Shared Humanity

Hebrews 2:14-18

Death is repeated a few times in this passage and the idea that Christ shares in my humanity is repeated, using different words, as well. In fact, the idea that Christ shared my humanity is the key idea of this section of Hebrews. The author uses this fact to reinforce his assertion of the angels position in the creation order. While humans may be a little lower than the angels, it is to humans that Christ came to help.
The author is answering the question: Why did Christ became human? His answer: So that he might help us by breaking the power of death and serving as a high priest who makes atonement for our sins.
Right now our staff team is memorizing Philippians 2:1-16. Paul is making the same point that the author is making in this passage: Christ was made in human likeness, sharing in our humanity, and was obedient to death. I think that I have heard this so many times that I no longer give it much thought. I am no longer moved, as a I should be, by this profound truth. When I pause to meditate on it, I am brought up short. I can't move past it. It is so amazing that Christ would share in my temptations and suffering so that I could be free from death and free from sin. It is beyond thought that Christ, who is the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, would die for me. Love so amazing! How can it be that Thou my God would die for me?

How do you know a love that surpasses knowledge?

Ephesians 3:16-21

The key words and themes in this passage are: pray, power, love, fullness, immeasurable. This is a prayer that Paul is praying for the church in Ephesus. He has one main request: that the church would receive power from the Spirit so that a) Christ may dwell in their hearts and b) they would be able to know a love that surpasses knowledge (or, to use Paul's other word picture, to measure a love that is without limit). The result of receiving this power and knowing this unknowable love is that the church will be filled with the fullness of God. In my own words; "I pray that you would know the full measure of Christ's love so that you would be filled with the full measure of God.
Paul repeats himself in this prayer. First, he prays that God would fill the church with power so that Christ may dwell in their hearts then he prays that the church would have power so that they would be filled to the measure of the all the fullness of God. The second time he just gets a bit more specific about what he wants the church to have power to do; to be able to measure the unmeasurable love of God. The two "ends" are the same: that Christ, in all his fullness, would dwell in the hearts of the church. The two ends are achieved in the same way: only by God giving the church power.
Paul continues this idea of power in the next verse: by God's power, he can do immeasurably more than anything I could ever imagine, including, but not limited to, filling the church to the measure of all the fullness of God. What this means is that when the church displays strength, it is a miracle in the sense that it is an act of God; when the church grasps, even for a moment, the limitless love of God, it is a miracle. For me, it means that I need to pray for more miracles. To answer the question I posed in the title: the only way that the church can measure the unmeasurable love of God is by a miracle. It will take a miracle for the church to know, experience and extend the unknowable love of Christ. Only God can make it happen. I need to pray that God would fill the church with power to stand firm in the face of temptation. Only God can make that happen. I need to be reminded that I am part of the church and equally dependent on God for his miracle in my personal live. I am reminded that whenever I don't sin, it's a miracle; that whenever I do something good and right, it is not by my strength or moral character, it's a miracle. God, I need more miracles!!