God is God ...

Monday, Jan 24, 2022. Who is God? The monotheistic religions see God as the one, who has existence in himself. He is the creator of all what we know. He created the whole universe. He created the suns and the planets. He created life on earth. He did it his way, with mechanisms we can try to understand. He gave us reason and intelligence, to explore his creation. But more than that.

The riches of God …

God created beings. He, himself, in himself, is community. That is the Christian teaching about God in father, son and holy spirit. God is father and son, he is love himself. All we know about friendship, companionship, love and community is a reflection of the community which God is in father, son and spirit.

The apostle Paul writes about the riches of God, his overwhelming love and power, in the letter to the Ephesians. Here, again we look into some of its parts:

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1, 18 ff)

Paul first writes about the hope, we are called to. It is a hope which has its source, focus and target in Christ Jesus. In him and with him God realized his salvation. In him and through him he established his power and glory in the middle of his creation.

Christ, the Center …

The story is highly interesting, still innovative after two or three thousand years. God enters his creation as a little child. He comes in Christ, in Jesus of Nazareth. He lives in and through his son. Jesus, as human, stays in faith. What no human before managed, he did it. He stayed full of trust and truth and love, through his life, and up to the cross where he was brutaly killed. This trust of Christ is the source and center of the new creation. It is the source and center of salvation, of resurrection, of new life in the middle of the old life.

God put Jesus into the center. All power is given to him. He is raised from the dead, and seated at his right hand in heaven. He is above all rule and authority. He is given authority, since he kept trust and truth and love in the middle of pain and suffering. Everything has to give in, everything has been placed under his feed, he is head of the church, of each one who believes in him. He is head of all dominion and powers which exist.

Powers still try to ignore him. They try to fight him. Humans think that they are free when they stay away form strange things such as faith. Is it like that? Where is freedom? Look at the son of God and his freedom when he acts as described in the New Testament. See true freedom, in him, with him. That is the Christian message, as it was from the beginning. When the holy spirit comes into your life, you will experience his presence in a way you could not imagine. Give it a try, ask him to come, to show himself to you, to enter your life! He will do. (Roland Potthast)