Presence Weekly 11/13/2023

The Devo: Proximate Humanity

There are several wonderful passages in the New Testament that proclaim the true essence, nature, and mission of Jesus. In John chapter one, we are presented with the externality of the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us. In Colossians chapter one, Paul says that all things were made by Jesus, through Jesus, and for Jesus. The author of Hebrews, in the form of a sermon, places Jesus above everything. 

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. — Hebrews 1:1-4 (ESV)

My favorite line is, “he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” Consider that!

At every moment of every day, Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father, upholding the universe by the word of his power. That means not just everything on this planet, which sometimes seems like it is totally fracturing, but “everything, everywhere, all at once.”

However, if that is true, and it is, then that means something else is true. We are not upholding the universe by the word of our power. That is because we are not the appointed heir of all things, or the one through whom God created the world. Further, we are not the radiance of God’s glory or the exact impact of his nature. But wait, there is more — we are not seated at the right hand of God. 

How is that for an ego recalibration? 

With all that being true, what is remarkable is the way in which this person has interacted with this world — by laying down his life, he made purification of sins. 

Whose sins? Ours. 

Why? Because we are not Jesus. 

And that presents us with a limiting aspect of our humanity that we have struggled to correct since the Garden — our proximate humanity. 

This term may sound strange, but I think it is accurate. Since the Fall, our humanity has existed in a truncated manner. First, we were created to live forever in communion with God. But now, sin leads to an earthly death, and God is no longer among us daily. Thankfully, we have access to eternal life through Christ, and are promised a renewed dwelling of God with man. Second, we were created to live in perfect communion with each other, but our ability to do that has also been damaged. Third, we were created to perfectly cultivate the world for its flourishing. That, too, is no longer possible. 

Adam and Eve were created fully human. However, they were soon convinced that the limitations of their humanity could be corrected by becoming more like God. Consequently, in their quest to move beyond their humanity as God defined it, they actually ended up living in the curse of fallen humanity. What is true for them is now true for us. We are human. That means we are fallen, fragile, and finite. The practical implications of that reality are profound. 

Our best efforts to achieve healthy relationships with one another will always be incomplete and insufficient. Broken relationships and their implications will always be a part of our story. This includes, of course, the efforts of our diplomats and other officials who labor to improve relationships between the people of the United States and the rest of the world. It also means that the harmony we long for as a nation, while certainly repairable, will never be perfect. And, perhaps most painfully, our families will always have issues that generate baggage. All of our efforts at relational restoration are proximate in nature. 

We will never know what the flourishing of a world without the Fall would have looked like, but we can be assured that it would not look like the world as we experience it now. Perhaps warp engines would have been invented during the period that was instead called the Dark Ages.  Consider a world that does not experience cancer, COVID, smallpox, or Ebola and could spend its ingenuity developing even more leaps in technology or finding solutions to the increasing population. 

Here’s the point. Even after the Fall, God continues telling his people to be fruitful and multiply, to fill and subdue the earth. But God does so knowing that will never look how he intended, because he is dealing with people who are now experiencing proximate humanity. As such, all their efforts at restoration and flourishing will be necessarily, proximate.  

The author of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus is the definition of someone who is fully human and fully God. Since that is true, we, as fallen, fragile, and finite humans, are set free from setting goals that are unattainable. We are not expected to do what only Jesus can do and is doing. 

As Christians, despite our proximate humanity, we are still called to participate in Christ’s mission of making all things new. The hope and joy in this comes from knowing that we are not Jesus, and that our participation in his mission comes with limitations that God understands, and always better than we do. 

Last Things...

The latest episode of the Faithful Presence is out, featuring a discussion on the role racial reconciliation services can play in depolarizing our current cultural moment.