Some people, like Abdullah of Hamilton, New Zealand, have said that Isa cannot be God because he was only born 2,015 years ago. He told Bpk Pengajar Rohani that he could not believe that Jesus was God because God is eternal and Jesus was born just 2015 years ago. What a good question. Abdullah had thought deeply about Jesus/Isa and the claims Christians had made about Him. He is to be commended for his sincerity.
To understand how someone born just 2015 years ago could be God, as Christians claim, we need to understand what the word ‘incarnation’ means. Jesus Christ was God made incarnate in human form. What purpose would God have in making Himself into a human? God said that He did this so He could experience all the trials and difficulties humans suffer here on earth under the influence of Satan the ‘Prince of the power of the air (atmosphere around earth), the spirit now working among the sons of disobedience’ (Ephesians 2:2). Immediately after Jesus started His earthly ministry, He had to overcome three temptations of this enemy – Satan. Jesus overcame these three temptations by using the authority of the Word of God against Satan. Three times He said ‘It is written’. From His powerful example we now know how to overcome Satan, using the mighty and powerful and authoritative Word of God. Satan has no answer for its authority.
Bpk Pengajar Rohani explained to Abdullah in Hamilton, how he visited India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Philippines over a period of six years and lived in the slums of several big cities to find out what it was like to live as a destitute, poor person. Bpk Pengajar Rohani was seeking to follow the model of Jesus’ leadership example by humbling himself and becoming a person of no reputation and taking on the shame of living in a slum with only one change of clothes, and one bottle of water. By doing this Bpk Pengajar Rohani learned many things about the plight of the destitute poor that he would not have otherwise known or understood. Through these experiences he was able to help many poor communities. This example of incarnational leadership made a huge impact on Bpk Pengajar Rohani’s life. He now understood the incredible entrepreneurial potential of the poor and the way their dreams were limited by a lack of access to capital. He could now see a pathway to help destitute poor people exit their poverty in a dignified way.
This is what Jesus did for us. In our sinful state we live well below the potential God has for us. When Jesus Christ enters our life and transforms us, He offers us a dignified way to leave sin behind, through forgiveness and cleansing, and then offers us the power to reach our God ordained potential as servant leaders.
Jesus Christ was God and existed with God before He came to earth. He was God the Father’s expression of love for human beings trapped in the mire of sin. God sent His Son to earth to rescue us and offer us spiritual transformation and earthly hope. This act of love in the Sonship of Jesus of Nazareth, was accomplished in just 33 short years on earth, and then Jesus Christ, the Son of God returned to heaven as One with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity in perfect Unity. Was God not in heaven when Jesus was on earth? No. God forbid. Was Jesus not God on earth? No God forbid. He was the Son of God incarnate in human form when on earth. God was no less or no more God when Jesus was on earth. This is a mystery that we cannot understand with our finite minds. One day we will understand it when we are in heaven with the Triune God who is One. Jesus said in John 10 verse 30: ‘I and my Father are One.’ The Father said at the baptism of Jesus in Matthew 4 verse 17: ‘This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased.’ The Holy Spirit descended on Him (Jesus) as a dove. The Father, the Son and the Spirit are in perfect Unity. They are One.
The incarnation of Jesus Christ has been revealed to us by the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. Glory to God!