Last night, Pastor John mentioned something that I hadn’t thought of before — the duration and permanence of the incarnation of Christ. He pointed out in 1 John 4 how it says that spirits from God say that Jesus “has come” in the flesh, not “came.”

That is, he came, and is still flesh. In the Incarnation, Christ permanently connected himself with humanity and its fleshiness. He then just went ahead of us into His glorified body. It makes sense, Scripturally — He is called the “firstborn of many brethren,”, and a reasonable way to understand that is to understand him as not only connected with what we are, but the firstborn of what we will be. Joined to flesh, glorified, and waiting to welcome us into His paradise where we will be like him.