2. Essentials of the Faith Pt 1: God Incarnate

The Essentials of the Faith: The Incarnate Christ

1Jn 1:1-4 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— (2) the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— (3) that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (4) And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

We live in a world where people do not believe in absolute truth, where even Christians are relativists, where theologians are uncertain about Jesus, where new spiritualities are proliferating, where the idea that there are many roads to God abound, more than one way of salvation. Where individuals proclaim that they have the secret to spiritual life, or a better you. This is the reality we live in, right? The old saying that there is nothing new under the sun is true. Old lies dressed in new clothes are still old lies. We may get discouraged and wonder if sound gospel teaching work in a society and culture that embraces subjective truth. You may be asking yourself, “Can the gospel work in that kind of environment where no one believes, or few believe in absolute truth, where Christians are relativists, where even Christian theologians are uncertain about Jesus, where new spiritualities are proliferating, where the idea of one way of salvation is viewed as outmoded. Can the Christian proclamation work in that kind of environment? We feel ourselves to be in that environment today. Christian pollsters tell us that something like 60% of self-identified evangelical Christians don't believe in absolute truth.

We should be encouraged because the answer is an emphatic yes. Because it has already worked in the Graeco-Roman world of John’s time

Just by way of reminder the issue John was addressing in his letter was either Gnosticism or a proto-Gnosticism. Since the Gnostics held that fellowship with God comes through the esoteric knowledge (most commonly means obscure and only understood or intended to be understood by a small number of people with special (and perhaps secret) knowledge), brought by Christ, they often expressed their assumed enlightenment in scandalous disregard of the ethical demands of Christianity. At other times their view led to asceticism which is extreme self-denial believing that it moved the person closer to the divine.

In this letter are several purposes for its writing that address these errors.

1Jn 1:4 And we are writing these things so that our/your joy may be complete. The context being the gospel and the incarnation of Christ.

1Jn 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. The context there were those who denied sin when the reality is that we will sin but we do have an advocate.

1Jn 2:26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

1Jn 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. This final purpose includes all the other purposes. So the letter of 1 John ends up being a sort of litmus test of true Christianity. Doctrine, Practice, love of the brethren and fellowship.

The overall thrust of these first four verses is that what we believe about Jesus the Christ is absolutely essential. We cannot err in this area and hope to think we are Christians. We see this in verse 3. The condition of having fellowship with the Apostles is believing what they proclaimed about Christ. Their fellowship with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ was based on the very words John wrote here.

There are two points this morning:

1) The Word

2) The Witnesses

I. The Word

The first words to catch our eye is ‘That which’. Why would John use this term instead of He, or who? It is quite clear that John is speaking of Christ and mentions Him by name in verse 3. The importance of this is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God is the message of the gospel and message of the gospel is Jesus Christ. John using ‘that which’ is inclusive of both. The Word of Life has a mouth from which the apostles heard, has a body that was seen, beheld and physically touched with hands yet Life and Eternal Life are what we associate with the message of the gospel. Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Way back when we were in 1 Petr 2 we saw the centrality of Jesus in the believer’s life, the centrality of Jesus in the foundation of the church, and the centrality of Jesus in the building of the church. Here we see the centrality of Jesus in the salvation of God.

But before we go too much further we to address ‘from the beginning’. The question that immediately springs to mind is which beginning. Was it eternity past or was His incarnation the John was referencing as the beginning? Those are the only two reference points in time that we have. I lean toward Christ’s incarnation as the reference point and here is why. In the gospel of Joh 1:1-2 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. We have ‘in the beginning’ and also He was in the beginning with God pointing to His eternality, His eternal pre-existence and His deity. John uses ‘was from the beginning’ a definitive point in time reference. There are those who believe it means the same as the John 1 passage like John Piper and that the Apostle John is speaking of the eternality of Christ. But the context of the letter doesn’t fit this interpretation. There are two lines of thought in Gnosticism: 1) is that the Spirit of Christ came on Jesus at His baptism and left at His crucifixion and 2) the other is that Jesus only appeared to have a body and was not real corporeal flesh. The reasoning behind this is that God would never lower Himself to be clothed in the flesh of men. What is the rule of studying the Scripture? It is the 3 c’s. Context, context, context.

Why is the incarnation so important?

By his incarnation and work, Jesus, God the Son incarnate, has reversed the work of the first man and became our Lord and Savior Heb 2:5-9 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. (6) It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? (7) You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, (8) putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. (9) But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Rom 5:18-19 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.

He has become perfectly qualified to meet our every need, especially our need for the forgiveness of sin.

Heb 7:22-28 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. (23) The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, (24) but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. (25) Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (26) 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.

Given who God is, it’s only the incarnate Son who can redeem us by doing a divine-human work as our Redeemer. As the divine Son, he alone satisfies his own judgment on sinful humanity and demand for perfect obedience (Rom. 5:12-21).

As the incarnate Son, he alone identifies with us as our representative and substitute (Heb. 5:1). Our salvation hope for the payment of our sin and our full restoration as God’s image-bearers is only accomplished by Christ alone

Rom 3:21-26 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— (22) the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: (23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (24) and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (25) whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (26) It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

There is no salvation apart from the incarnate Christ. And He stands forever in heaven as visible reminder that the Son of Man has fulfilled all the requirements of the Law positively and negatively.

Rev 5:11-14 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, (12) saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (13) And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (14) And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

II. The Witnesses

Who is the ‘we’? The ‘we’ are the apostles. They were those who were with Jesus during His time on the earth. Act 1:20-22 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “‘Let another take his office.’ (21) So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, (22) beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”

They stand in direct contradiction to the false teaching of the gnostic influence. And though John is known as the apostle of love he has zero problem with calling those who oppose the truth liars. He uses this term 5x in the letter.

In this first verse there are four verbs John uses to describe the Apostles relationship with the Word of Life: heard, seen, looked upon, and touched. The first two verbs are imperfect active indicative. What does that mean? It means that it is an action that has on going affect. The last two verbs are aorist. Most people translate them as simple past tense but it means so much more than that. This is a great word picture from Bill Mounce’s website about NT Greek. “You are in a helicopter over a parade, looking at the parade as a whole. You are seeing from the outside rather than being a participant from inside the action. Because of that there can be an emphasis on the beginning, middle or end. The first two phrases ‘what we have heard’ and what we have seen with our eyes’ bears a direct impact on the apostle’s lives not just doing Christ’s earthly ministry but throughout the entirety of their lives. If we accept the late date of the writing of John it is 60 years after he witnessed the ministry of Christ, His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.

The next verbs are the aorist verbs. ‘which we looked upon’ is not the same as ‘seen with our eyes’. Remember what the aorist means. It’s looking at as a whole with an intent contemplative gaze. They studied Him. This is not an exhaustive or a chronological list but what did the Apostles hear and see? They saw His baptism and heard the voice out of heaven, they heard the sermon on the mount, saw demon cast our of the man at Gadarenes and him sitting clothed and in his right mind, they saw Jesus feed the 5,000 and heard Him speak in parables, they saw Him walk on water, and calm a storm with a word. And such was their astonishment they said. Mat 8:27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Mat 16:13-16 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (14) And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (15) He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” (16) Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

And they saw more after that. They saw Him transfigured on the mountain. They saw Him silent before Pilate. They saw Him crucified, dead and buried and the saw the empty tomb.

They touched His real human body even as John leaned back against Jesus at the Passover. And they touched His resurrected body Joh 20:26-29 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” (27) Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” (28) Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” (29) Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

They fled the night He was arrested but after the resurrection rejoiced at being worthy to suffer for His name saying Act 4:12-13 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Once afraid now something altogether different. (13) Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

Application:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—

There is probably not a Christian on the planet today who would not love to hear, see, behold, and touch Jesus today. We are envious of the disciples and wonder if when we get to heaven if we will get to do all of that. We will. Rev 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

But the reality is that we hear, see, behold and touch Him every day. We hear Him in the proclamation of the Word of God, when we read and study the Scriptures. We see and touch Him in church, the community of the saints.

Col 1:27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

When we come together do you only see David or do you see something more? Do you only see Rachel or do you see more? In every brother and sister in Christ with us today, we should see more.

There is another application. Do we stand for the truth, are we unwavering in protecting, not compromising the essential doctrines of God for the sake of appealing to the masses.