Hijacked by Jesusنموونە

A New DNA

Jesus turned us into icons/eikons of God again. God restored our humanity and our iconic status. “Humans are by nature Eikons: that is who we are. By nature, we are designed with the inalienable right to be embraced and to embrace, embracing God who made us and embracing ourselves, embracing others, and embracing our world.” We were restored by Jesus to connect with God because we carry divine seed, the sperma of God, inside us (1 John 3:9). Sperma, the Greek word for seed, always refers to human offspring in the New Testament. So and so is the sperma, the offspring, of so and so. Sam is the sperma, the physical son, of Jack. This is the typical jargon of ancient genealogies. But now, unexpectedly, John uses the word sperma in 1 John 3:9 to refer to God’s divine seed that’s deposited in all of us who belong to Him. We are His biological offspring. He conceived us, He brought us to life. His sperma, His seed, is inside us. No, wait, it’s not just inside us. John says we are the sperma of God. 

Every fiber, every muscle, every sinew and nerve inside our bodies now share in His original DNA of community and oneness. Our God-given capacity to live in community with Him, ourselves and others, and our capacity to love, to show grace, to extend oneness, to heal, forgive, care, help, assist, listen, reach out and carry burdens have been restored to their rightful places deep inside our hearts. We cannot but love. This is our nature. We have God’s sperma. We are saturated by God’s grace and love. 

Jesus always treated people with respect. He always looked up at those in need. He washed feet, touched lepers and healed the unclean. He cared. He took the lowest seat. He wasn’t dependent on public recognition. He had no personal agenda to move up the social scale. He was downwardly mobile, not vice versa. Jesus came to serve, love, and reclaim God’s people. He came to restore unity, community and oneness. In this process He showed that humility, not self-promotion, is the only route to greatness in God’s eyes. 

 These devotions are compiled from HIJACKED BY JESUS by Stephan Joubert  ©  Christian Art Publishers