The Five Fundamentals of the Faith (Part 2: The Nature of Christ)
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Introduction:
Attention:
As people, we usually think that there are some important things that other people should know about us.
I was reminded of this because of a that story Samie told me about a kid during her first week at Hillsborough Christian Academy.
She was substitute teaching, and she was getting the kids to go around, say their name, and their favorite animal.
There was this one kid who said his name, and then he said that his favorite animal was a cheetah, and added “it’s obvious,” as if people should just be able to know that his favorite animal was a cheetah just by looking at him!
But regardless of how much sense that does or doesn’t make, He felt like this was something really important to know about Him, and I am sure that we could find our own examples of stuff like this.
Within Christianity, we have said that there are some really, REALLY important things to understand about who Jesus is.
These things are central to his identity, and essential to the Christian faith.
Last week, we started our journey through the five fundamentals by looking at the trinity.
This week, we are moving on to the second fundamental of the faith: The Nature of Christ.
Specifically, we will be talking about three things: His deity, His humanity, and the virgin birth.
Why are these considered essential to the faith?
Why is it so important for a Christian to believe all of these things about Jesus?
That is what we are going to dive into today.
Need:
Jesus lies at the center of our faith.
It is literally called CHRISTianity, after all!
What one believes about Jesus is the most important thing that one believes.
Jesus either is who He said He is, or He is a lier!
So who did Jesus say that He is?
What can we know about Jesus’ identity?
These teachings can feel really abstract and academic
But we’re gonna take some time to figure out why these should matter to our lives on an individual level.
Let’s dive in!
What Does the Bible Say About the Person of Christ?
Jesus is fully God
We spent a bit of time talking about this last week, because we had to establish Jesus as God in order to arrive at any sort of understanding of the Trinity.
But let’s take a little bit of time and see some of the other things about Jesus’ divinity.
We saw how Jesus’ deity is essential to an understanding of the trinity, but how is it essential to Christianity as a whole?
Why is Jesus’ Deity Essential to Christianity?
Jesus claims it (Mark 2:4-7; John 5:18; John 5:23).
Last week, we talked about the bigness of the “I am” statements that Jesus makes.
But there are many other ways that Jesus claimed to be God! Just look at this:
4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
The reaction of the pharisees is very compelling:
Q. What is it that makes it so compelling?
When Jesus is claiming to have the power to cleanse sins, He is essentially claiming to be God, because “Only God can forgive sins.”
This is something that the Pharisees clearly understood, and it made them angry!
If Jesus wasn’t claiming to be God, then they had nothing to be angry about.
But clearly, Jesus is making such a claim, which is where they perceive a problem.
There’s another passage here that is worth mentioning.
18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
Q. How des this passage add to the conversation about the deity of Christ?
This passage is probably even more clear and straightforward about this than the last one!
It explains why the Jews were trying to kill Jesus; he was making Himself equal with God by calling God His own Father!
And notice that it doesn’t say “The Jews thought he was making Himself equal with God.”
No; they were upset because that IS what He was doing.
This is a good verse to share with Jehova’s Witnesses, because, even in their own twisted translation of the Bible, this still says the same thing.
Even the JW Bible attests to the deity of Christ! in this instance!
And it goes onto say even more than this!
Check this out:
23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
Q. What does this verse say about the deity of Christ?
What this is saying is that, not only is Jesus God; He should be honored just as God the Father is honored.
If someone isn’t God, they shouldn’t be honored the same way that God the Father is honored
Thus, Jesus is God.
And again, this verse is nearly the same in the Jehova’s Witness translation!
You can’t escape the deity of Christ in the Bible.
And I am glad that this is the case, because what it really means is that we as people can know who God is.
Why is Jesus’ Deity Essential to Christianity?
Jesus claims it.
It means that God is knowable(John 1:18).
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
Q. What does this verse say about Jesus?
Notice that this verse says both that Jesus is God and that he reveals God to us.
No one can reveal God except God Himself.
Jesus makes Him who is unknowable known to us.
So if Jesus isn’t God, then we couldn’t know who God even is.
While God revealed Himself to a limited extent in the Old Testament, its not until the coming of Christ that He shows us completely who He is
Because Jesus is God and we can know Jesus, we can know God!
And this ties into salvation, as well.
Why is Jesus’ Deity Essential to Christianity?
Jesus claims it.
It means that God is knowable.
It means that redemption is available (Romans 5:8)
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Q. What does this verse say about the divinity of Christ?
Because Jesus is God, when Jesus dies, God Himself is showing us that He loves us.
And when he does this, he provides redemption for our sins
There is no sacrifice that would qualify for our redemption than that of God himself
The animal sacrifices in the OT were a “quick fix” = They were not a permanent solution
This is why the sacrifice of Jesus means something;
Our sin is so bad that the only acceptable payment for it is God Himself.
Because Jesus is God, his sacrifice is enough for all of the sins of the world.
What Does the Bible Say About the Person of Christ?
Jesus is fully God
Jesus is fully human
This one may seem like its less important, but it really isn’t!
There have been heresies throughout the years that completely denied the humanity of Christ, and it was a big deal that they did this
The Bible depicts Jesus as both perfectly God and perfectly man
And Christianity fails apart if one of them is incorrect
Why is Jesus Humanity Essential to Christianity?
The Bible claims it (Luke 2:52).
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
Q. What does this verse say about the humanity of Jesus?
Just like any other person, Jesus was born, and after He was born, He grew.
And he grew in different ways, and all of these different ways emphasize the fact that He is completely human.
First, he increased in wisdom.
This has both an intellectual component as well as a moral component
He was growing intellectually and spiritually
Second, he grew in stature
AKA, he grew physically as he got older.
It is easy to forget that Jesus grew up just like we do!
Third, He grew in favor with God
Spiritual closeness with the Father.
He grew in His walk with God just like us, which is really fascinating to think about!
Lastly, he grew in favor with people.
He earned social respect.
It is important for us to see this, because we need to understand that Jesus’ divinity doesn’t make Him any less human (or vice-versa!)
And because Jesus is completely human, that means He completely gets us.
Why is Jesus Humanity Essential to Christianity?
The Bible claims it.
It means that Jesus can sympathize with us (Hebrews 4:15).
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.
Even though Jesus never sinned, He was tempted.
This is one of the main reasons we know that sin and temptation are two different things.
We see this first hand when he goes into the wilderness for 40 days, when He is tempted by Satan.
You know what this means?
Jesus gets you.
He has walked in your shoes.
And it’s with sympathy towards you and what you’re going through that Jesus reaches out his hand to you, wanting to minister to your heart as one who “gets it.”
And if Jesus can sympathize with us, that means that we can have a genuine relationship with Him!
Why is Jesus Humanity Essential to Christianity?
The Bible claims it.
It means that Jesus can sympathize with us.
It means that Jesus is relational (John 1:14)
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.
There are two things for us to focus on here:
The fact that Jesus became human
The reason that He became human
Q. According to this verse, why did Jesus become human?
To “dwell” amount us
This is actually the verb form of the noun “tabernacle,” which is where God dwelled with His people in the OT before the temple was built.
This shows us that Jesus is the true fulfillment of the tabernacle.
He is the new and better tabernacle, God Himself sent to dwell with humanity.
This time, God reveals even more fully how personal His love is.
This time, He doesn’t simply dwell with us in a tent; he dwells with us as a person.
It doesn’t get any more personal than that!
What Does the Bible Say About the Person of Christ?
Jesus is fully God
Jesus is fully human
Jesus was born of a virgin
This is a pillar of our faith!
But…. Why?
Let’s talk about it.
Why is the Virgin Birth essential to Christianity?
The Bible claims it (Matthew 1:18).
There are two clear and specific claims about this in the Bible: Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38.
We’ll focus on the Matthew passage for our conversation today.
18 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.
Mary becomes pregnant miraculously.
This is a very unusual situation.
And it’s a supernatural occurrence: God has made a miracle happen
This points to both Jesus deity and His humanity
God is His father
He is born of a person
The virgin birth points towards how truly special Jesus is.
And it also points towards our salvation.
Why is the Virgin Birth essential to Christianity?
The Bible claims it.
It points to our salvation(John 3:5-6)
In order to be saved, we have to share a birth that is similar to that of Jesus.
Look at how He explains this when He is talking to Nicodemus:
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Q. How is this verse connected with the virgin birth?
So there is a birth that has to happen apart from human effort!
It is only the Spirit that can do it.
This points to the helplessness of humanity in all of this;
We can’t be born again by our own merits; we need the Savior to do it
So by being born this way, Jesus is showing us that in order to be like Him, we have to be born like Him.
And in all of this, God shows us that He is in ultimate control.
Why is the Virgin Birth essential to Christianity?
The Bible claims it.
It points to our salvation.
It points to God’s sovereignty(Matthew 19:26)
It shows us that God is in control!
We see that, through God, the impossible can happen.
The virgin birth is proof that Matthew 19:26 is true.
Matthew 19:26 (ESV)
26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Q. What does this verse say about God being in control?
The reason that all things are possible with God is because He is sovereign (in ultimate control).
Supernatural events that God makes happen are always an example of this, and this is especially true when it comes to the virgin birth.
Because our God made the virgin birth happen, we can trust Him when our lives feel out of control.
He can work in the strangest and most unexpected ways.
His understanding is greater than ours
So even when we don’t understand things, we can trust that God does, and that He is working everything for our ultimate good.
Conclusion
What you believe about Jesus is really important
Our entire faith is built around certain truths about Jesus that we procalim
That’s what we have spent time doing during this lesson.
Christians can disagree about some things when it comes to the Bible and Jesus… but not these things.
So as you head into your small group time, try and make this personal!
What do these truths mean to you personally?
What do you learn about God through all of this?
How will you apply that to your life?
Be blessed!
PRAY
Lesson Overview:
What Does the Bible Say About the Person of Christ?
Jesus is fully God
Jesus is fully human
Jesus was born of a virgin
Why is Jesus Humanity Essential to Christianity?
Jesus claims it (Mark 2:4-7; John 5:18; John 5:23).
It means that God is knowable (John 1:18).
It means that redemption is available (Romans 5:8).
Why is Jesus Humanity Essential to Christianity?
The Bible claims it (Luke 2:52).
It means that Jesus can sympathize with us (Hebrews 4:15).
It means that Jesus is relational (John 1:14).
Why is the Virgin Birth essential to Christianity?
The Bible claims it (Matthew 1:18).
It points to our salvation(John 3:5-6).
It points to God’s sovereignty(Matthew 19:26).
Small Group Guide
Question #1: Which of these three aspects of the person of Jesus (deity, humanity, virgin birth), is the most important to you personally? Why is that?
Example answer: The Deity of Christ; If Jesus isn’t God, then nothing else matters!
Question #2: Why do you think that it is important for a Christian teen to understand these doctrines about Jesus?
Example answer: Jesus is at the center of Christianity! Also, there are a lot of misinformation about who Jesus is at there, so it is important for the maturing Christian to have a handle on this.
Question #3: How can you help other people understand these things about Jesus?
Example answer: By ACTUALLY talking about them!
Question #4: What is one thing that we talked about today that stuck out to you? Why did it stick out?
Example answer: In order to be born again, believers must experience a birth similar to that of Christ.
Question #5: What is one way that you are going to apply this to your life this week?
Example answer: By spending more time intentionally studying and learning more about Jesus.
