God Comes to Us in the Dirt
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God comes to us in the dirt. This is true in more ways than one.
God came to us as one of us—as human.
In Genesis God created Adam out of the soil:
Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. (Gen. 2:7)
God took a lowly substance, dirt, and made his image bearer. And then God, who formed man from dirt, became man. He took on our flesh, our limitations, and finitude in the person of Jesus Christ, yet without sin. He came to us as one of us—as human.
God came to us in the dirt, in the flesh, in a tangible way.
Not only does he become man, but God also suffers and comes to us as a lowly, poor child in a family of low status. He doesn't come like a king or emperor; he comes as a carpenter's son, the son of a woman who is ostracized. Jesus, who is God, was wrapped in rags used to clean animals, and rested in a feeding trough. He comes to us in the dirt, in the flesh, in a tangible way.
Jesus also comes to us in the midst of our uncleanness—the dirt of our hearts. By the Holy Spirit, those who were fleshly are born of God. The apostle John recounts:
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:12-14)
God came to dwell among us so that he might give us a new birth.
Jesus Christ came lowly to save us from our sin and filthiness.
This birth doesn't come from within you as you try to cleanse yourself; rather, it comes from God as a gift as you believe that Jesus Christ came to save you, a sinner. Jesus Christ came lowly to save you from your sin and filthiness. He became dirty and low on this earth so that you might be clean and elevated. He took on your flesh and he took on the punishment for your sin, so that you might be a child of God. God became man, so that we might share in the love of God. This Christmas remember that God became flesh, that he became a baby, so that you might be reborn.
This article is adapted from “God Comes to Us in the Dirt” from Beautiful Christian Life’s December 2021 newsletter.
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