Identify With Them

God, in His All-Knowingness, did not have to come as God-Man, as Jesus Christ - to know what humanity goes through, but God is all about the extra, about the abundant, about going so many more extra miles that it is ridiculous to count - God visited anyway.

Because humanity categorizes things, Christianity is labeled a religion. However, Christianity is more than rules and regulations - lived properly, Christianity is a relationship with God through His Son, Christ Jesus. 

And why not believe in Jesus Christ? His love- plan was to humble Himself or dress Himself with humanity, His own creation, not some other animal and not only not use all the All-Power He had at His disposal as God, but some translations say "emptied Himself" to become the best example of the servant of Father God. Paul in his letter to the believers in Philippi stated it like this - 

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:  who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:5-8)

His image demanded a human likeness, not just male and not just female, but male and female, together with God as a solid triune unit. Genesis 1:27 supports this by stating - "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." 

The God-Man would experience every kind of tempting circumstance or situation in life that would cause sin or rebellion against the precepts of God and NOT sin once. Hebrews 4:15 states - "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to feel sympathy for our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin."

Then, after a few years of teaching about The Way, Jesus would sacrifice his life, not for the teachings/lessons but for the lives of "whosoever would believe in Him" as their personal Lord and Savior.

The promise that comes with accepting Christ as one's personal Savior is two-fold: 

1. Jesus promises to return (John 14:2-3) and
2. Jesus promises trouble/hardship in the meanwhile (Luke 12:51-53; John 16:33).

Jesus stated His promise to return in John by saying, "My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:2-3)

Jesus stated the promise for trouble and hardship in Luke and John when He said,

"Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’" (Luke 12:51-53)

"‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’" (John 16:33)

Life will not all of the sudden become a "bed-of-roses" for anyone who accepts Christ as their Savior. However, Jesus assures every believer that the Holy Spirit will be the Christian's Advocate, Counselor and guide living inside them as the wait for Christ's return continues.

Until Christ's return, Christians are to love others as Jesus loved. Show compassion. Find common ground to identify with people. This is simple when examining the same kind of scars and/or afflictions we share.

Jesus kept His healed scars. The remnants from the Crown of Thorns, bruising, gash, nail-prints and scars are not only proof for His own accomplishment of His finished Plan but the scars are the identifying markers of our Savior's suffering for us.

After the Resurrection, Jesus presented Himself before the disciples, specifically He addressed Thomas - "Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’" (John 20:27) The victory is complete but the scars are still present. His scars are visual proof of the price paid for every humanly identifying circumstance and situation that would cause one to sin. The scars of believers are not for ugly disfigurement but for a gloriously helpful testimony in aiding others going through the same life difficulty. 

Thank you Lord that you became us, scared humanity, to experience our life according to your perfect standards and perfectly lived that life that we would never accomplish. And praise you Jesus that we now have the honor and privilege to come alongside others and Identify With Them.