No one from the outside forced God to become human in Jesus. Nor was he under pressure because of an inward “ought”. In the freedom of his love he decided to be God as human. And so, when God comes among us as human in Jesus he is becoming the one he always wanted to be. In Christ, far from being against Himself or at odds with himself, God has been true to himself.

As Lord of his own being God is free to become what he wants to be. He is unchanging in his divinity and yet free to become human. He is almighty and yet free to become weak. He is pure and yet free to become sin as he stands with sinners in the place of sinners. Yes, as the Lord who loves in freedom he is free to become his opposite while remaining who he is.

As Lord of the world he can decide the way he relates to the world. He can be above the world as Lord over the world and also within the world in the form of a servant without giving up who he is as Lord of all. For in the freedom of his love he comes among us as the lowly Lord who serves.

We might think that all this “becoming” is impossible. But only because we have our own distorted ideas of what God is like. If we seek to know God where he has actually revealed himself then we know that God has become the lowly suffering human who serves. And in this “becoming” God shows Himself to be more great and free and rich and sovereign than we had ever imagined.