During the Christmas season we focus on the first advent of our Lord when God became a man and lived among us. John 1:14;
This was when the Word who was eternal God who had created all things came into the world to reveal himself to mankind who was enslaved in the darkness of the kosmos, but the enslaved did not understand. John 1:1-5;
Christmas is commonly portrayed by the virgin Mary with the baby in the manger.
The original language of John 3:16; describes this as being unique because the word translated "only begotten" is the Greek word "monogenes' that means unique or one and only or one of a kind.
Our Lord's birth was unique because he is the only member of the human race who was conceived from the Holy Spirit Matt 1:20; and born of a virgin. Isa 7:14; Matt 1:23;e
We understand that this was necessary so there would be no transmission of the Old Sin Nature that would have occurred if he was conceived by a descendant of Adam through the normal process of conception. Rom 5:12;
His birth was also unique because he was the only one who was ever born filled with the Holy Spirit. This means he was born as Adam and the Woman were created in the garden of Eden prior to the fall; trichotomous, with a body, a soul and a spirit and as a result physically and spiritually alive.
The manger symbolizes the fact that our Lord was not of this world and therefore did not have a place of permanent residence in it Luke 2:7; because he was spiritually alive and the world was spiritually dead. John 17:14b; Our Lord himself stated this in Matt 8:20; and John 18:36;
An additional unique factor that was not immediately understood is the fact that He was born into God's power system that we refer to as the Divine dynasphere. His birth was the launch of an entirely new category of humanity that would become known as the church of God and the launch of the great power experiment that the church was to use to glorify God through the application of God's word in the invisible angelic conflict.
This experiment was an operation undertaken to disclose to the angels and mankind what God already knew because this system of divine power was well known to God and a part of His eternal decree.
It was unknown to mankind and the angels and remains unknown until it is disclosed through the perception of Bible doctrine under the mentorship of God the Holy Spirit.
The great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union that started with the Virgin birth of our Lord in his incarnation. Heb 10:5; is followed by the great power experiment of the Church Age that started on Pentecost 33AD. Acts 2:1-4;
The great power experiment is the tangible result of divine policy that was established in the divine decree of eternity past. It is demonstrated in the personal experience of Jesus Christ in Hypostatic Union during the First Advent.
It is also demonstrated by the personal experience of Church Age believers who choose to live inside the divine dynasphere by executing the protocol plan of God under the enabling power of the Holy Spirit and momentum from metabolized doctrine.
The great power experiment is revealed by the categorization of the mystery doctrine of the Word of God that is primarily communicated in Paul's Epistles to the Church where he re-presents TLJC to the church by explaining who he was and how he fulfilled his mission on this earth in unglorified humanity.
The noun "experiment" is defined for this study as the visible demonstration of Bible doctrine related to divine power that is made available by God in two cases.
Case 1 is the humanity of Christ during the First Advent or the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union.
Case 2 is the royal family of God in the Church Age or the great power experiment of the Church Age.
Even though every Church age believer can be involved with this experiment not all Church Age believers are because only those who give number one priority to the perception, metabolization and application of the mystery doctrine of the church age learn how it works and advance to spiritual maturity through its implementation.
We are instructed to imitate Christ in its implementation. 1Cor 11:1;
Christ is described as the head of the church in Eph 4:15-16; and the previously undisclosed power system is described in Col 1:25-27; He is described as the "author and perfecter of our faith" in Heb 12:2;
The great power experiment is divided into two categories. The great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union which resulted in the strategic victory of our Lord and the great power experiment of the Church Age which results in the tactical victory of those believers who fulfill or execute the protocol plan of God.
This is accomplished by the "winner," who achieves this victory through residence in the divine dynasphere under the enabling power of the Holy Spirit and the metabolization of Bible doctrine.
Both of these power experiments are terminated with resurrection. The great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union terminated with the resurrection of Christ and the great power experiment of the Church Age will terminate with the exit resurrection or rapture of the Church.