Even the Depths of God

I feel like we sometimes have this idea that our humanity is a bad thing. Like, “let me empty myself of everything that makes me human so I can then be good enough, and Christlike enough.” Or maybe even a line of thinking where we believe our humanity is what’s sinful about us – that our humanity is equal to sin nature. However, I actually think the most Christlike thing we can do as Christians is to see ourselves the same way God sees us, and then live according to that truth. Now, what I’m not saying is to become “holier-than-thou” people who believe they’re the best thing since sliced bread. But what I am saying is, I fully believe God sees us as good. He sees our humanity as a good thing, something that as separate from sin nature.
 
From the beginning of creation, humanity has been declared a good thing. In Genesis 1, God creates man and woman in His own image and then declared everything He had made good. Sure, there was a lot of chaos and sin along the way, but I still believe humanity is a good thing. Jesus fully encompasses this idea. He lived in the fullness of His humanity and in the fullness of His Godliness at the same time. He was fully man and fully God. He is the perfect example of how to balance humanity and godliness. I would even go so far to say that His “Christlike-ness” includes both, His humanity, and His godliness.
 
He lived the full experience of human life – from the womb all the way to death. Jesus grew every day in wisdom and in stature; and at the same time, He had a pipeline connection all the way to the depths of His Father in heaven through the Holy Spirit. He didn’t have separate boxes labeled “human box” and “God box,” or “secular” and “sacred,” or even “good” and “bad.” He lived in fullness in every aspect of life through the power of the Holy Spirit. He was fully man in his own unique way, and he was fully God living with the Holy Spirit at the exact same time. To be like Christ is to embrace both, humanity and godliness.
 
But how do we balance these things? How do we balance growing in wisdom and stature, while also living with the Holy Spirit? How do we embrace the fullness of life and allow our “human box” and our “God box” to become fully entangled and transform our lives?
 
First off, I think we have to stop rejecting our humanity. We have got to stop hating the things that make us different from everyone else, and everything else, and invite God to reveal the truth about who we are. Ephesians 2:10 declares that we are the handiwork of God, created in Christ Jesus for good works. The handiwork of God. Period. He made us. He knows the very depths of who I am, and how finite my humanity is without Him. He creates good things. From Genesis 1 all the way to now, that has not changed. His character has not changed over the course of creation – He is still in the handiwork business. His goodness exudes from everything He creates, including you and me. God fully accepts you – He sees you as holy and blameless, with an unstained innocence. It is as simple as accepting your own acceptance.
 
Secondly, I think we ask the Holy Spirit for help. The same Holy Spirit that rested with Jesus on earth lives inside of us today. He knows the fullness of how to balance humanity and godliness and can empower us to do the same, all we have to do is ask. He also knows the very thoughts that God has about us. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 says, “But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.”  Even the depths of God. The depths of God lives inside of us through the Holy Spirit. Do you know what that means?

We have access to the divine thoughts of heaven 24/7, 365 days a year. We have access to divine identities that God speaks over us, and to divine plans and purposes He wants to do in us and through us. The very essence of Christlikeness flows in our bones and we have complete and total access to it.
 
My prayer for us is we would let God intertwine our humanity with godliness. I pray that we would let every aspect of our life be drenched in the Holy Spirit and He would empower us to live in that fullness. I pray we would look in the mirror and see the handiwork of God before we see anything else. I pray we would take Him at His word when He declares identities and truth over us – would we see ourselves the way He sees us.
 
But most importantly, I pray we would know that God loves us and accepts us. The Creator of life is not capable of hating His creation and I pray we would live from that truth – that He would give us a perspective to see His goodness before anything else. I pray we would embrace our humanity; that we would take care of ourselves and see worth and value and even a life worth taking care of when we look in the mirror.
 
Holy Spirit help us. Teach us to love ourselves, to embrace ourselves, and to invite You into every aspect of our lives. Would we live in more fullness everyday because we embrace both, our humanity, and our godliness. Help us to have a right understanding of what being Christlike actually means. Holy Spirit help us to receive the love and acceptance you have for us that far surpasses our ability to understand it. Let us become more like you Jesus, however that’s supposed to look. Amen.

Author | Elizabeth Sprinkle