Article November 10, 1980 Issue

The Christ "comes to the flesh..."

E. Stuart Wells

According to Exodus, God said to Moses, "Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live."^{Ex. 33:20;} Just as no one sees the sun with his naked eye—only its brightness—no mortal sense can conceive of Spirit. Similarly, the human mind can't fathom God's allness, but it can feel His glory or brightness, His Christ. Jesus identified himself so closely with the Christ that he was able to say, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."^{John 14:6;}

The sun has long been used as a symbol for God and for goodness. Someone who is consistently joyful is said to have a "sunny" disposition. When based on some awareness of divine Love, that cheerfulness is really a form of Godlikeness. It's the radiance of God, good, shining forth.

Paul speaks of Christ as "being the brightness of his [God's] glory, and the express image of his person."^{Heb. 1:3;} As the sun's brightness reveals the presence and shape of the sun, so Christ reveals the presence and nature of God. The activity of the Christ is the dynamic process of God revealing Himself.