To Be Like God..........
The Bible doesn't have a whole lot to say about this character named Lucifer. In fact, the word, Lucifer isn't even in the Bible, that's a name that was added later. But the truth is, we don't know a ton about this guy or his story, there are some things that we have speculated in that he was an archangel, and that his greatest flaw was his desire to be God. Interesting isn't it? Wasn't that very close to the same temptation that Eve was presented with prior to eating the fruit? Didn't the serpent tell her that she would be "like God" when she gained the knowledge of good and evil?
Is our greatest struggle the fact that we just are not content with what we have? That all we tend to see is what is missing from our lives rather than what is already there? Ironically, Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus didn't "consider equality with God something to be grasped." As a man, he didn't worry about being God. He was content with being a man. He knew his place and accepted who and what he was, and in doing so was perfect.
What if Lucifer or Eve or you and I, understood that? After all, Eve was already created in the image of God, did she really need to be more like Him? Do any of us? Maybe it's more about accepting what we already are rather than craving what we aren't?
Is our greatest struggle the fact that we just are not content with what we have? That all we tend to see is what is missing from our lives rather than what is already there? Ironically, Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus didn't "consider equality with God something to be grasped." As a man, he didn't worry about being God. He was content with being a man. He knew his place and accepted who and what he was, and in doing so was perfect.
What if Lucifer or Eve or you and I, understood that? After all, Eve was already created in the image of God, did she really need to be more like Him? Do any of us? Maybe it's more about accepting what we already are rather than craving what we aren't?
To be like God.... or… to make God like one of us
ReplyDeleteYour right in that the bible does not say a whole lot about Lucifer, Satan the devil or what ever we want to call him and why should it, the bible is not about him. Eze 28 and Isa 14 give us the most information. He was a Cherub (angel), he was created with musical instruments inside him. He wanted to be Like God or be above God, and for that, he was kicked out of heaven these three things are not speculation. As we know Eve was deceived by the serpent (Lucifer, Satan) Adam on the other hand made a conscience decision to want to be more like God, but was dumb in the fact that he was more like God before he ate of the tree. We are all like Adam, in that we all would have eaten of the tree ourselves even if Adam had not. So maybe in some ways we all want to be gods or at least be more than we really are. Many people are deceived by the same lie told to Adam and Eve in the garden. The Lie is still believed by many Just look at the Mormon Church’s doctrines. (Just a quick note: until the fall, Adam and Eve were both called Adam. The women was not named Eve until after God sentenced them for their sin. Until the fall God always called Adam in the garden and was referring to them as one as we are supposed to be one now in marriage).
Philippians 2:6-8 I believe refers to Jesus' outward appearance not His inward being. Jesus was and is God and man. He is referred to as Emmanuel God with us in mat 1:23. Jesus could be no less than fully God at any time. As he also became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us as in john 1:14. Which is referring us back to the tabernacle of the people of Israel in Moses time, where God dwelt with man in the tabernacle. So Jesus tabernacled among us in the form (shape) of man but never stopped being God Himself. He cannot stop being who he always has been, since God cannot change. So to say, Jesus didn’t worry about being God and that he was content with being a man takes away from who he is, God! He did not have to worry about being God, he always was and is always going to be God.
He is content with doing the Fathers will and accepted that he would pay the price for our sins. However, that does not mean He removed his deity from himself only that he submitted himself to the Father and the role in which he was to take on. The Holy Spirit is God and has always been God, and the Father is God and always has been God and Jesus is God and always has been God. No person of the trinity can ever stop being God and in being God, Jesus was and is already perfect.
While I agree with you that, we as people are not content with who we are. We like to be called by names like Doctor, Pastor, Evangelist, Apostle, Bishop, Elder and so on... We as people like to think we are somehow better than others are. When really we are all the same, created beings, Created to be friends of God. One day we will once again walk with him in the cool of the evening. That is, all those that have made Jesus their Savior.
It is! Just as you say, some of us just do not want to accept that we are what and who we are, created beings in the image of God. This is our place in the scheme of things and we should get used to it because it will never change. While we should know we cannot become gods, we should also know God, Jesus and Holy Spirit cannot stop being God it is their essence it is who they are, one God.
Posted by
Graeme