The Person of Christ (2)

1) Introduction: Incarnation & “The Hypostatic Union”

C.S. Lewis: “Liar, Lunatic, Lord”

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”[1]

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B.CHRIST’S INCARNATION TEACHES US that HE WAS GOD FROM ETERNITY PAST! and yet He became a human being, HE TOOK on FLESH. He added human nature to His divinity.

i. Millard Erickson, theologian, explains, “This does not mean that he ceased to be God, but that he took upon himself the limitations of humanity.”[2]

TURN & READ: John 1:1,14 ESV “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

CHRIST = ETERNAL WORD— BECAME FLESH in INCARNATION (***WE’LL REVISIT LATER)

TURN & READ c. Matthew 1:18-25 ESV “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

i. JESUS BEING CONCEIVED MIRACULOUSLY = DIDN’T INHERIT SINFUL NATURE…NO SINFUL DISPOSITION FROM BIRTH!

ii. See also: Luke 1:32-35; John 3:13..

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C. JESUS CHRIST = 100% GOD & 100% MAN....not 50/50. This doctrine is called “THE HYPOSTATIC UNION”

a.CHRIST NEVER CEASED to BE GOD… HE EMPTIED HIMSELF FUNCTIONALLY of DIVINITY…BUT NEVER CEASED to BE DIVINE.

***JESUS NEVER BECAME GOD.

1. LIGHT SWITCH ANALOGY...

DON’T KNOW HOW it WORKS…BUT WE KNOW it DOES...

WE DON’T HAVE TO UNDERSTAND…ACCEPT BY FAITH!

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2) The Humanity of Christ

Question for consideration: “What BIBLICAL EXAMPLES or EVIDENCE POINT to the HUMANITY of JESUS?

A. JESUS’ HUMANITY = NATURAL BYPRODUCT of INCARNATION… && ACT of HUMBLING HIMSELF…

***JESUS’ HUMANITY = NECESSARY to PAY PRICE FOR MAN’S SIN.

TURN & READ: a. Philippians 2:5-8 ESV “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

i. EMPTYING = TAKING on LIMITATIONS of HUMANITY…NOT LEAVING DIVINITY BEHIND.

1. Millard Erickson explains, “By taking on human nature, he accepted certain limitations upon the functioning of his divine attributes. These limitations were not the result of a loss of divine attributes but of the addition of human attributes.”[3]

2. Some helpful illustrations that Erickson offers are:

a. A WORLD CLASS SPRINTER running in a 3 LEGGED RACE being tied to another who is slower,

b. A PROFESSIONAL BOXER competing with 1 HAND BEHIND HIS BACK

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B. JESUS EXPERIENCED the PHYSICAL & EMOTIONAL QUALITIES of TRUE HUMAN....

a. Jesus got hungry (see Matt. 4:2; Mark 11:12).

b. Jesus wept (John 11:35).

c. Jesus was compassionate (Matt. 9:36).

d. Jesus got angry when the temple was used for a place of business (Matt. 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45-46; John 2:13-17).

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C. In Scripture, JESUS is PLAINLY REFERRED to AS a MAN… EVEN POST RESURRECTION BY APOSTLES! (see Acts 2:22; 1 Tim. 2:5).

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D. JESUS’ HUMANITY ALLOWS HIM to EMPATHIZE W/ US! HE KNOWS WHAT IT’S LIKE to WALK a MILE in OUR SHOES!

READ: a. Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV “14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

i. See also: Heb. 2:18

E. ETERNAL SON BECOMING HUMAN = HARD to GRASP.... WE MUST REMEMBER WE’VE NEVER SEEN a HUMAN WITHOUT SIN...

JESUS = MORE HUMAN THAN WE ARE.

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3) The Deity of Christ

Question for Consideration: “When did Jesus become God?— BAPTISM, RESURRECTION, ETC.???

A. JESUS CHRIST = PRE-EXISTENT “WORD of GOD”… PRE-INCARNATE CHRIST DID EXIST!

TURN & READ: a. John 1:1-5,14-18 ESV “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. . .14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

i. **NOTE CONTRAST...THINGS MADE/CREATED—VS.3 && WORD “WAS” VS. 1-2

ii. JOHN 1:18 (MODERN TRANSLATIONS) SPECIFICALLY CALLS JESUS “GOD”!!

***BACKGROUND—TEXTUAL CRITICISM, VARIANTS,, P66 & P75 MANUSCRIPTS USE “THEOS”

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B. “DOUBTING THOMAS” CALLS JESUS, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). IF THIS WAS WRONG, JESUS WOULD HAVE CORRECTED!!

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C. JESUS CHRIST = IMAGE of INVISIBLE GOD & EXACT REPRESENTATION of GOD… HE’S the FATHER’S AGENT in CREATION!!

TURN & READ: a. Colossians 1:15-20 ESV “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

b. Colossians 2:9 ESV “For in him [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily”

i. Note again how John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

TURN & READ: c. John 14:8-11 ESV “Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.”

TURN & READ: d. Hebrews 1:1-4 ESV “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”

CHRIST’S DEITY DOESN’T MEAN the FATHER CEASED to EXIST!

NO MODALISM or SABELLIANISM....

BIBLICAL DATA = PLAIN… ONLY 1 GOD… BUT THREE PERSONS....WHILE “TRINITY” ISN’T in SCRIPTURE, the DOCTRINE SURELY IS!!

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D. JESUS’ SELF-ATTESTATION MUST ALSO BE ADDRESSED!.....

ERICKSON: “It is true that Jesus did not make an explicit and overt claim to deity. He did not say in so many words, ‘I am God.’ What we do find, however, are claims that would be inappropriate if made by someone who is less than God.”[7]

TURN & READ: a. John 8:58 ESV “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”[8]

EXODUS 3: I AM WHO I AM”....

JESUS CLAIMED to BE PRESENT, in THE PRESENT, @ PLACE & TIME THOUSANDS of YEARS BEFORE...

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b. JESUS = LORD of THE SABBATH (Mark. 2:28).

i. DISOBEYING SABBATH = DEATH PENALTY!! (SO JESUS OVERRIDING SABBATH = SUPER BIG DEAL)

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c. JESUS CLAIMED to FORGIVE SINS!!(Matt. 9:2; Mark. 2:5; Luke 5:20, 7:48).

i. SCRIBES ACCUSED JESUS of BLASPHEMY....ONLY GOD CAN FORGIVE SINS! (Mark 2:6-7).

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E.JESUS DESCRIBED as BOTH “GOD” & “SAVIOR” (Titus 2:13; 2 Pet. 1:1).

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F.THE HOLY SPIRIT = “SPIRIT of JESUS CHRIST... (Phil. 1:19).

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G. THE LANGUAGE of “LORD” IN NT IMPLIES DIVINITY....

OT: YAHWEH RENDERED “ADONAI”.... ENGLISH “LORD”—ALL CAPS

GK. KURIOS… USED in OT & NT...

MANY PLACES WHERE OT LORD = YAHWEH,,, QUOTED in NT = JESUS!!

TURN & READ PHIL. 2:10-11

Philippians 2:10–11 (ESV)

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

REFERENCES ISAIAH 45...WHICH IS REFERRING TO YAHWEH!

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H.CHURCH HISTORY— COUNCIL of NICAEA in 4TH CENTURY CLEARLY ESTABLISHES JESUS = GOD.

a. The Nicene Creed from 325 A.D. says, “We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God], Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made [both in heaven and on earth]; Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man; He suffered, and the third day He rose again, ascended into heaven; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost. [But those who say: “There was a time when he was not”; and “He was not before he was made”; and “He was made out of nothing,” or “He is of another substance” or “essence,” or “The Son of God is created,” or “changeable,” or “alterable”—they are condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church.][10]

I. CLOSING: NOTE the SCANDAL of MONOTHEISTIC JEWS (1ST CENTURY) CALLING JESUS DIVINE!! THIS WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN an EASY STEP!!!

&& NOTE the APOSTLES CALLED HIM GOD…WHO TRAVELED W/ HIM FOR 3.5 YEARS!!

I’D NEVER CALL MY BEST FRIEND GOD,, EVEN IF HE WAS A GREAT GUY!!

BIBLICAL DATA: JOHN, THOMAS, PETER, PAUL, AUTHOR of HEBREWS PLAINLY SHOW JESUS’ DIVINITY....

MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, IMPLY DIVINITY...

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4) The Sinlessness & Perfection of Christ

Question for Consideration: WHY DOES the SINLESSNESS of JESUS MATTER??

A. NT MAKES PLAIN JESUS = SINLESS… IF JESUS WAS DIVINE & a SINNER,, THEN GOD ISN’T HOLY & PERFECT…THIS = BIG DEAL. .

TURN & READ: a. Hebrews 4:15 ESV “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (emphasis added).

TURN & READ: b. 2 Cor. 5:21 ESV “For our sake he [God] made him [Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (emphasis added).

i. See also: Heb. 7:26-28; 1 John 3:5...

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B. JESUS CHRIST = LAMB of GOD....GOD’S REQUIREMENT WAS FOR LAMBS to BE WITHOUT SPOT or BLEMISH....AS SUCH JESUS MUST BE WITHOUT SIN.

TURN & READ: a. 1 Pet. 1:18-19 ESV “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

IF JESUS WAS a SINNER…HIS BLOOD WOULD’VE HAD NO SAVING EFFICACY!!

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C. IF JESUS WAS SINFUL…HE’D BE NO DIFFERENT FROM OT. PRIESTS…OFFERING SACRIFICE FOR SELF FIRST & THEN FOR OTHERS...

TURN & READ: a. Hebrews 7:26-28 ESV “For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.”

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5) Christ, the Image of God & Second Adam

A. MANKIND MADE as IMAGE-BEARERS....A REFLECTION & REPRESENTATIVE of GOD on EARTH.

a. Genesis 1:26-27 ESV “26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

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B. THIS IMAGE WAS MARRED BY THE FALL! (see Genesis 3).

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C. JESUS = 2ND ADAM....SHOWS US TRUE HUMANITY BY PERFECT OBEDIENCE to the FATHER…WHILE ADAM SINNED.... CHRIST OBEYED!!

TURN & READ: a. Romans 5:12-18 ESV “12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”

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D. JESUS CHRIST CAME to REVEAL the FATHER TO US… HE’S the IMAGE of GOD… KNOWING JESUS = KNOWING GOD.

READ BOTH: a. John 1:18 ESV “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

b. Colossians 1:15 ESV “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

REFERENCE JOHN 14—SEEING JESUS = SEEING FATHER.

d. Hebrews 1:3-4 ESV “He [Christ] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”

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6) Takeaways

1. CHRIST CAME to REVEAL the FATHER....HE’S the EXACT IMAGE of GOD… KNOWING JESUS = KNOWING GOD.

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2. JESUS = FULLY GOD && FULLY MAN....

HE DIDN’T LOSE DIVINITY, BUT GAINED HUMANITY.

JESUS HUMBLY SUBMITTED HIMSELF to NATURAL LIMITATIONS…

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3. JESUS CHRIST DIDN’T REPLACE the FATHER as the NEW TESTAMENT GOD....

FATHER, SON, & SPIRIT....ALL CO-ETERNAL. ALL EXISTED FROM ETERNITY PAST....

JESUS CHRIST = NOT a CREATION of GOD...

JESUS CHRIST DIDN’T BECOME GOD...

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4. JESUS CHRIST = SINLESS....SO HIS BLOOD = PERFECT SACRIFICE FOR SINS of HUMANITY.

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5. JESUS CHRIST,, FULLY BECOMING MAN,, KNOWS WHAT IT’S LIKE to SUFFER TEMPTATION & TRIAL....

JESUS CAN EMPATHIZE WITH US!

HE’S OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST.

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[1] Lewis, C.S. (1952). Mere Christianity. (p. 52). HarperCollins. [2]Erickson, M. J. (2013). Christian Theology (3rd ed., p. 637). Baker Academic. [3]Erickson, M. J. (2013). Christian Theology (3rd ed., p. 670). Baker Academic. [4]Erickson, M. J. (2013). Christian Theology (3rd ed., pp. 670–671). Baker Academic. [5] This is due to what is called a “variant” in the manuscript tradition. All English versions of the NT come as translations of what is called a critical Greek text, where all of the various manuscripts we have are compared and compiled to determine the best reading of a text through a process called “textual criticism.” Not all original language manuscripts are 100% identical because of small human errors here or there. This is not concerning though, so don’t panic! None of these variants affect the reliability of the New Testament or affect any Christian doctrine. However, in the older manuscripts discovered in more recent years, since the translating of the KJV both the P66 and P75 manuscripts have the phrase “only God” rather than “only Son” in the Greek text, and hence the modern translations with knowledge of these older manuscripts (2nd-3rd century) render this text with the English “Only God.” A further, plain support of the deity of Jesus Christ. [6] The fact that God is beyond our comprehension shouldn’t surprise or worry us. The belief that the Father, Son, and Spirit are all one but manifest as different persons at different times, or that God is like water that is sometimes a liquid, solid, or gas, is the ancient heresy of “modalism” a form of which is also called “Sabellianism” these beliefs were rejected by the church in the 3rd century A.D. [7]Erickson, M. J. (2013). Christian Theology (3rd ed., p. 625). Baker Academic. [8]This is clearly linked back to the self-revelation of God to Moses at the burning bush where God introduces Himself as, “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:13-14). Likewise, this implies that Jesus Christ was pre-existent. For as His opponents point out, He wasn’t yet 50 years old (John. 8:57) and we know that Abraham lived thousands of years before Jesus came on the scene in Galilee. [9]Erickson, M. J. (2013). Christian Theology (3rd ed., p. 631). Baker Academic. [10]Ritzema, E. (2016). Nicene Creed. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press. **Note that “catholic” in this creed means “universal” and does not refer specifically to the Roman Catholic Church.