WHEN MARY HELD THE CREATOR IN HER ARMS

By Dr. M. R. Dowler

Atheists are ridiculously funny. God thinks so too (Psalm 2:4; 37:12-13; Proverbs 1:26-31). Atheism has, as Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias noted, “never lacked a spokesman.” One of atheism’s most articulate spokesmen was the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), whose 1882 “God is dead” thesis spawned the socialistic philosophies of Sigmund Freud, George Bernard Shaw, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Benito Mussolini. And Nietzsche’s atheism continues to influence 21^st century minds.

Friedrich Nietzsche’s radical hatred of God is ironic (and tragic) in that he was the son and grandson of traditional Christian Lutheran ministers. Consider his vile contempt for God, Jesus and Christianity; in his book entitled Antichrist, Nietzsche wrote, “I call Christianity the one great curse [and] the one enormous and innermost perversion.” But Nietzsche’s and other atheist’s arrogant shaking their fist in God’s face doesn’t change His character or attributes.

Central to the Christian faith is the belief in the absolute deity of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 8:58, 10:30, 20:28, Philippians 2:6), and attacks on His deity are nothing new. Jesus confronted several attempts to discredit Him by those who questioned His deity (Matthew 22:41-42). Simply stated, the baby in the Christmas Bethlehem manger was (and is) the Creator God (Colossians 1:15-17).

The incarnation of Jesus Christ is the most extraordinary and amazing event in human history, referred to in the scriptures as a great mystery (1 Timothy 3:16). The actual word “incarnation” means enfleshment, but does not appear in the Bible. Christ’s incarnation was purposed and planned by God before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3-4, 1 Peter 1:20). And here’s a theological conundrum---When Mary held her Baby, she was actually holding her Creator in her arms. Think about it. Merry Christmas.