Thursday in the Thirty-Third Week of Ordinary Time

The Nicene Creed

For Our Salvation

Who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven

Here in this line is the amazing claim that Christianity makes: God came down from heaven—the God who made the worlds, the Almighty, the All-knowing, the One who is everywhere but never moves, the One who is eternal, for whom past, present, and future are empty words, the One who cannot die, upon whom all things are dependent for being and for life, all of which would vanish like smoke if He removed from the universe His providential care.  We could never say enough about this God—human language is simply inadequate to describe Him.  All we can do is worship and cry with the seraphim, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8).

And it was this God “who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven.”  And not such as the pagan myths spoke about, where some god takes on human form (that is, merely looks human) and comes down to rape a girl or start a war.  No.  God the Son didn’t just “look like” a man, he didn’t just “seem” to be a man, he didn’t just pop in and pop back out in “human form” (whatever that is).  The Son took upon himself our nature—flesh and blood, mind and will.  He added human nature to his divine nature making one unique and never-done, never-heard-of, non-repeatable, Incarnation.  In short, GOD BECAME MAN.  Along with the crucifixion, this is the scandal of our faith.  We take the scandal for granted because we have heard it all of our lives.  We need to hear it again with fresh ears: GOD BECAME MAN. 

And why did God do this?  For us and for our salvation!  Wow!  God came down not to judge us or destroy us—all of which we deserve.  No.  God came down to save us!  God became man to save us!  God joined our human nature to His divine nature that he may become one of us, live our life, conquer temptation, destroy sin and kill death through his death and resurrection.  No other religion teaches this; no other faith knows this.  Other religions might have “avatars” and other such irrelevant inventions but only the Christian faith teaches that God became man for the salvation of his people.  This is the doctrine of the Incarnation and it is the central piece of the Christian faith.

Under no obligation but His own promise from Genesis 3:15.  Our God is holy love poured out for sinful man.  He came down from heaven.  Amazing!

Author: The Reformed Baptist

My name is Stephen Taylor, ordained Baptist minister of eighteen years pastoral experience with a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Better than that, I am married to a godly woman, Karla, who has been very patient with me since 1989. I have two daughters, both of whom I homeschooled for extended periods of time, who became godly young women, and who ran off and married godly young men, all of which is very proper. The oldest daughter has even seen fit to bless me with a grandson and a granddaughter, and my youngest daughter with a grandson, all three of whom are bundles of exceeding joy. As you can see, I am quite blessed. This website is dedicated to helping people grow in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through the gift of writing that the Lord has given to me. It is specifically about helping His people grow in godliness, the theme you see repeated above. I write devotions with this aim and hope that they might be of some help to God’s people. Full disclosure: I am of a Reformed bent, meaning that my understanding of Scripture is primarily informed by the Reformers and their successors of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. However, as a student of church history and theology, I strive to remain true to that teaching handed down once for all unto the saints through every age of the Church. I like to think of myself as a “catholic” Christian, as the Reformers thought of themselves. At any rate, feel free to read, pray, and contact me if you wish, or correct me if need be. As you can see, I tend to follow the church year. Of course, I make no special claims about these devotions. I know very well that others have written better and plumbed the depths of God’s word with greater insight. But if my musings help someone draw closer to the Lord, well then, I have my reward. Blessings to you and may the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ speak to you that word which He knows you especially need to hear. Grace & peace, Stephen Taylor

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