Wisdom 22

[HKHaugan]

 John Stott got me to thinking about uniqueness as a gift from the Lord. that's the reaosn for this article. ><>W

Wisdom 22 Uniqueness and Us

 “I’ve never seen a sunset like that before! What sunrise! Wow! I look forward to every day because it has a new experience waiting. That guy is unique, you never know what he’s gonna do.” Experience, perception and how we process everything; all unique.

 The word unique is used rather randomly. Commonly applied, it usually refers to an art piece, a personality or a kind way of dismissing someone’s eccentricity. But, applied to Jesus, it may be the most important word in our language because of who He is and the impact He has had on civilization. Uniqueness is the gift of individuality God placed all over existence in all its visible and invisible forms. From physical creation to the invisible qualities that make us human there is uniqueness evident in every aspect of existence. Every single part of Creation has within it unique forms, unique processes and unique persons. Even a single cell has an identity, purpose and function. It is individually described, serves an interdependent purpose and is necessary for the whole to work. If you view Creation as a whole, it is a visible existence driven by invisible forces with an apparent unity holding it all together. Creation is not only unique, but all its parts are unique and that includes what you can’t see as well as what you can see. All this goes to say God is unique and we are made in His image and likeness. That image and likeness reflecting His uniqueness.

 But we must be aware of one very important thing. Uniqueness exists because God is unique and everything about Him, how He thinks (His Word), what He has done (His Story in the Word) and what He will do (His ongoing plan in the Word). Do we perceive that uniqueness and understand its intention in our personal expeience?

 Made in God’s image and likeness (Gen.1:26), each of us is unique. There is no one like us or will there be. That’s because Jesus was unique, and we were made in His image to be like Him, but not the same as, but like Him. What that means is He is the only Savior, Messiah, God the Son, Redeemer, Righteous One there ever was, is or will be. Each quality and function in Jesus was unique to Him and in fact, is. To prove that, He took on a human body like ours. Now think about how unique that is. He lived a unique life no one else could ever live. He took up a space in a specific place. He walked, talked, taught, healed, made an impression on the world that no one else could make ever. Every person dies but they die differently. He died like no one else could die in a special place in a special time in special circumstance and for a unique reason, the forgiveness of sin that overcomes death as the open gate to eternal life. Everything about Jesus was unique. No one else could ever replicate who He is or what He did.

 The aspects of uniqueness carried into our humanity make each of us so unique that only Jesus could be our personal Savior from sin. Why? Because being His images, we sin uniquely and only He can save His created beings. Our sin is personal in a time and place that no one else occupies and can atone for. Only Jesus can enter that individual space and heal it through His forgiveness. Jesus is not a generic Savior who simp;ly makes a public announcement of forgiveness. He wants us to personally come before Him, accept Him and follow Him. It is that unique.

 Without uniqueness there is no relationship, no love nor any other of the qualities that make up what it means to be relational. God’s grace, love and truth are unique. No matter how much a person apart from God defines them, they will never be God’s grace, love and truth. For instance, when Scripture says that God is love (1Jn.4:8), His love is unique which is why we were made to reflect that love. It all points to the uniqueness that is God whom we experience by His grace. There is no other Creator. Made in the image of God, that is exactly what we are, images. An image of God is unique because God is unique. Being unique means something unique. We have a unique identity in Him. It is the three persons of the one God that make us an image and likeness of Him. We have a mind, heart and spirit all wrapped together that make us an image and likeness of Him. We are each one a person with three functioning parts. Yet we act as one. What a unique and awesome idea!

 Creation is the best example of sensing their Oneness. Creation was the Father’s will, Jesus obediently creating, the Holy Spirit empowering (Jn.1:3). This is unique and awesome. Awesome in the sense that it is far beyond anyone’s individual imagination that something so amazing as Creation could happen. Yet it did, and our God is an awesome God who has revealed Himself in Jesus who did something else beyond anyone’s imagination. It was so awesome it had to be revealed by God Himself. He sent His Son to live humanly among us to reveal the whole awesome process; its personal source and intention.

 Now Jesus is uniquely awesome. God living within His Creation. He did that to show us what we really are, His images created to be like Him. Think about what that means. It is to be creative, relational, loving, compassionate, thinking, emotional and productive. Jesus is the awesome God personally involved among us. This is awesomeness beyond being awesome. Is it any wonder we worship such a God?

 First, it is a spiritual oneness since God is Spirit; the Father is spiritual, the Son is spiritual, and the Holy Spirit is spiritual. The Father is seen in His personal will. The Son is seen in His personal activity and the Holy Spirit is seen as the personal power Who acts on the Father’s will through the Son’s obedience to the Father’s will.

 “If the uniqueness of Christianity is the uniqueness of Christ, wherein does his uniqueness lie?  Historically speaking, it is found in his birth, death and resurrection.  As for his birth, he was 'conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary', and therefore is both God and man.  As for his death, he died for our sins, in our place, to secure our salvation.  As for his resurrection, he thereby conquered death and possesses universal authority.  Or, to express these historical events theologically, the uniqueness of Jesus lies in the incarnation, the atonement and the exaltation.  Each is unparalleled (John Stott).”

 As disciples of Jesus we have been given three tasks: to recognize our God’s uniqueness, to recognize our personal uniqueness in Him and to recognize the uniqueness of others because they are His unique images too. We’ll pursue that thought next.