We Have Seen His Glory

God's glory (divine presence) had dwelt in the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34) and in the temple (2 Chronicles 7:1-3), but had departed because of the nation's sin. Now God's glory was returning to earth in the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is God; He is the physical, visible image of God (Who is invisible). God revealed Himself through the Son in human form ("The Word became flesh"). When Christ was born, He was completely human and completely divine (Colossians 2:9). Before Christ came, people could only know God partially. After He came, people could know God fully because God became visible and tangible in Christ. Jesus is God's Message to mankind. The Word (Logos) is the Son of God, Who became incarnate in order to reveal God fully! The Incarnate Word is also the answer to Moses' prayer. "Then Moses said, 'Now show me Your glory." (Exodus 33:18) It is incredibly amazing and mind-boggling that God became a Man and made His dwelling among us (love and humility at its best) in order to reach out to us, to let us (created beings) know & understand our Creator better, and to give His life up so that we could be forgiven, redeemed, and have eternal life with Him in Heaven. 

By becoming human, Jesus Christ became 1. the perfect Teacher--we see how God thinks and thus how we should think (Philippians 2:5-11); 2. the perfect Example--He's our Role Model Whom we are to imitate...He shows us how to live and gives us the power to live that way (1 Peter 2:21); 3. the perfect Sacrifice--Jesus laid down His life as a sacrifice for all our sins; His death satisfied God's requirements for the removal of sin (Colossians 1:15-23).

Jesus is full of grace and truth. He is the Light of the World (John 1:4, 8:12, 9:5, 12:46). He illuminates/communicates the knowledge of God to us. He is the True Light that enlightens us to see clearly our sin and our need for a Savior. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). He is the Embodiment of grace and truth. The nature and will of God are revealed in Jesus Christ. In Him is perfect redemption and perfect revelation.

May we imitate Christ by embracing both grace and truth (not just one or the other)! Grace and truth must go hand in hand. Some people are all about grace but they ignore the importance of truth (ex: avoiding topics of sin and hell, compromising or sugarcoating God's Word in the name of grace for fear of offending someone, etc.) while others are all about truth but they lack grace (speaking truth from the Bible but with anger, meanness, arrogance, and disrespect). Neither group is effective in drawing people to Christ.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for sending Jesus into our world so that we can have hope and eternal life! It's because of Christ's life, death, and resurrection that we can be forgiven and saved. Please give me the boldness to share this good news with others every chance I get. May my life always be reflection of Your grace and truth! In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.