God With Us
I recently wrote a piano duet arrangement of “What Child is this?” and “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” (titled “God With Us”). To me, this arrangement poses the question: What child is This? The idea of Christ in flesh is difficult for the human mind to comprehend, even for those who saw him in the manger. How do you comprehend the perfection of the Almighty clothed in the most fragile form of human life? But we are not called to believe based on proof and understanding, a belief that only reaches to the limits of the physical realm; it is a much deeper belief that is secured in the depths of our spirit by faith.
After all, our Savior is “of the Father’s love begotten”. He was born into this world and given to us by His Father’s pure love for us. Christ is beyond time - from “ere the worlds began to be” - and He is the First and the Last - the “Alpha and Omega”. He is the “source” of all things and He holds in His hand the “ending” of this present age and the glory of the eternal age to come. He is “of the things that are, that have been, and that future years shall see”. His being and dominion span eternity past, the present, and future eternity. He is beyond time and yet, Is all time. How could the physical human mind come to a logical understanding of these things? There is no way.
“…‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him’ - but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10, NIV - 1978 Revision). We can only know God through His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, communicating the truth to our spirit and, when this occurs, we know in Whom we have believed (paraphrase of 2 Timothy 1:12, NIV - 1978 Revision)!
We ‘know’ in a way that has nothing to with us and everything to do with God. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8, NIV - 1978 Revision). It is not of us; therefore, we are free to surrender our ‘self’ to God and be willing to face anything for our belief. Paul was willing, not just to die, but to face eternal condemnation if he did not preach the true Gospel (Galatians 1:8-9, NIV - 1978 Revision).
This, then, - this - “… is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing…”. “To Him Who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen” (Jude verses 24-25, NIV - 1978 Revision).