"The Man Above"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

"The Man Above"

    

   You likely feel as uncomfortable as I do when someone refers to God as "the man upstairs."  Inadvertently, however, those who reference the Lord in such a manner actually express a fundamental Biblical truth.

    "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the  man Christ Jesus" (I Timothy 2:5).

    The Lord Jesus is the God who became man, and the man who remains God.  As a glorified human being, He ascended to Heaven after His resurrection"now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Hebrews 9:24). Nothing less would have secured our salvation.  "Wherefore in all things it behooved (was necessary for) Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people" (Hebrews 2:17).  Moreover, nothing else can eternally secure our salvation.  "He is able also to save them to the uttermost who come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).  Our Savior sits at the right hand of His Father as our mediator who must exist as both God and man for the blessed purpose of uniting Divinity and humanity.  In this sense, He is indeed the Heavenly man who dwells above.

    I do not recommend the "man upstairs" terminology, which denotes lack of understanding and respect concerning the exaltation of the Lord Jesus.  We may nevertheless find opportunity to raise the issue of Christ's incarnation when someone uses the term.  This could certainly lead to an effective presentation of the Gospel, and perhaps to the effectual working in someone's heart whereby the proper fear of God leads to redeeming faith in God.  Yes, our Lord is the God who became man for our sakes, and the man, the man above, who remains God.

"Great is the mystery of the Gospel.  God was manifest in the flesh."

(I Timothy 3:16)

Weekly Memory Verse

    "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

(I John 4:1)