Why life is a struggle

Though most put a good face on things we all regularly,  often quietly - sometimes loudly - experience pain. Everything we do involves struggle – emotionally, mentally, and physically. 

Everything is also running down? Things decay, we get sick, age, and eventually die. 

God’s warning to Adam was the day he rebelled from following God's direction, he would die i.e. by breaking off trust in God, he severed his union and relationship with Him and died spiritually, ultimately leading to physical death. This suggests if Adam and Eve hadn’t eaten from the forbidden tree, they would have lived indefinitely, apparently forever because of access to the tree of life. 

Though death is common – we all die – it is not normal. It is not a part of life as God originally designed it; its an ¹aberration.

Though pain is not supposed to be part of our existence, it is. Everything we do encounters resistance. We always experience thorns and thistles as God warned. We are also in bondage to our emptiness - lacking what we need to be filled. 

The entire world is in bondage as well due to our disconnect. 

So is the creation, at no fault of its own. This is why it is described as eagerly awaiting our complete reunion with God's children and the full expression of our original design to properly and fully cultivate and care for - vs exploit - the earth to the glory of God.

Why does death occur when we are not connected to God? We were created for life because we were created to be in an ongoing relationship with God, who is ²life. We were not designed to operate without Him. To do so is like a child in utero having the umbilical cord cut before the child is born. The child will still experience something of the mother's care and protection -- not unlike we now experience all the benefits of creation. But without the life force of the mom freely flowing to the child, the child will soon die, even in the womb. 

Without being connected to God who is the source of life, love, and all things we ³died spiritually and will eventually die in every other way over time - i.e. at some point - if we don't know him. We will totally disconnect not just from God but from all created things we now use and benefit from. 

God is the central and most vital aspect of who we are. Our being like God - in His image - isn’t simply some esoteric theological concept or theory. It has very practical implications. Our disconnection from God carries over and affects everything else about us emotionally, intellectually, and physically. 

Emotionally we are in a constant state of longing for something more, something missing, resulting in a longing, sometimes an ⁴aching to be filled. In our quietest moments when we are isolated from everyone -- think of solitary confinement or the movie "Cast Away"-- we become aware of how much we are emotionally and spiritually alone and in pain. 

Mentally we grow weary because nothing works long-term. Things always wear down, corrode or break and must be repaired. 

Physically we get sick and eventually die.

We long for love - or significance...a primary way to feel loved; also for rest (peace) from struggle and for boundless energy (power), so we never grow tired. This is why so many emotionally connect with superheroes. We vicariously live out our longings to feel powerful and significant through these characters on the big screen.

Isn’t it interesting how the best movies also have a love interest in them? There is something about us that longs for perfect love. When we see a “happy ever after” scenario played out in a relationship, our hearts are pulled in like a moth to light. This resonates deeply within us all. The most successful movies always have a love story intertwined. We smile inside when we see perfect love found and experienced. We all long, hunger, even ache for perfect love. And that is because we were designed for it. 

-- Longing for Perfect Love -- a poem

God alone moves and fills us

Without God filling, enlivening, and empowering us, we can not do what we are designed to do in the way we were designed to do it. We simply don’t function properly without being “plugged in” to our life source; the life source. 

We were designed to operate fully connected to God without obstruction or interruption. This is not our present experience. Even if we are His beloved children, with the condemnation of our rebellion completely removed, and perfect access to God's infinite love to empower us by His Spirit (of love) indwelling us, we still see and experience His love through a glass darkly because we now operate by faith, not by sight. We are not yet in the immediate, full, and unobscured presence of the God of bottomless love in all His glory.

Even at our best and in ideal circumstances, we struggle. When things go well we have a quiet (or loud) nagging fear they will stop going well. It is the nature of our present condition and the world we live in. As Christ said, "In this world, you will have tribulation/trouble/ pain..." But he also said, "Take heart for I have overcome the world..." which means we can too, and completely will one day in Him. 

We are told one day faith and hope will no longer be necessary, only love, because we will literally and physically be fully in the presence of the fullness of love and life i.e. God Himself. Then there will be no need for faith and hope. The fullness of joy, meaning, and purpose we have sought, believed in, and hoped for all our lives will be right in front of us, in us, and all around us, filling us up and overflowing out of us in praise and wonder. 

But until then, we will not be fully who we were designed to be. We cannot now because we were designed to engage and fully participate in the unfettered, unencumbered presence of God. Until we are completely and totally united with God – glorified -- and in His presence, everything's a struggle – which is why we are promised that one day there will be no more tears or pain. Because Christ overcame sin, pain, and death, if we are in him we too will overcome these. There is a resurrection for us because there was for Christ. If we are his and he is ours, this is our sure hope as His children.

Romans 8:
²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Everything is struggle - a poem

For a further discussion on how God uses evil and pain for our good click here. 
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¹For an additional discussion on why death is an aberration click here.

²God is life because God is love. For several posts on this click here.

³What is the essence of our spirit, our energy, our life? Since we are like God, who is Spirit, we must look to Him and examine what he’s like for the answer. The Spirit of God consists of the vibrant energy and passion (breath) of God within the relationship of love between the Father and Son. So much so we are told God is both Spirit and love. It doesn’t say God merely has these attributes but that he is these. These are the essence of His being. The relationship of the Father and Son is one of passion, joy, delight, love, and adoration the Father has for the Son and the Son for the Father. This is a relationship that recognizes and acknowledges the infinite beauty and worth of the other and the delight they experience in union with each other. 

It is this relationship of adoration, joy, and glory we too were designed to partake in. This is why we long for love, recognition, meaning, a sense of significance, etc. We were created to receive adoration, joy, and glory in and through God and reflect these back to Him, who is the source, in the very same way the Father and Son relect these back and forth to each other. This is the essence of the Life, Spirit and Love of God the Father and Son, but of us as well because we are like God, the most significant of all. We are designed to be in relationship with Him. Without being connected to this relationship of adoration, joy, and glory between the Father and Son, in, by, and through the Spirit, we are now absent these while at the same time still needing them to fully be who we were designed to be. We still need to adore and be adored; to glory in God’s infinite worth and be gloried in it i.e. adored and cherished. We are designed to find infinite joy in God and experience his infinite joy -- Spirit -- in us in the exact same way this occurs between the Father and the Son. This is the never-ending mode we were created for; a state of perpetual, infinite bliss because this is who God is and we are like Him. 

What kind of being is it that never sleeps or grows tired and weary?

Isa 40:25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

What energizes God is the joy, adoration, and glory that flows – via the Spirit – between the Father and Son. This Spirit of joy, adoration, and glory never wanes or stops, therefore neither does God. When we are fully plugged into this God and this life, neither do we nor will we throughout eternity. We will be in a constant and ever-growing state of bliss because God is in a constant state of bliss. 

When God rested on the seventh day from creating, it simply means he finished creation, not because he was tired but because he was done. Everything was completed, finished.

Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb (lamp being the instrument through or by which the light/glory is displayed). 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there (i.e. the Son will always be present).

We simply can’t relate to never being tired. But this is who we were created to be. The fact that God warned that the day man rebelled he would die, tells us death was not part of man’s original design. Growing weary and tired, in constant need of rest is part of the fall. Something within us isn’t quite right. We are always running down, in need of being recharged. We are incomplete, unplugged and disconnected. As a result, we are always in need of being emotionally, mentally and physically recharged. Not unlike what happens with a computer. Every so often they must be shut off so things can reset. 

In eternity, our operating system will be flawless and never in need of being turned off or reset. We will run perfectly because we will be reconnected again with the ultimate and perfect source of life and love. God will be our infinite power supply and He never runs down.

Though we will never grow tired we will continue to be physically strengthened by food. Scripture seems to indicate we will eat not just for enjoyment but nourishment. Food was part of the experience of Adam and Eve before their rebellion. Christ also ate after the resurrection. Though our bodies will be glorified we are still physical and still part of creation i.e. still dependent on sustenance both spiritually – which will be Christ – and physically. 

⁵The true nature of our longing/wanting is obscured and also numbed to a great extent. This is why the scripture describes our being restored to God as having hearts of stone being replaced with hearts of flesh. Stone feels nothing, flesh feels everything. For a further discussion on this and the anatomy of pain click here.

Publishing my first book

Dear blogger subscribers and followers

I will be publishing my first book spring of 2021. Lord willing this will be the first of several. I'll be starting with 365 days of inspirational quotes.  I am looking for a team of folks who will read it (a free copy of course) and give their assessment -- or feedback. If you're interested in being a part of that group leave me a comment below or you can email me directly at thotsaboutGod@gmail.com. I will have more details in the near future on what ways you can help spread the word if interested. 

Grace to you
Jim

Everything is struggle (poem)

Everything is struggle

by Jim Deal

Everything is struggle

Emotionally 
Mentally 
Physically

There is decay
Sickness
Aging
Death

In our Rebellion
Trust was broken
Relationship severed
Creation shackled

Designed 

For God
For love
For life

We long

For love
For strength
For rest

We grow weary
Through a glass dimly see
One day face to face we'll be
In His presence utterly free

Hope infinite

Tears no more

Love unobstructed

Life boundless


There will be God


And we will see all of Him

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For an extended discussion of what I expressed above, click here.

#poems

Why do the the Father and Son love each other?

What is it exactly that the Father loves about the Son and the Son about the Father?

The Father is the initiator, the first cause of all things, which makes Him the most valuable and worthy of highest regard, adoration, and praise over all beings. Nothing comes close to the infinite worth of God. All life depends on and comes from Him, all love, all beauty, all power, all knowledge - everything good and right is from God.

The Son is the means by which the Father reveals himself and acts out these qualities toward His creation – creation being everything that ¹comes from God that is not God. Without Christ, we would not know or see God as He truly is. To see Christ is the see the Father. And if we wish to see God we must see Christ. Christ “… is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation (copy or engraving) of his being...” (Heb 1:3a). The Father delights in being known so others might find life and joy in Him and therefore He delights in ²Christ making Him known.

Because the Son willingly and delightfully agreed(s) to be the means by which the Father reveals Himself -- in and through His incarnation, death, and resurrection -- the Father has utmost regard, adoration, delight, and praise for the Son. Because the Father initiates all of this, the Son has the utmost regard, adoration, delight, and praise for the Father.

And where does the Spirit fit into this triumvirate (threefold) relational dynamic? The Spirit is God or to say it as the bible does, God is Spirit. The life, love, Spirit of God is the essence of God as the ultimate relational being. The Spirit ties, units, and holds (or binds if you will) the triune community together. The love of the Father for the Son and the Son for the Father occurs in, by, and through the Spirit. 

The Spirit is the infinite manifestation of ³love and delight of this relationship between the Father and Son as well as the means by which this love and delight occurs, is revealed, overflows, and is poured out on others. Without the Spirit, there would be no God or love between the Father and Son. Without love and delight between the Father and Son, there is no Spirit, no God. 

For an extended discussion on the Spirit, click here. 

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Footnotes:

¹Christ also comes forth from God as the *only begotten of the Father. But this is not something that occurs at a point in time. The Son has always been - i.e. He is eternally begotten (He eternally issues forth) - and will always be the only eternally begotten of the Father - i.e. the Son is God and the only eternally begotten being who is.

Though He is not created, he is begotten i.e. as the creation issues forth from God, so does Christ but without a beginning. Christ has always (eternally) issued forth from the Father. 

The creation issues forth from the Father also but at a point in time. The creation also issues forth through the Son. Without the Son, there would be no creation. Neither would there be a direct and personal revelation of God.

*“only begotten” indicates his begetting is unique to all other beings or things that come from (are begotten by) the Father. That uniqueness of the Son’s begetting is that it is an eternal begetting, making the Son equal to the Father, not equal to creation, and distinct from creation as well. Christ is the means by which creation came to be.

Christ is begotten and eternal at the same time. This is significant since begetting implies a beginning. There is no beginning with Christ. He is eternal and has always been. 

This is why he is the only begotten Son. He is one of a kind. He is the God/man and the connection between God and man. He holds the Father's hand in one hand and our hand in the other, if you will. God and man unite by Him, through Him, and in Him. For these reasons also, the Father loves and delights in His Son. 

For a more extended discussion on "only begotten" click here. 

²The Father also delights in you and I showing forth and making Him known to others. We too are image-bearers of the Father but created, not eternal as the Son is (though we are everlasting). So we are like the Son - but without all the "Omni's" - omnipresent, omniscient etc... at least in our current state (we don't know what we shall be but when we see him we will be like him - which is why Christ is called our elder brother and the first fruits of all creation). 

Since we are now righteous in Christ and to the same degree as Christ - i.e. perfectly righteous - he views and addresses us only as sons and daughters of God, wholly cherished, only loved, never rejected or forsaken.

³We could also characterize this love and delight as passionate. It is so intense it issues forth as a distinct being who is the Spirit. 

Passion originally referred to the intense emotions that occur in suffering, hence the “passion of Christ.” I am using passion in a positive sense. But the intense and passionate love the Son has for the Father and the Father for the Son and the love they both have for us, His image-bearers, compelled Christ to take on the suffering He endured to restore us back to the Father. 

This delight/love/passion occurs as the Father and Son behold the beauty of the other. This has been referred to by past theologians (Jonathan Edwards particularly) as the “beatific vision.” This is the delight the Father and Son have in and for each other as they behold the beauty of the other. It is also the delight God calls us to participate in once we are restored to the Father in and through Christ. For a further discussion on beatific vision click here.

Other posts related to the beatific vision 

The importance and necessity of the Trinity 

The essence of God's life 

Thoughts on the Trinity 

Overview of Jonathan Edwards theology.

How can God love the unlovely?

First, we must be ¹lovable i.e. there must be something about us that God cherishes (loves) deeply. While at the same time, there is also something about us (unlovely) that God opposes. How can both of these be true and reside in the same being?

What does God cherish?

First and foremost God cherishes himself, for he is the greatest, wisest, loveliest, most beautiful, majestic and powerful being in the universe. There is no one more powerful or significant than the Creator and Sustainer of all things.

We are like God.

And because we are, we are able to enjoy and glory in who he is and to reflect something of himself back to him and out to others in a way no other created being can. Our capacity to appreciate, enjoy and reflect the infinitely valuable God is the essence of what makes us valuable. ²Valuable both to others as well as to God himself.

What does God oppose?

Anything that diminishes the recognition of His great glory/value (His actual intrinsic glory can never be diminished).

Why does he oppose this? Because everything is from, through and to him. Nothing that is, would be if not for him. For Him or for us to conduct ourselves as if these things are not so is not in line with the reality of who God is and who we are. This not only dishonor's who He is as the most glorious of all beings but is also to our harm. For use to value anything above God most high (most valuable) is to live contrary to the reality of how things are designed, as well as pointing others away from what is most valuable i.e. God. This ultimately leads to their destruction and as well as ours.

So if both of these qualities (lovable and unlovely) are within us at the same time how does God reconcile these opposite attributes i.e. how does he love the unlovely?

He removed the consequences of our unloveliness by putting them on himself in and through his own son Jesus. Now that the consequences are removed he is ³free to focus in on who we are as his image bearers with the capacity to receive and give his love, honor, and glory and reflect him out to others. This should be our focus as well. The unlovely part of us is no longer ⁴in the picture or part of the equation, only the lovable part as originally designed. 

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¹For a more in-depth discussion on being lovable vs lovely click here.

²This does not mean God needs us in the ultimate sense for all he needs is within Himself as the all-powerful, wise and loving Father, Son, and Spirit.

³Due to the character of his nature, there are certain things God can not do. He can not “look upon” i.e. approve of rebellious unbelief/distrust (i.e. sin) that God is who He claims to be. To do so would be contrary to His very being and nature.

⁴Our distrust of God still matters for us, but doesn't matter for God i.e. it has no impact on God's love and commitment to us, once we are in Christ. 

A world of design and beauty

When you see a well-known landmark, such as New York City, sitting in rubble and smoke what do (did) you feel? 




Or a scene of children disfigured from war, bandaged and bloody, missing a limb or a eye etc., 

what is your reaction or feeling toward these... sadness, anguish, fear, anger? But why? What is it in us that causes us to feel these things? 

We all seem to have this internal and universal notion of what is good and beautiful and what it is not. There may be nuances of difference within various cultures, but generally speaking, we all recognize when something is *repulsive versus attractive. Most are drawn to a majestic mountain range and *repulsed by a landscape filled with destruction or someone marred from a violent act or accident.

Where does this sense of attraction and repulsion come from? 

In an accidental world that comes about by time plus chance, this attraction or repulsion should not even exist much less make sense. If there is no design, no grand purpose to our existence, or the existence of anything else, there should be no attraction or repulsion. Therefore, the notion of beauty has to be an illusion if the world happened by chance. 

In a world of design, created with specific intent by a purposeful Designer, our attraction and repulsion make perfect sense. In a world of design, things are meant to be a certain way. When they are not, we sense it and are repulsed. 

And here we are, with an unspoken universal notion of beauty, harmony, order, and a desire for all of these. As much as we try to reason away that we and our world have no purpose, meaning, and design, we cannot deny our experience, desires, preferences, and longings that tell us we and our world (universe) are more than some random cosmic accident. Our desire for beauty is our clue.

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*What is intriguing is we are awed by both the extremely beautiful or terrible. Each provokes a different kind of awe but awe just the same. There is something about seeing or experiencing things that go way beyond us and our everyday experience, things much bigger than us, things that can overpower and disrupt us. We were designed to be awed by something greater than us. We are hard-wired for meaning, purpose, and significance and drawn to anything that makes us feel this way and repulsed from anything that makes us feel the opposite. For a further discussion on awe click here.

We may be intrigued by destruction in the make-believe world of movies or curious about it in real life -- the reason traffic always slows when there is a serious accident - but do not find it pleasant, especially when it involves those closest to us who we care about most.

Participating in the promises of God

How do we engage God's promises -- and thereby God Himself?

We "plugin" to God and more fully experience his love when we are ¹singular in our focus on:

·       What He has already done for us by and in Christ as past proof of His love.  

·      What He is now doing for us as present proof of His love -- i.e. he is present with us, revealing Himself to us via His Spirit, praying for us. He is for us, not against us no matter how much our circumstances appear to indicate otherwise.

·      What He promises to do as our future hope and confirmation of His love -- i.e. we will be glorified, enter the bliss of eternity and fully partake in His glory once we behold Christ in all his unveiled beauty, wonder, and majesty. Now we only see "through a mirror dimly" (or glass darkly -- depending on the translation). 

Obedience i.e. singular focus on God - involves pushing away from anything we currently draw a sense of identity, significance, meaning, purpose, and value from -- "If anyone would come after me, let him ²deny himself..." -- so we might draw near to him i.e. position ourselves to experience and receive meaning, purpose, and value in, through and from Him, not something else.

For example, when we feel the need to disconnect and relax, instead of ³watching our favorite show, catching up on the news, playing a game or reading an engaging mystery, fantasy, or sci-fi etc ⁴we turn to God in prayer and meditation on his promises. We remind ourselves of all that Christ did, does, and will do for us. When we do, our sight of Him becomes fuller/clearer. We are reminded again -- something we constantly need -- that "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God - i.e. words of God's promise, knowing our trust in God is strengthened when we meditate on and are reminded of those promises.

What promises exactly? 

*The promise of His love -- demonstrated by Christ sacrificing His life (past) so we might be fully restored to the Father in all His infinite love. 

*The promise of God's complete commitment of love to us now (present) by working in all things -  the good, bad, and ugly things - for our good.

*The hope (future) of experiencing the uninterrupted fullness of that love-Spirit in the presence of both Christ and the Father throughout eternity where there no longer is pain, tears or dying, only perfect unending joy.

Living out His love leads to a greater experience of it

We start out now by faith in his love already demonstrated in the past work of Christ, which leads to a present response by us of love/trust/obedience. This results in experiencing further evidence of His love in the present i.e. we receive a present, first-hand experience of His love in and by our obedience. We experience His love in some tangible way, such as answered prayer, in addition to simply believing He is for us. This isn't the full experience of His love yet to come, but it is a reminder of what God has in store for us in eternity.

So there is a cycle by which we participate in God's love. It starts with faith in His love demonstrated in the past work of Christ, which is the basis for our obedience - and the evidence of that faith -- resulting in our further experiencing that love through that obedience. Both faith in His love demonstrated by His past actions and directly experiencing that love now in some present tangible way are ⁵how we receive His love. It always begins with faith in what God has already done which leads to experiencing Him doing something now, which increases our hope of what He has in store for us in the future.  

Another way of saying it is we participate in God's love demonstrated by actions God has taken in the past -- actions that already prove His love to us - by believing in it. 

We also participate in God's love now through some manifestation of it e.g. answered prayer, a demonstration of some special circumstance/ providence as evidence God is with us, a special sense of His presence, heightened awareness and clarity of God's promises to us. 

So when we are told in His Word or given some circumstantial/ providential indication we are to take a certain action, we first simply step out by faith in His love already demonstrated in the past, trusting that His direction for us is out of love and for our highest good as well as his greatest honor/glory.

Our faith is such that we know the outcome of obedience will be good -- not necessarily easy -- because He's already proven He loves us from the past actions of Christ, the greatest evidence of His love.

Rom 8:32  He who did not spare his own Son (the greatest gift) but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things (the lesser gifts)? 

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¹The following words of Christ -- with commentary -- indicate the necessity of having a singular focus:

Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

i.e. whatever it is we value (treasure) most is what we long for (desire in our heart) most.

Mat 6:22  “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 

If we value -- and therefore focus on -- the right thing -- i.e. God -- the nature of our actions will be true, right, according to our design.

Mat 6:23  but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 

If we value (focus on) the wrong things all our actions will be a lie, violating our design and resulting in complete separation from the Source of life, light and of all things, leading to our harm and eventual destruction.

Mat 6:24  “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

We either value/worship the right thing i.e. God or the wrong thing, created things; money and the things money can buy. If we love the creation over the Creator we will come to hate Him and see His commandments as interference in finding life on our terms. If we love him above the creation we will come to disdain the creation as the source of life (not the creation in itself for it is created by God and therefore good) recognizing only God is life and all created things are from Him.

²We usually don't think about what it is we are denying ourselves of. It's more a sense than an understanding i.e. we know when we do but can't necessarily put into words what it is. In essence, it is denying ourselves a sense of value, meaning, purpose, and significance -- in a word, love -- through self-achievement and self-gratification, instead of finding this in God through Christ's achievement on our behalf. 

To say it another way, we attempt to "self-love." The interesting part is "taking up our cross" appears to be the key way we engage and experience God's love most. Suffering is not just unavoidable, it's necessary for our transformation. Through it, we are reminded of our need for His love and the inadequacy of finding love anywhere else through performance. 

³None of these things are bad in themselves. The issue is why do we engage in them. We are told, "...whatever you do, do all for the glory of God." There are times we can do these things for the glory of God and there are times when we don't. The intent of our hearts is the key. 

⁴This is not something we must work up the will power to do but is the organic/naturally occurring fruit of seeing and experiencing God's infinite love. We are responders to love. We love God because he first loved us. 

⁵Hope in the unobstructed and uninterrupted fullness of that love also plays a role. For a further discussion of hope click here. 

Not everyone believes what God says about why Christ took on flesh and died. Followers of Christ do.