The Incarnation and the Presence of God

It is an exceedingly fruitful study to look up the Scripture describing the "Presence of God" at various points in salvation history.  God in his Presence may work miracles of deliverance as he "visits" his saints.  Even his nearness in a continual sense is coveted by the believers.  Moses thought it not worth while to move forward toward the Land, if the Lord were not "with them," no matter the degree of providential support the Lord could give them from a distance.  Moses wanted him right there with him.

The greatest manifestation of The Presence is in the Incarnation.  God the Son took upon himself, into union with his divine person, the full human nature that he had created in his image.  Things can never be the same again, for God or Man.

In the God-Man, God is seen by Man (John 14:6-11), and the perfect Man, in our nature, IS personally The Second Person of the Trinity -- and we are in him!

The parting of the ways in the doctrine of the Kingdom of God, the doctrine of eschatology, the doctrine of the Covenant of Works, the doctrine of our nature and calling in the Gospel Age, the fruition of our eternal destiny, and the nature of worship in this age and in the age to come all hinge on the estimation we have of the nature of the union between God and Man in the Incarnation.  (See this article, and other articles in this blog).

If this union is a permanent change which brings to pass under the Covenant of Grace a new creation, transcending the original, then one path is taken.  If the Incarnation simply brings the natures together to "fix" the problem of sin, so that implicitly the original creation is restored and the "fixed" Covenant of Works reinstituted, then the other path is taken.

Once this distinction is clearly seen, the difference in theology and worship between the two positions is shocking, no matter which side of the divide one stands on.  This distinction must be at the root of some historic schisms.

My own position is that Christ and the new creation transcend the original creation, much more than simply restoring it.  The God-Man is worthy of all worship in his Incarnation, Death, Resurrection, Ascension and Session at the Right Hand of God.  And, he is worthy of this worship not only for what he does but for what he is -- even for us -- infinitely more than Adam ever was or could be.  

And, we share his destiny.