THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD - PART 280

It is because of the cross and God's plan of salvation that from henceforth we do not know JESUS after the flesh. JESUS, in order to succumb to death delivered up His Spirit. The Spirit being the Holy Spirit of God - the same Holy Spirit of God who had conceived Him, and who indwelt Him. By so doing, JESUS permitted the sting of death to overshadow His mortal body. Yes, JESUS willingly ushered in death so that His death could bring into reality man’s redemption.

As we learned from earlier posts, redemption is only obtainable through the sacrifice of a sinless man. This is why God had searched and searched and yet found no man sinless. So instead, the same God who created us in the beginning descended from Heaven to bring us salvation.

To recap, God deposited into Eve and also into Abraham the TWO SEEDS of pure humanity which SEEDS were SEEDS of the Holy Spirit. The embryo of these two SEEDS being clothed in flesh and blood. Therefore, JESUS appeared in fashion as a man clothed as all men are in any woman’s womb. But Jesus was different. Indwelling JESUS was the very spirit of life, the Holy Spirit.

God in Christ prepared the way whereby He Himself as a man is about to offer His own sinless body (yet a prone to sin body being the results of the Holy Spirit embryo being clothed in the womb of a prone to sin surrogate mother named Mary). JESUS then was “God Himself manifest in the flesh” appearing as one of Adams sinful race and yet in JESUS did dwell ALL the fulness of the GODHEAD bodily.

This man JESUS offered His sinless body as a substitute for our sin laden lives, thereby disabling in one quick moment ALL the pronounced penalty of sins that had been placed earlier upon man as a consequence of Adam’s disobedience.

JESUS' body was laid in a tomb awaiting corruption. However instead, as the scriptures declare “the Holy Spirit of God did not suffer [neither did the Holy Spirit of God allow] His Holy One to see corruption." Why? Because corruption was not included in the penalty imposed upon man for Adam’s disobedience. Only the punishment of death.

Upon the third day after the crucifixion, JESUS appears to Mary. It was very early in the morning while is was still dark, JESUS says to Mary - “Do not touch me for I have not as yet ascended."

This was JESUS prior to His descent, being God Himself in form. Still, being no less God in form than God was in Spirit. God left that original spiritual form, humbling Himself, while taking upon Himself the form of man. And so being found in fashion as a man humbled Himself, becoming obedient to death, even death upon the cross. For in this earthly form God Himself puts Himself in our place, thereby providing man the opportunity to grasp redemption as a free gift.

Yes, God descended and it is this same God who descended who was about to ascend to where He was prior to His descent. That is, God in spirit form.