Can God be Limited to a Body?
Recently I was asked this question...
While considering the question I raised in the title, a statement Jesus made occurred to me, Matthew 24:36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
Now, this is not to say that Jesus was not fully God and fully Man, lest someone think that is where I am going...
I simply wonder if the fullness of God's knowledge...eternity...can it be contained by flesh?
God can do anything, but for various reasons, does not always do so. As with an eternally flowing pitcher of wine that never grows empty, or the simple knowledge that the more love you share with others, the more love you have...a miracle that is a mystery...and yet, scripture seems to support that Jesus, though fully God, was not the fullness of God when in flesh.
I think that is where the understanding of the Trinity always becomes confused. People want to say that Jesus is the Father and is the Holy Spirit rather than respecting the sovereignty of the position Jesus held, the sovereignty of the position that the Father holds and the sovereignty of the position the Holy Spirit holds.
If three people think exactly alike on a matter, does it really matter who is 'in charge'? One like mind, three seperate individuals, all God.
It does not diminish Christ in any way if he is not the Father, anymore than it diminishes me in any way to be a daughter. In maturity, I have friendship with my parents. I love and respect them for who they are/were, but I am neither above them nor below them, I simply love them. I can respect them, admire them, but it doesn't make me less than them. I left my parents home to be joined with my husband. Based upon how I was raised, I might think like my mother thought, but that doesn't make me my mother...it makes me the image of my mother perhaps. That doesn't mean I know all my mother knew, but it doesn't mean I never will either. As my husband becomes the head of our family upon our marriage, we are our own household, I can respect my parents still, but I hold a different position now.
I see Jesus in a similar way, here on earth, he is like we are...he is the child of God, but upon the bride of Christ coming into existence, upon the marriage of Jesus to the church, he becomes the bridegroom and as such, what is required of him changes. That different place doesn't bring the Father down, nor does it change who Jesus is. Seated at the right hand of the Father, He has the knowledge of the Father and His authority as well.
So, can God be limited to a Body? Yes, with God all things are possible, even eternity contained by flesh. Was God limited to a body? I believe so. Was the entire fullness of the knowledge and power of God contained within that body? I don't think so...and I think there was a purpose to it though. The purpose of that lack was to show us the way. If Jesus had the fullness of God contained in his flesh, he couldn't have identified with temptation. Jesus is NOW equal to the Father, always existed with the Father and was equal to the Father and eternal with the Father, however, during his time in flesh, He voluntarily gave up that aspect to take on our weaknesses. In life he was more than man, but by appealing to the Father, He could show us how we can appeal to the Father for ALL things, so long as we desire God's will and not our own. Upon becoming the bridegroom of the Church, His father becomes Our Father, we are married into His family and can receive the parental blessings of the Father, yet still have Jesus as the head of our 'household' being guided by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. As when we are married, we become the heads of our own households, upon Jesus' marriage to the Church, his bride takes charge of the household (the world) but he is the head of our household, the head of our family...the family of Christ.
God bless
While considering the question I raised in the title, a statement Jesus made occurred to me, Matthew 24:36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
Now, this is not to say that Jesus was not fully God and fully Man, lest someone think that is where I am going...
I simply wonder if the fullness of God's knowledge...eternity...can it be contained by flesh?
God can do anything, but for various reasons, does not always do so. As with an eternally flowing pitcher of wine that never grows empty, or the simple knowledge that the more love you share with others, the more love you have...a miracle that is a mystery...and yet, scripture seems to support that Jesus, though fully God, was not the fullness of God when in flesh.
I think that is where the understanding of the Trinity always becomes confused. People want to say that Jesus is the Father and is the Holy Spirit rather than respecting the sovereignty of the position Jesus held, the sovereignty of the position that the Father holds and the sovereignty of the position the Holy Spirit holds.
If three people think exactly alike on a matter, does it really matter who is 'in charge'? One like mind, three seperate individuals, all God.
It does not diminish Christ in any way if he is not the Father, anymore than it diminishes me in any way to be a daughter. In maturity, I have friendship with my parents. I love and respect them for who they are/were, but I am neither above them nor below them, I simply love them. I can respect them, admire them, but it doesn't make me less than them. I left my parents home to be joined with my husband. Based upon how I was raised, I might think like my mother thought, but that doesn't make me my mother...it makes me the image of my mother perhaps. That doesn't mean I know all my mother knew, but it doesn't mean I never will either. As my husband becomes the head of our family upon our marriage, we are our own household, I can respect my parents still, but I hold a different position now.
I see Jesus in a similar way, here on earth, he is like we are...he is the child of God, but upon the bride of Christ coming into existence, upon the marriage of Jesus to the church, he becomes the bridegroom and as such, what is required of him changes. That different place doesn't bring the Father down, nor does it change who Jesus is. Seated at the right hand of the Father, He has the knowledge of the Father and His authority as well.
So, can God be limited to a Body? Yes, with God all things are possible, even eternity contained by flesh. Was God limited to a body? I believe so. Was the entire fullness of the knowledge and power of God contained within that body? I don't think so...and I think there was a purpose to it though. The purpose of that lack was to show us the way. If Jesus had the fullness of God contained in his flesh, he couldn't have identified with temptation. Jesus is NOW equal to the Father, always existed with the Father and was equal to the Father and eternal with the Father, however, during his time in flesh, He voluntarily gave up that aspect to take on our weaknesses. In life he was more than man, but by appealing to the Father, He could show us how we can appeal to the Father for ALL things, so long as we desire God's will and not our own. Upon becoming the bridegroom of the Church, His father becomes Our Father, we are married into His family and can receive the parental blessings of the Father, yet still have Jesus as the head of our 'household' being guided by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. As when we are married, we become the heads of our own households, upon Jesus' marriage to the Church, his bride takes charge of the household (the world) but he is the head of our household, the head of our family...the family of Christ.
God bless
posted by Dancer | 12:22 AM
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