Monday, December 2, 2013

December 3, 2013

"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel" (which means "God with us").  Matthew 1:23
Have you ever wondered if you should spell Immanuel with an “I” or an “E?” 
The answer is that both are correct! Immanuel with an “I” is a transliteration of the original Hebrew word composed of ‘Immanu (with us) and El (God), while Emmanuel with an “E” is a transliteration of the Greek “Emmanouel.” 
The  NET Bible is one of the few translations that maintains this distinction, translating Isaiah 14:7 as Immanuel - "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel", and Matthew 1:23 as Emmanuel - "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel" (which means "God with us"). 
Inherent in the name IMMANUEL is the great mystery of godliness of the One Who “was revealed in the flesh” - "Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations,was believed on in the world,was taken up in glory." I Timothy 3:16,  and of the INFINITE becoming FINITE, of the promised Messiah Who is both Divine and Human, fully God and fully Man, Majesty - "For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." II Peter 1:16, and veiled in Meekness - "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" . Matthew 11:29
He was God FOR us before He became God WITH us, and it was because He was FOR us that He became God WITH us. 

And so the King of glory became the servant of men - "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:Who, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:5-9 and "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

Christmas is Immanuel - GOD WITH US!