(no subject)
Surely he took up our infirmities,
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we our healed.
We all like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah - 740 BC
To say Jesus is in some sense God is of course to make a startling statement about Jesus. It is also to make a stupendous claim about God. The true God is not the god of philosophy or religion. We must not assume what God is like and then ask whether Jesus fits the description. We must allow Jesus and his cross to redefine our notions of God. God is not some impersonal, ultimate Absolute. He is not a deistic god who looks on the world he has made with indifference. He is not a God who must be placated through religious duties. Nor is he a lenient God who indulgently overlooks our rebellion and he suffering it causes. He is the God of the cross. He is the God who offered himself in love to reconcile us to himself.
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we our healed.
We all like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah - 740 BC
To say Jesus is in some sense God is of course to make a startling statement about Jesus. It is also to make a stupendous claim about God. The true God is not the god of philosophy or religion. We must not assume what God is like and then ask whether Jesus fits the description. We must allow Jesus and his cross to redefine our notions of God. God is not some impersonal, ultimate Absolute. He is not a deistic god who looks on the world he has made with indifference. He is not a God who must be placated through religious duties. Nor is he a lenient God who indulgently overlooks our rebellion and he suffering it causes. He is the God of the cross. He is the God who offered himself in love to reconcile us to himself.