sin by fatal sin. Nevertheless, he did change.

He changed form some two thousand plus years ago in order to keep his spoken promise to Adam and Eve. He had promised them death as a result of eating the fruit. Turning from the source of Life was promised to result in death. He could not change his spoken word and neither could he change his mind. He had made up his mind before creation that he wanted a being to fellowship with and one to worship him. He created man with this in mind. He didn't change his word or his mind so he changed something else.

The God who created the angels, humanity, and all that lives and breathes became flesh to redeem flesh that could not redeem itself and often does not even want to try. "But we do see Jesus- made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God's grace He might taste death for everyone-crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death." (Hebrews 2:9 HCSB)

The God who cannot sin became sin for mankind that had chosen willfully to turn from him. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

God changed his form from Spirit to flesh in order to become our Savior. And because he did, I am changed forevermore. Has God's change effected a change in you?

IHFHBOH
Adam

adam@cfdevotionals.org
http://www.cfdevotionals.org

All scripture references from KJV unless otherwise noted