God Walking on the Earth
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
To date only 13 human beings have ever walked on the moon. NASA is currently recruiting for the next class of astronauts in preparation for the agency’s journey to Mars, but NASA has been talking about going to Mars for over 70 years. According to a recent article in National Geographic, traveling to the red planet would be like visiting an even more inhospitable place than Antarctica, and its unbreathable atmosphere is less than two percent of what you’d find at Everest’s summit. And never mind the fact that you have to fly at least a year, round-trip, to get there and back in the first place. Astronaut James Erwin, who traveled to the moon, accomplished an amazing feat. But later he said these words, “There’s something more important than man walking on the moon, and that is God walking on the earth.”
The preincarnate Christ, who formed all of creation – Earth, Moon, Mars and all planets and galaxies – once walked with Adam and Even in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). He came down from the heavens to visit our tiny planet, a speck out of all the galaxies, to bring joy and hope to mankind. Before He came to earth two thousand years ago, Jesus appeared at various times in the Old Testament as well in various forms. These include appearances to Abraham, Hagar, Moses, Joshua (Joshua 5:13), Gideon (Judges 5:12), and the wife of Manoah (Judges 13:3). Fast forward to 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, and listen to the words of the mighty Paul the Apostle, “…Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me, as though I had been born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also for I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle.”
You see my friend, man needed God, he needed to learn how to pray – he needed a savior, a deliver and someone who would be willing to ‘walk among us’ on this earth. Christ lowered himself and took on the form of a human, born of a virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit, that we might see his great light in the darkness. He became the way, the door, by which man might be saved and delivered from his sin. That’s really the story of Christmas. The story of his divine birth is at the very center of the gospel.
“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the
Lord” (Luke 2:10).
To ignore Christmas is to ignore his birth! In his birth we see his deity – for he had no earthly father, but was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit (Mathew 1:18-20). The one conceived in the womb takes on the very nature, DNA and characteristics of the impregnator. In Christ’s case, he was not fathered by Joseph, but by the Spirit of God, so he takes on the nature of his Heavenly Father. For further evidence, the name “Yeshua” was given to the child also revealing his deity. Matthew 1:21, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
The essence of his virgin birth, his incarnation, is the fact that in order for God to walk among us on this earth he had to put aside His eternal glory and status to become a man. The very method of incarnation is the way in which He chose to come to this earth. That is to say, his miraculous conception in the womb of a virgin. Mary didn’t go to the cross – she cannot save us. Only Christ can do that for He paid the ultimate price at Calvary. The Incarnation of the Son of God unites earth to heaven. God’s greatest revelation of Himself to man is in Jesus Christ. You see, before Christ came to earth, man’s rebellion created a wall of separation between God and us (Isaiah 59). So God stepped down from heaven leaving streets paved with gold, angels with harps crying out “holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty” before his throne, and came to earth – to lost humanity with all its evil, pain and suffering, to die in our place.
Maybe you’re reading this and you’ve never had Christ walk or talk with you. Maybe, just maybe, your days aren’t ‘cool’ as they were when Adam met with the Lord in the Garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). Cool, meaning Adam (man) heard the sound of God going through the garden like a stormy wind. Maybe your days and nights are filled with pain and misery. Or perhaps your life is simply empty. You go to church, but still – nothing in your life has changed. Wherever you are or whatever you are going through – He created you to have life that is flooded with meaning and purpose. Jesus said, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” (John 10:10b). Once we grasp the high price Jesus paid to have us as his children, our lives should never be the same.
You see, man’s landing on the moon was the result of much hard work and years of intensive preparations. Likewise, your Heavenly Father prepared mankind for his Son’s visit to earth over, possibly centuries of time. There was great cost involved in putting 12 men on the moon, and an even higher price to pay should anyone ever walk on Mars. But the supreme price was paid when God the Father sent His only Son to be born of a virgin in a stable, to live and die for you and me. But He still walks among us today. Wherever we are gathered in His name – whenever men, women, teens, boys and girls are praying – He has promised to walk among us (Matt 18:20). Neill Armstrong was blessed to have been the first man to walk on the moon, but someone far greater than Armstrong walks among us today. Christ, the only hope for the hopeless, is ready to walk into your heart and life today – just call on him and he will answer.
Meet the Author
Alan Bullock
Alan Bullock has a BA in Biblical Studies, a Master’s Degree in Biblical Counseling, and an earned Doctor of Theology. In addition, Alan is a Certified Pastor Counselor, a member of The International Association of Christian Counseling Professionals (IACCP), and also a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC).