Jesus, the Eternal Word of God, who is God and who is with God, became flesh. He was the true Israel of God, the true Son of God, succeeding where Adam failed, “Like unto his brethren in all things, sin excepted.”
He, then, is the true Image-bearer of God, who came to restore to us the fullness of our humanity that we lost after the fall.
This is a deep subject, that will take further study. Pick up Colossians, to start with…
If this is true, then that means that Christ came to make us fully human again, instead of the twisted caricature that sin turned us into (Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:10)
And if that is true, then why is it that so many conversations with Christians sound like their bodies have been invaded by aliens and they are trying to learn what it means to be human?
Think about it. There is a quick pause, as if they are thinking to themselves, “How would a human respond?” and they almost get it right, but not quite.
Maybe it’s just a Reformed thing…
I, for one, think that we should probably quit putting on some kind of a weird front, and just admit that we like Redbone, Dean Koontz, Stranger Things and let the chips fall where they may.
So today I’m coming out. I’m a human being. I like music and art and best-selling novels. I am currently binge-watching ER. I missed it when it first came out so Hulu is catching me up.
I love seeing God’s image in his creation. I love watching creatures create beauty, sound, lights, color, characters
I’m not afraid of catching sin through my eyes and ears. I have enough of it in my heart, but my savior is greater than my heart and has made me fully human again.
Praise his name forever!!
Now go be a human again.
My Only Comfort 
Redbone, the rock band or the rap song by Childish Gambino? Or Redbone the jazz artist?
Redbone the 70s rock band. My wife thinks I’m crazy.
So do you mean people who avoid wordly things like they will get banished to hell for engaging in things like reading literature like national geographic, listening to heathen music on the raidio? Or enjoying hobbies?
I think so. I’m talking about those who get really uncomfortable when you mention any kind of secular music or secular novel, and talk is if they are aliens trying to be humans. It’s kind of hard to explain
Sam,
In my super angry days when I was in therapy and the world was collapsing around me emotionally I used to listen to this song by the Smashing Pumpkins called Bullet with Butterfly Wings.
Here are the lyrics.
The world is a vampire, sent to drain
Secret destroyers, hold you up to the flames
And what do I get, for my pain?
Betrayed desires, and a piece of the game
Even though I know, I suppose I’ll show
All my cool and cold, like old job
Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage
Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage
Then someone will say what is lost can never be saved
Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage
Now I’m naked, nothing but an animal
But can you fake it, for just one more show?
And what do you want?
I want to change
And what have you got, when you feel the same?
Even though I know, I suppose I’ll show
All my cool and cold, like old job
Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage
Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage
Then someone will say what is lost can never be saved
Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage
Tell me I’m the only one
Tell me there’s no other one
Jesus was the only son, yeah.
Tell me I’m the chosen one
Jesus was the only son for you
Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage
Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage
And someone will say what is lost can never be saved
Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage
Despite all my rage am I still just a rat in a-
Despite all my rage am I still just a rat in a-
Despite all my rage am I still just a rat in a cage
Tell me I’m the only one
Tell me there’s no other one
Jesus was the only son for you
And I still believe that I cannot be saved
And I still believe that I cannot be saved
And I still believe that I cannot be saved
And I still believe that I cannot be saved
It used to make me feeeeeeeeel when my body and mind felt so detatched from each other.
I find that music can penetrate where some other things can’t.
And another song that mad me ball my head off in heavy sobs was It is well with my Soul as I came to peace with what was done to me by others.
The first and second song are so far apart relationally on every level and yet each played such a key role in my healing.
Both songs are very human. The angst of both lyrically and musically.
They are very grounded in humaness and yet for those aliens among us
The first would be so horrifying on so many religious views.
You bring up some really good thoughts on your post.
I just kinda go along in life doing my thing and so many things have been used by God to draw me out of myself and bring me too him.
A heck of a lot of it was alien unapproved by a long shot.
And it makes me wonder if I would be where I am today if I had only stuck it out with the aliens.
I left the mothership and I think it was a good thing.
Amen. And God hep us if we have friends who are atheists or gay. Especially if we really are friends, loving them – not stuffing Bible verses into our conversations.
I am so tired of not being Christian enough
I heard once a reminder that we are human BEINGs meaning we need to be human in our being not in our doing “Christiany” things. Be in Christ and you will BE a Christian.