The Loving, Infinite Condescension of Christ

Church Family: Have you ever been on the other end of someone's condescending attitude. It is not a joyful event. But when God condescends to us it is infinitely perfect, loving and redeeming. This is the good news of great joy (Luke 2:10).

Christ, as He is God, is infinitely great and high above all. He is higher than the kings of the earth, for He is King of kings, and Lord of lords. He is higher than the heavens, and higher than the highest angels of heaven. So great is He, that all men, all kings and princes, are as worms of the dust before Him; all nations are as the drop of the bucket, and angels themselves are as nothing. Christ is the Creator and great owner of heaven and earth (Prov. 30:4). He is sovereign Lord of all. He rules over the whole universe and does whatever pleases Himself. His knowledge is without bounds. His wisdom is perfect, and none can avoid Him. His power is infinite, and none can resist him. His riches are immense and inexhaustible. His majesty is infinitely shocking and yet He humbles Himself, He infinitely condescends Himself to save us from our sins.*
 
But Christ put on flesh. As Jonathan Edwards said, Christ infinitely and lovingly condescended Himself to us. Christ's condescension to us is not like the world's snobbish condescension but it is God's loving rescue for us. He infinitely "stooped down" to us, making Himself nothing (Phil. 2:6-11) yet, without giving up any of His infinite greatness and God-ness. This means that none of us are so low or inferior that Christ has not sufficiently taken gracious notice of us. He voluntarily descends, He divinely “stoops down” to take up our humanity into His own deity. Christ makes Himself like the “the poor of the world” (James 2:5). Even as we are commonly despised by others, Christ chooses us and does not despise us, He loves us and becomes our servant (1 Cor. 1:28). He stoops down to take notice of little children (Matt. 19:14) and people of every nation, tribe, and language (Rev. 14:6-7). Christ’s “stooping down” in the incarnation is sufficient to take gracious notice of the most unworthy sinner, you and me.
 
So great is Christ’s loving condescension, that He becomes our friend. He unites our soul to Him in spiritual marriage. It is enough for Christ to take our nature upon Himself, to become one of us, but He did not stop there. He humbled Himself even lower than us, exposing Himself to shame, whipping and spitting; yielding Himself to an humiliating death for us on the shameful cross taking all of our sins (Heb. 12:2). There is no greater love than Christ's condescension. What can be greater? The incarnation of the Son of God is His infinite loving condescension so that we can partake of His infinite loving glory for eternity. Enjoy God's infinite, loving, redeeming condescension this Christmas.

See you Sunday, enjoying Christ's infinite condescension, Steve