II. JESUS AS THE SPECIAL EXPRESSION OF GOD
—
WE HAVE asserted that God is primal man because we are made in His image and likeness, and the original must be similar to us. In seeing man,—not merely his material form, but his intellectual and spiritual expression,—we behold what God is essentially as well as in manifestation. We have called attention to the fact that if God desired to manifest Himself to man, His creature, it would appropriately be by a projection of Himself through the human form, the highest form of His creation, and the one best adapted and most adequate to express Him.
Following out our previous method of proving the fact from the Bible and experience, let us see what Jesus says of himself as a special expression of God. In doing this it will be clearly apparent that an ordinary man could not have made these statements of himself, whereas Jesus does so, and we accept them without question.
Jesus said:
"No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:13, 14, 15.)
Does this not appear to be stating that the "Son of man" is a special expression of God, an expression of such a character that whosoever is conjoined to him by faith in him—by belief in him as the special expression of God—is saved? Is this not more plainly evident in the next verse?
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,"—the expression or projection of Himself in time and space,—"that Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16.)
Was this not a special provision made by God whereby it would be possible for men to be turned to Himself and be conjoined with Himself? Can any of us truly say of ourselves that people are saved by being conjoined to us through faith in us as the special expression of God? Nor can we say that they will be condemned by refusing to accept us as the special expression of God.
And Jesus further said:
"My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." (John 5:17.)
The Revised Version has it: "My Father worketh even until now, and I work." The Jews resented this statement. We read:
"For this cause therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only brake the sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God. Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for whatsoever things he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and greater works than these will he show him, that ye may marvel." (John 5:18—20.)
Are these not remarkable statements? Let us fancy one of ourselves claiming equality with God. It would appear that there was a closeness of relationship, an intimacy, between the Father and the Son like that between soul and body. The Son responded to the Father as the body responds to its own soul, the Son being the special expression of the Father in time and space before the eyes of men, and not differing from Him. Jesus continued:
"For as the Father raiseth the dead and giveth them life, even so the Son also giveth life to whom he will. For neither doth the Father judge any man."
If we think of the Father as the Divine Love and the Son as the Divine Truth, or the expression of the Divine Love, we can understand this statement more clearly. Thus, the Divine Love does not judge any man; it is not the nature of love to judge; but the truth does judge.
Hence, "But he hath given all judgment unto the Son; that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son, honoreth not the Father that sent him." (John 5:21—23.) Could he not well have added here, as he did elsewhere, the reason for it, because "I and the Father are one"?
Is not this, indeed, God expressing Himself on the outward plane of nature that all men may understand Him? If we think that this is not God in the flesh in a special manner, let us read what soon follows:
"For as the Father hath life in himself"—"Life in himself" is self-existent life predicable only of the Infinite God—ordinary men possess derived life only,—"So hath he given to the Son to have life in himself!" Why? In order that all men may see that he is the one and only God. In other words, since there is only one Self-existent life, does this not mean that the Son and the Father, as body and soul, are one identical being, and that the Son, as the special expression of God, must receive the honor and homage we pay to the Father, for he is the Father?
"And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man." (A. V., v. 27.)
What does this mean but that the "Son" is God working in the ultimates of life—on the plane in which we are living?
Jesus, moreover, says:
"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth." (v. 28.)
Is not this God speaking? And did He not raise the dead to life in this world, and does He not raise those "dead in trespasses and sins" into spiritual life? Is it not truly God?
Jesus says:
"I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father who sent me. . . The works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me that ye might have life." (vs. 30, 36—40.)
Is it not the Divine Love itself speaking out through its human expression, an expression which is not separated from it in identity, but consciously one with it?
"Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. (John 12:44, 45.)