The Theory Of Universals

The next passage reveals something interesting about Jesus' incarnation.

"But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:" - Philippians 2:7 KJV

The Apostle Paul undoubtedly knew something about Aristotle. Paul was a Roman citizen and a scholar. Aristotle promoted an interesting idea about 'forms' that we call the 'theory of universals'.  I am going to oversimplify it to explain it quickly but here is the gist of it...

There is a perfect version of every idea that exists in a nonphysical realm but there are multiple imperfect reflections of it in the world we see and touch. Our mind touches this immaterial world and thinks about perfection but our body lives in the physical one. Let's use a horse as an example. There are millions of horses of all shapes and sizes but Aristotle would say that the ideal 'form' (or in Greek Eidos) of all horses exists somewhere in the immaterial realm of ideas. This universal horse is represented in all the physical horses we see and touch in the material world.

I am not promoting this philosophy. I see Greek thought as flawed in many ways and dangerous but the incarnation is mysterious and Paul seems to pluck this one concept out because it can be used as a mirror for our understanding.

God made men in His image and yet Jesus is born into the world as a man. He Is the 'ideal' man who is 'the form' of a servant. The servant who existed before time in the realm of the immaterial now being born as a person of flesh and blood like you and I but without sin. Perfect.

This concept can be taken further into angelology and demonology. In the scriptures, we see angels with animal attributes.

"As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle." - Ezekiel 1:10 ESV

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made... The LORD God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.' " - Genesis 3:1a, 14-15 ESV

"The pillars of heaven tremble, And are astonished at His rebuke. He stirs up the sea with His power, And by His understanding He breaks up the storm. By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, And how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?' " - Job 26:11-14 NKJV

Adam didn't name this serpent. He named all the beasts and birds in the garden but this is 'the serpent'. He was and is an 'ideal' entity that spoke ideas out of his deceptive nature. He snuck into the garden from somewhere else. He deceived Eve but God pierced him.

These angels don't look like animals. The animals look a little like angels. God doesn't look like us. Our bodies look a little like Him and once we believe in the servant of all servants we are born again having an eternal spirit made alive that quickens our soul in life.

"Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is." - 1 John 3:2 ESV

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus," - Ephesians 2:4-6 ESV

Please notice that we are 'raised' and 'seated' already. The ideal version of who you are is now in Heaven outside of time. God placed us in His Son and now we have a perfection that can't be seen fully. It will be seen later but it is partially hidden at the moment.

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." - Colossians 3:1-4 NKJV

Today, I am not looking into the Greek realm of forms and ideas. I focus my mind on Heaven and Heavenly things. I want to dwell where God has placed me. I purpose to ponder Christ and all His many perfections. My feet can be firmly on the ground if my head is in these clouds.

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