It’s probably fair to say that almost every heresy that has afflicted the church, whether originating from within or outside the church, has the effect of reversing “God Emmanuel”.  In other words, instead of promoting the idea of God being “with us” (which is what Emmanuel means), most heresy has had the effect of distancing God from us. 

Such heresies began early in the life of the Christian church. Gnosticism was probably the earliest. It flourished between the second and fifth century AD.  Gnosticism taught that God was too holy for sinful humanity to get close to.  As such, God protected himself behind a series of emanations (like different layers of an onion).  These layers could only be breached if you were considered worthy enough to be told secret “knowledge” (the Greek word for which is gnosis) that would get you through the next layer. This, of course, bred an odious form of spiritual elitism––quite apart from it being plain wrong.

It could be argued that the teaching of the highly influential 5th century theologian, Saint Augustine, had the effect of distancing people from God. He wrote some wonderful insightful stuff but he had harsh convictions concerning the utter depravity of humankind, and a harsh understanding of God who, he said, had predestined some people to go to hell and others to go to heaven. This brutal separation of people from God helped fuel a church culture that felt the need to introduce kinder and more holy intermediaries that could represent our interests to God. And so Mary and the saints were inserted. Mary was given a mythical makeover and declared to be sinless, even of having been born by St Anne by immaculate conception. People then forgot that they had direct access to God through Jesus and revived the idea of having priests, people who could act as intermediaries between people and God.

The Protestant church have been no less prone to folly. In their case, it came through allowing anti-biblical, liberal revisionism into the church – often in the form of deism. These revisionists stripped everything that was unique, diagnostic, and hope engendering from Christianity so that all that was left was bland moralism. Their god had not come to us to rescue us back to himself. Nor had Jesus been resurrected to give us hope that we too will be resurrected. No, their newly defined god remained unknowable, confusing and hidden behind the masks of a thousand different religions.

Let’s agree, you and I, to step between these follies and embrace with joy “God with us” – Emmanuel. God’s motive, both in creation and salvation, is to establish an eternal loving relationship with us. That’s God’s end game.

So, this Christmas, and this new year, let’s run with God’s plan.