Philippians 2:6-8
"Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross."
Revelation 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the LORD God. “I AM the One Who is, Who always was, and Who is still to come—the Almighty One.”
[emphasis mine]
Last week we talked about the Jesus that "was", but do you know that He "is"? Jesus the Christ is God Incarnate; God in human flesh who walked this earth for 33 years with the sole purpose to die...for us, and redeem us from Sin, restoring us back to right standing with God. And He now rules at the right hand of God the Father as the King of kings, Lord of lords and Prince of Peace with the government on His shoulders, all while mediating for us. The awesomeness of Jesus never ends for me! That love, that unfathomable love. That grace, that unending grace. That forgiveness, that unrelenting forgiveness stretches forth into the eternity Christians will spend with Him as joint heirs to all God's promises. Let us explore the Jesus, Who is.
When Jesus was born of a young virgin called Mary, though she held God's promises and Words of Him in her heart there is no way she could have comprehended the magnitude of Who rested in her womb kicking, growing and twisting for nine months. I often wonder and chuckle at the overwhelming thoughts that must have rushed through her head and that of her betrothed, Joseph; and alas, we will never know. But probably the first big hurdle was comprehending what is called the Hypostatic Union.
"The Moody’s Handbook of Theology" defines Hypostatic Union as “the second person, the preincarnate Christ came and took to Himself a human nature and remains forever undiminished Deity and true humanity united in one person forever.” Christ didn’t simply inhabit a human person, He took on an additional nature, that of a human as the God-Man. Being both fully God and fully man dictates no mixing of the two or loss of either’s distinct identity and without any perception or designation of dual personalities, simply the ability to operate in one sphere or the other. In summary, we can know these truths: Christ has a distinct human nature and a distinct divine nature; there is no intermingling or mixing of the two; Christ is one person though He has these two natures which allowed Him to be both the Priest and the sacrifice we spoke about last week. Adding a bit of levity to the arguments surrounding Christ's astounding claims, noted author and Theologian C. S. Lewis once wrote that Jesus was either "a liar, a lunatic or Lord." The heart of the issue is [A] that the eternal value of Christ’s payment for our sins is squarely attached to His Deity [fully God] and [B] the substitutionary nature of His death is squarely attached to His humanity [fully man].
His Deity is revealed in His names [God, Savior, Lord, etc.]; His attributes [eternality, omnipresence, omniscience, etc.]; and His works [Creator, Sustainer, Forgiver of sin, Miracle Worker and Receiver of worship, etc.]. While His humanity is seen by His virgin birth; true flesh and blood body [He was scourged and crucified after all]; normal development [mental, physical, spiritual and social]; human soul and spirit [i.e., Scripture pays witness to His troubled soul and spirit when faced with the impending cross]; human characteristics [He was hungry, tired, thirsty, compassionate and indignant, etc.]; and human names ascribed to Him including Son of David, Jesus [synonymous to the name Joshua which has the Old Testament meaning of “Yahweh saves"] and Man.
The legitimate reason Christ can command us as Believers to follow in His steps is because of His fundamental living within the confines of the Hypostatic Union; being fully God and fully man yet one person living in obedience [as we are also called to do by the way] to His Father. And Scripture upholds what is called His impeccability. This is the fact that He did not sin [because like us, the indwelling Holy Spirit gave His human form strength] and could not sin [because He is God], even though He was tempted and tested at all points. The gloriousness of Jesus is encapsulated in that He is relating to us as human, but commanding us as God [the eternal Son, the incarnate and historic Son and the risen and triumphant Son].
And while the Incarnation [God in human form] is evidenced and accepted and is the central point, why did it have to happen? Charles Ryrie's "Basic Theology" concludes the following seven points.
1. To reveal God to us: This is a personal revelation of God’s essence through His Son [the only way to God].
2. To provide an example for our lives: Only Christ is the perfect human example by which we can follow as present-day Believers.
3. To provide an effective sacrifice for sin: Only a human can die and only a sinless human can die for our sins and pay the debt for Sin.
4. To be able to fulfill the Davidic Covenant: Fulfilling prophecy that the line of David would forever sit on the Throne requires a human that cannot die. Again, a feat only available through Christ [God-Man].
5. To destroy the works of the Devil: Christ simply appearing in the earthly realm is enough to defeat the works of Satan.
6. To be able to be a sympathetic High Priest: Since God can’t be tested and thus sympathize with humans on all points of this testing, He would need to be human through His Son to be tested [and not succumb] to sympathize with the very people He came to save.
7. To be able to be a qualified Judge: Scripture highlights that Christ Jesus in fact will be the Judge not God the Father. This Judge will have the knowledge of human wiles but the righteous truth and justice only available through God, i.e., Christ.
All of this and yet Jesus' earthly ministry was surprisingly brief and only physically centered around and throughout Galilee [He was on foot after all!], but whew did it pack a whollop and have an immeasurable reach and impact; it is thousands of years later, and we are still talking about Him! Sidebar: One may ask why He needed the Holy Spirit at all since He is fully God? The Holy Spirit rested upon Christ’s humanity not His Deity. In Christ’s day-to-day operation as a human man, the Holy Spirit provided power, grace, knowledge, wisdom, direction, etc. to fulfil the mission and purpose for which He was sent by the Father. Just like the Holy Spirit does for us as Christians, which we will hopefully talk about in a few weeks. On earth, Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God in the Offices of Prophet, Teacher and Preacher and exists forever as our High Priest, King and Prophet. And that makes us as Believers not only a masterpiece, but part of a royal priesthood. Yes, I am talking to you, precious saint of God!
Jesus produced a whole lot of goodness in His 33 years striding on the earth. From a resolute child teaching in His Father's house [while skipping the traveling family caravan, mind you!] to a weeping friend that revives His dear friend from the dead to an unapologetically bold slayer of demons, death and the Devil--> All this before reaching 40, but all while proclaiming the freedom available through the Kingdom of God. Christ’s works are numerous in their Old Testament prophetic promises and --> in His New Testament fulfillment.
As I write this, America has just celebrated its' freedom with the Fourth of July Independence Day holiday, and I am about to celebrate a freedom holiday of my own. You see, when I was only a few years older than Jesus was at His crucifixion He too revived me, His dear friend and masterpiece, into freedom from death per a near fatal injury. I wasn't in the grave for four days like Lazarus, but with a 10% chance of living I felt like I was, and the ensuing years have been the hardest thing I have EVER faced. But let me tell you that they have dually been the BEST time of my life. Why? Because my Lord and Savior Jesus reminded me that I am a masterpiece. And that is why I am here reminding you! I have had the privilege to be re-ignited as I was at nine years old to freely proclaim, "I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord!" Today, are you free in the Jesus Who is?
Takeaways for you to remember:
#1. Incarnation - God in human form.
#2. Hypostatic Union – Jesus existing as fully God and fully man simultaneously.
#3. Impeccability - Absence of sin. Christ did not and could not sin.
Yours in Christ!
Dr. Quahana
Want to enjoy some of the Scriptures inspiring this entry? [NLT version unless otherwise noted.]
References:
1) Enns, Paul. The Moody Handbook of Theology. Moody Press. Chicago. 1989.
2) Erickson, Millard. Who’s Tampering with the Trinity? An Assessment of the Subordination Debate. Kregel. Grand Rapids, MI. 2009.
3) Hawthorne, Gerald. The Presence and the Power: The Significance of the Holy Spirit in the Life and Ministry of Jesus. Word. Dallas. 1991.
4) Lewis, C.S. Reflections on the Psalms. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.1958.
5) Packer, J.I. Knowing God. Intervarsity Press IVP Books. Downers Grove, IL. 1973.
6) Ryrie, Charles. Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth. Moody Press. Chicago. 1999.
7) Shedd, William G.T. Dogmatic Theology, vol. 2, 2nd ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, repr. 1980.
8) St. Bonaventure in Excurses VII.
9) Stoner, Peter W. and Newman, Robert C. PhD. Science Speaks. Moody Press Chicago. 1958.
10) Strobel, Lee. The Case for Christ. Zondervan. 2016.
11) Strong, J. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Abingdon Press. 1890.
12) Thayer, J. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon. Hendrickson Publishers. 1995.
13) Thiessen, Henry C, revised by Doerksen, Vernon D. Lectures in Systematic Theology. Eerdmans. Grand Rapids. 1979. pp. 216-217.
14) Walvoord, John F. Jesus Christ Our Lord. Moody Publishers. 1969.
15) Ware, Bruce. The Man Christ Jesus. Theological Reflections on the Humanity of Christ.
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