What if God was one of Us

            For those of you who are fans of 90’s grundge rock, you would probably recognize the name Alanis Morrissette and her song What if God Was One of Us.  The song ponders just as the title proclaims, what if God really was one of us, what would that be like and would He really be a slob like one of us.  In essence I really think Alanis was down playing the Deity of Christ and is essentially saying that He is not the Son of God.  There is a whole sermon or two of God becoming one of us in the form of Jesus, but as I wanted to share with Alanis and everyone who has ever listened and liked the song, God did not become one of us so that He could be a slob.  God became like us so that we could be like Him.  Its so that we don’t have to continue in our mess that we are in.  What really plays into this God changing us is due to His very nature of righteousness and holiness.

            There is something that we need to remember about God’s righteousness and holiness.  Even though God came and became one of us, He is still the Creator of the Universe and we are the created.  One of the essence of being a Christian and the Christian community is believing and embracing the idea that Jesus is fully God and fully man all at the same time.  One of these heresies is that Christ didn’t become God’s son until He was baptized by John the Baptist.  It is a complete lie because we can read throughout Scripture that Jesus was, is, and will be apart of the Trinity and apart of God’s plan.  Jesus is neither created, but He is of the same substance and is on equal relationship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. 

            Ok, I am done with my rant, and lets get back to Jesus becoming human.  He didn’t become human so that He could be a slob like one of us, it was so that we can take on the very nature and character of God.  This does not mean we will become God, but God will bestow His image of purity, righteousness and maturity on us as long as we reach out in faith.  In essence, Jesus death and resurrection is a calling for all of us to grow up and to be who God intended for us to be.  So what does this look like?  There are several places throughout Scripture where we are challenged to grow up and to put on the likeness of Christ.  Back when Tiger Woods was at the top of the golf world and winning majors, he would always wear a red polo on Sundays to finish up a golf tournament.  That polo was more than just a polo, when Tiger put on that polo, he was not putting on just another polo, but that polo signified confidence and a killer instinct that he was going to win that day.  When everyone saw Tiger on the golf course with that red polo, they new he was going to win the golf tournament.  Just as Tiger puts that polo on, we need to cloth ourselves with God’s righteousness.

            In Colossians 3, Paul talks about how we are not to be clothed, in which some of these things are; lustful thoughts and actions, rage, anger, impatience, bitterness and gossip.  These things lead us down a road of self destruction and separation from God.  These things often make us bitter and hateful people, and in Alanis song, I really think that she was claiming that God became one of us so that He could embody these things.  If He really did embrace these ideals, it wouldn’t make Him God’s Son and why would He come to save us to slobness when we had already perfected it.  So if we are to put away these things, what are we to cloth ourselves with then? Keep tuned in for the answer.