The entire humanity comprises God’s children. All were created in God’s image, as to resemble God’s likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). This grants humanity the right to declare being God’s Children. However, due to Adam’s sin, the right of anyone to call God as one’s Father was forfeited at the Garden of Eden. One cannot truthfully call God His Father when living a sinful life.
Sinfulness characterizes the story of humanity, since Adam. According to God, the soul that sins shall surely die (Genesis 2:17). Repentance alone is not sufficient to redeem a sinner, because the Law is cast, in that a soul that sins shall surely die. All of us are Adam’s progenies. Yet Adam sinned and died. Therefore, even declaring to be God’s children cannot save anyone of Adam’s progeny.
One can be born naturally more intelligent than others. But that does not give him advantage, as his survival depends on those not as intelligent as him. In other words, a naturally intelligent individual is bestowed with responsibility to serve those not gifted with natural intelligence. This is a fact that has eluded humanity since Creation.
The sin of humanity is characterized in comparisons, one with others. If unable to meet the intelligence of those considered more informed than me, I become relegated to inferiority status. However, if found to be more intelligent than my colleagues, I become elevated to superiority status. Being elevated to superiority status gives me the ostentatious feeling—while being relegated to inferiority status endows me with modesty.
However, the greatest achievers in this world, are those capable of balancing the two extremes. Such people are natural achievers because they do not exclusively put trust in themselves. While holding certainty of their capabilities, they also believe that others equally hold talents and abilities not naturally accessible to them. They are capable of listening, as also able to express what they are capable of, in benefitting others, without restraint.
Generally, ordinary people desire to be heard, more than they desire to hear what others offer. This sums up the fact that the incapability of humanity, as known in its current miserable format, is inability to listen. All answers of survival are with humanity, yet humanity has rejected the formula, that leads to humanity’s apparent insurmountable survival challenges.
This is why power is associated with carrying guns to kill, more than power ought to be associated with knowledge to add value on other people. Whatever one is capable of producing, is intended for self, rather than for general humanity. The success of others is considered as threat, rather than an advantage to one. Such lunacy is considered as normal, in this world of sin. There is no other way to describe a fallen humanity, than what has been captured in these few lines.
Think of what would happen to a living organism, as portrayed in a human body. Consider the scenario where eyes become jealous of hand functions, for instance. The eyes seeking to project own visual capabilities, as outshining the functionality of hands—being poorly considered in comparison? The hands also similarly projecting jealousy, against the eyes?
Such behaviour being what sustains the respective components of the entire anatomy of a human body? For how long could that human body survive? Everyone is clear in that eyes are there to serve what hands cannot do, in sustaining the physical body as a whole. Just as each physical component of a human body seeks to add value to the entire body structure.
The words that say “do unto others as you would like them do unto you” (Matthew 7:12), are therefore not idle. They sum up the entire solution to what has been problematic to humanity, since creation. In fact, those with more workable solutions are vilified more than others, in our environment.
Christian preachers passionately drum up support, in highlighting the sinfulness of humanity. Their only failure lies in inability to appreciate this simplistic technology—stating that each individual ought to survive only for the benefit of others. An individual ought to survive for the purpose of benefitting his fellows. Just as each of his fellows also ought to survive for the individual’s own benefit. See [The significance of Oneness, as compared with Trinity].
I shudder to imagine, even why Christian groupings compete against each other, for space? Yet Christians are the ones expected to project the word of Jesus, more than any other organization in this world? Each Christian grouping claims to be more informed than others—using Scriptural references that prove they would be right, as compared with the rest.
Such behaviour is completely different from what Jesus—who became the only Son of God in His time—did to His fellow humanity. This therefore leads towards revealing the answer to the question on why Jesus was the only begotten Son of God. By the way, this has got nothing to do with imaginary views of making Jesus another God in Three, formula.
After Adam’s sin, the redemption of the fallen humanity was first prophesied in Genesis 3:15. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (ESV).
The character being referred to, in this Scripture, is Satan, whose nature is division. He sustains what characterizes humanity to remain divided against each other. The offspring of a woman is none other than Jesus, anointed to take the position of the redemption of humanity. Why and how so?
God loves humanity (John 3:16). Having observed the calamity that had befallen humanity, at the Garden of Eden, the redemption plan had to be put in place. As God could not violate His own Law, the sinfulness of the entire humanity had to be borne by one person.
Certainly, that person could not be of the offspring of the man who had plunged humanity into sinfulness, in the first place. But He had to be as human as all of us are—being God’s children. The story of Jesus’ birth emerged from the miracle on Virgin Mary—having become pregnant, without anyone impregnating her. This miracle was first clearly highlighted in Isaiah’s prophecy:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forever more. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
When carefully analysing this passage of Scripture, one discovers that the child born to us is not God. This is none other than Jesus, as revealed in the first century. The child born to us, was not necessarily God being born to us. However, in this same child, born to us, would be revealed the gift of God—as dwelling in the Son given to us.
Notice carefully that, unlike the child born to us, the Son is given; whose characteristics are none other than the Almighty God. Humanity had been created in God’s likeness. But, as the only created species to declare God as their Father, they lost that relationship at the Garden of Eden. Currently, humanity generally resembles the characteristics of Satan—rather than God, their only Father. The advent of Jesus was specifically to show humanity the way to the Father.
Unfortunately, instead of duplicating Jesus in declaring God as Father, humanity has dissociated themselves from Jesus. They insist that Jesus is different from humans and no-one can be like Him. This deception is adopted with worshipful piety. Therefore, humanity is happier in sinfulness, than being associated with God, like their brother Jesus—the only Son of God.
There is nothing that Jesus did on earth that humans could not do. Jesus explicitly showed His disciples that their failures would be centred on lack of faith. As unbelieving that they were created in God’s image.
Actually, Jesus is the only human being who ever projected an ideal Man, created in God’s image. He told His disciples that they could actually do greater things, than He did, as long as believing in Him (John 14:12). This is why Jesus carried the sinfulness of humanity to Himself—so that humanity could revert to their status of being God’s children.
Jesus’ existence on earth had nothing to do with His personal ego. He declared that He came to serve, rather than being served (Matthew 20:28). This ideal practice of serving other fellow humans, more than self-serving, was usurped by Satan, promoting elevation of self, instead of others.
The behaviour of Jesus can be interpreted as stupidity, by the egotistical humanity. But, being altruistic, this behaviour is the only one that characterizes one to be God’s Son. It is the only way that salvages sinful humanity. In Jesus we have the reality of what being God’s Son entails.
This has got nothing to do with priding oneself of belonging to a particular denomination. It requires obsession with seeking ways of salvaging the entire humanity from the current bondage of sin.
This embraces knowledge, as imparted by Jesus, more than revering the cross of Jesus. As having been allocated the throne of David, Jesus should be assumed as being one of us. But those taking Him as such, should pick up the responsibility to adopt His conduct in passion for serving humanity.
Interestingly, when Jesus comes, He will not be the only one sitting on His throne. This is why He is described as would be the King of kings and Lord of lords. Many other people, commonly despised today, would be granted positions to reign with Him, when He comes.
Of course, Jesus became the only begotten Son of God, leading to His death for humanity on the cross. But, after resurrection—which is not an impossibility to His fellow humanity—He facilitated the extension of Son-ship to God—to those choosing redemption. This is why the first disciples received the miracle of the Holy Spirit, after His ascension to Heaven (Acts 2).
The accessibility of that Holy Spirit was facilitated in Jesus, having taken the position of dying in place of sinful humanity. Without Jesus, there had not been any other way to take humanity out of the death trap. The only reason why humanity continues to travail in sin, is because of ignorance. Knowledge is aplenty, among those that God is using.
But such knowledge is not easily accessible to a people embroiled in condition of sinfulness, as characterized in categorizing people according to class. Instead of listening to their closest friends, desiring to give what God offers, they stumble in despising people with such gifts from God.
The despised ones appear as also seeking revenge—accordingly propagating the existent darkness, rather than unconditionally giving light to those groping in darkness. Anyone can become God’s Son, like Jesus, as long as adopting the behaviour of the one who unconditionally died for the entire humanity.
But this has got nothing to do with works, necessarily. It has got more to do with the attitude, in seeking to provide maximum benefit to the maximum number of humanity. A person is as righteous as able to serve the greatest number of humanity. On the other hand, a person is as wicked as only serving the least number of humanity.
This is just as this sentiment is cast in the Law of love. The reason why Jesus is projected as a gift from God, is that He manifested this way of love for humanity to also duplicate and live. The opposite projects the only way to death in inferno. Jesus never sought to be the only Son of God, but leading all to become God’s Sons, when choosing to follow His principles of living.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing reliefs to those having witnessed strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. In a simple conversational tone, most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long awaited providential oasis of hope.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
Also available as an e-copy at Lulu.com for $6.99
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
