P1 The Son of God Became Man To Repair What Was Broken By Man

Introduction:

    In our last post we defined what we mean by the term "incarnation". Whenever we talk about the miracle of the incarnation, it refers to the Son of God coming into the world to become "in-the-flesh" (older theologians would sometimes call the incarnation by another term, "the enmanning"of the Son of God). We offered a concise definition of the incarnation as follows: 

the Son, being truly God, joined to himself true humanity, with all its qualities, minus sin. 

We defined what we meant by the term "incarnation", along with providing Scriptural references to show the significance of it. Readers who missed the last post can read it by clicking here: http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2021/11/what-is-meant-by-incarnation-of-son-of.html

    In today's post we want to consider why the Son of God came to be man. To see the reason for the incarnation, one must start in the opening chapters of the Book of Genesis. Genesis 1-2 records God's creation of the universe, all of life, and human beings. Genesis 3 records the fall of mankind and God's graceful dealings with our original parents. What precipitated from the Fall in the garden will provide the description of why Christ became man for our sakes.

1. Christ came to repair broken communion with God = A SPIRITUAL CRISIS.

    When God originally created Adam and his wife, they had communion with Him. We read in Genesis 1:26-28 "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' Genesis 2:15 further specifies the type of communion mankind had originally with God: "Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it." 

    Genesis 3:8 then records what was likely a common occurance between God and our original parents, along with a sad note at it's end: "They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden." The latter part of Genesis 3:6 tells us that this original communion was broken. 

    We read then of Adam's response to God in Genesis 3:10 "He said, 'I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”' With broken communion following from Adam and his wife's rebellion, we see then a second consequence.

2. Broken Law of God. = A MORAL CRISIS. 

    God gave commands to Adam. Whenever God gave commands, He was revealing His moral character in vocal form to Adam (what would then become later written form to Moses in the giving of the Law). Genesis 2:16-17 states: "The Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”'

    Sadly, Adam broke those commands, as recorded in Genesis 3:6 "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate." Anytime God's commands are broken, what follows is a moral crisis, which reflects the deep spiritual crisis in Adam and all of us who descend from him. This then leads to a third crisis which Christ would come to repair in His incarnation.. 

3. Christ came to repair a broken Covenant with God. = A RELATIONAL CRISIS. 

    As we see God communing with man and issuing commands, theologians come to understand such actions on God's part as the formation of an original covenant with man. A covenant is a "binding agreement" involving two parties. Covenants occur throughout the Bible and include such features as promises, blessings, commands, and consequences for obedience or disobedience. As the following passages will illustrate, this original covenant (called by theologians "the covenant of creation"or "the covenant of works") would become broken by the original Adam - he representing all humanity. 

    In Genesis 2:19-21 we read: "out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place." 

    Covenants in the Bible were God's way of relating with his creation (see for example Jeremiah 33:20, God's covenant with day and night). God never spoke nor interracted with His creation apart from the context of a covenant. The Hebrew word for covenant ("berith") has as a root meaning the act of "cutting". Such rites as shedding of blood or cutting served to ratify the covenant made between two parties (see Genesis 15 for example). As for the woman taken out of man's side, this solemnized the institution of marriage and signified what God was doing in the original covenant to Adam and his wife. 

    Sadly, Adam broke the original covenant with God. We know for certain that the events recorded in Genesis 1:26-3:14 record the issuing forth of God's first covenant with man, followed by Adam's breakage of it. We read in Job 31:33 “Have I covered my transgressions like Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom." Hosea 6:7 makes this point even more explicit: "But like Adam they have transgressed the covenant; There they have dealt treacherously against Me." 

    This tragedy meant that with a broken covenant, God was under obligation to do one thing: carry out the sanctions He had stated in Genesis 2:16-17 "for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." Yet, Adam and Eve did not physically die in Genesis 3. Why? God had already planned to put forth a second covenant - one that He, in the sending of the Son, would pay for and guarantee. 

    This second gesture by God in covering Adam and Eve with coats of skin is called by theologians "the covenant of grace". This action of God in Genesis 3:20-21 would foreshadow what God the Father and the Son had agreed upon before the beginning of creation - that history would include the cross. 

More next time... 

P2 The Son of God Became Man To Repair What Was Broken By Man - A Closer Look At The Second Adam

Introduction:

    In our last post we considered why the Son of God came to be man: to repair what was broken. In today's post I want to continue from where we had left off in the last post. We had noted three things Christ came to repair in becoming man for our sakes:

1. Christ came to repair broken Communion with God = A SPIRITUAL CRISIS.

2. Christ came to repair the broken Law of God. = A MORAL CRISIS. 

3. Christ came to repair a broken Covenant with God. = A RELATIONAL CRISIS. 

    In this post I want to conclude our discussion by looking at a fourth important truth which brings clarity to our discussions about Christ's incarnation: Christ would become the New Adam to repair what was broken. 

Christ would become the New Adam to repair what was broken. 

    We observed that as a result of the original rebellion of the first Adam, a three-fold crisis ensued: a relational crisis (loss of communion); a moral crisis (breakage of God's moral law); and a spiritual crisis (breakage of covenant). Furthermore, God would come to offer grace to Adam and Eve by slaying two animals in their place (see Genesis 3:20-21). To put forth such a covenant of grace, the broken original covenant required a guarantee by the One who made it that it might be somehow fulfilled. 

    A man, "Adam", broke it. A second "Adam-like" person would have to ensure that He could carry it out by living a perfect life. Furthermore, since God, in the Person of the Father, had issued forth the covenant of creation with the representative head of all humanity, "Adam", this same God would have to ensure its completion by a second Adam. God's solution entailed that the eternal Person of the Son would go to earth, become a man, and offer Himself as the sinner's substitute. 

The development of "two-Adam" theology in the Old Testament

    The genealogy in Luke 3:22-38 records 75 generations of human beings, all kinds of sinners, between two Adams, a sinful first Adam and a sinless second Adam. The Old Testament had "set the table"for this two-Adam portrayal. The original Adam brought about sin and death on all humanity (see Romans 5:12-20). Genesis 1-11 records the history of sin, death, and destruction by the posterity of the original Adam. Even by starting over again with the flood of Noah, the problem of man's sinfulness could not be washed away by water, but rather by blood. 

    Genesis 12 has God calling forth Abraham to bring forth from Himself and Sarah what would be the nation of Israel. Abraham, in many respects, functions as an illustration of original Adam. Abraham (and his descendants, which would become Israel), in many respects, is a replay of the original Adam. 

    Israel functioned as God's representative of the nations (just as Adam functioned as God's representative of individual human beings). Israel was tested, tried, and found wanting. Adam ended up being a disobedient created "son of God" (see Genesis 3; Luke 3:38). Israel, going forth from Abraham, would be known also as a created son of God that would disobey Him (see Deuteronomy 32;  Hosea 11:1). Both Adam, Israel, and all of humanity would require the Eternal, uncreated Son of God to come and be man on their behalf. 

    Like Adam sent from the Garden into exile, Israel was sent from the promised land into exile (Assyria, then Babylon). God dealt graciously with Adam in His covenant of grace with him. God also gave Abraham a gracious covenant (along with David much later on), which would become fully expressed in the promised New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and other passages. Adam is at one of the end-points of Christ's genealogy in Luke 3:23-38. Abraham leads off Christ's genealogy in Matthew 1:1-17.   

    The whole Old Testament narrative from Genesis 12 to Malachi 4 details the history of the creation, fall, and promised restoration of Israel. God would issue forth to Israel covenants of a gracious nature through Abraham and David. The Old Testament ends with the necessity of the predicted redeemer, the Messiah, whom God promised could restore Israel in the future. 

The New Testament's portrayal of the two Adams

    The New Testament's development of this "two-Adam" doctrine served to highlight how Jesus came to be "the New Adam", that is, "the new head"of a redeemed humanity, composed of sinners drawn in grace to receive Christ in saving faith. 

    Paul records in Romans 5:14 "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come." He also states in 1 Corinthians 15:45-47 "So also it is written, 'The first man, Adam, became a living soul.' The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven."'

    When Jesus came to present Himself for baptism by John the Baptist, He came as the second Adam to publically identify Himself with those He came to redeem. We read in Matthew 3:15 "But Jesus answering said to him, 'Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.'” Jesus would perfectly obey God as the second Adam, undergoing temptation by Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4) and being tempted at all points as we are, yet without sin (see Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Peter 2:21-22). 

    Christ came to pay the unpaid bill left by the original Adam in the breaking of the covenant of creation. For God to forgive sins (whether of Adam and Eve, or for believers who exercised faith in the promises of God illustrated by the sacrifices in the Tabernacle and Temple, or even follows of Christ this day), there had to be the fulfillment of this first covenant broken by the original Adam. This is one of the reasons Christ came, to live a perfect life as the Second Adam in order to present Himself as the fit subsitute on behalf of sinners. 

    Christ, the new Adam, perfectly obeyed the much fuller form of the written Law of God. He paid the bills by taking His perfect life and offering it upon the cross as the sinner's substitute, bearing the curse pronounced by God in Genesis 3 (see 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:10-13; 1 Peter 3:18). We read in Hebrews 7:22 "So much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant." This is why Jesus expressed the following striking words on the cross in John 19:30 - "it is finished".  

Closing thoughts:

    In these last two posts, we noted four reasons why the Son of God became man in terms of repairing what was broken by man.

1. Christ came to repair broken Communion with God = A SPIRITUAL CRISIS.

2. Christ came to repair the broken Law of God. = A MORAL CRISIS. 

3. Christ came to repair a broken Covenant with God. = A RELATIONAL CRISIS. 

4. Christ would become the New Adam to repair what was broken. 

Why Jesus Was Tempted By The Devil

Mark 1:13-14 "Immediately the Spirit *impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. 13 And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him."

Introduction:

    Why is it that when a person becomes a follower of Jesus in saving faith that God does not wisk them away immediately to Heaven? There are many days that I wish that was all there was to the Christian life. However, do you realize that if God did transport a person immediately to Heaven upon their express of trust in Jesus Christ, such an arrangement would not fit the pattern set forth by Jesus. 

    Whenever we look at the life of Jesus, one could ask a somewhat similar question: "why did not God transport Jesus away by simply having Him prick his finger to bleed forth one drop of blood much earlier in His human life?" The answer to this question is that Jesus had to first secure the perfect righteousness required for the Christian life by undergoing every stage of humanity in order to pay for it by going to the cross. Furthermore, crucifixion was required in order for Jesus to become accursed on behalf of the sinner. 

    The first Adam brought into the world curse, sin, and death (Romans 5:12-21). The Second Adam, Jesus, needed to bear the curse by hanging on the cross (see Deuteronomy 21:33; Galatians 3:10-13). 

    Whenever we look at the Christian life, it is, by design, patterned after Jesus' life. He underwent testing, temptation, battles with darkness, so that He could demonstrate how one human life, yielded to the Father's will and the power of the Spirit, would set forth the way for each an everyone of those who would trust in Him by faith (1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 3:6). In this post today, I want us to briefly look at why Jesus was tempted by the Devil - since that event marks the near beginning of His public ministry following His baptism.

    As we begin to answer the question of "why Jesus was tempted by the Devil", we must express the following proposition: Jesus provides the pattern and power for fighting the Christian’s enemies. The sooner the Christian realizes that whatever Jesus experienced in His humanity provides the basis for strength of living the Christian life in their own humanity; the sooner the Christian experience will be made that much clearer. Note with me first...

1. The Pattern for defeating the enemy by Jesus.

    The Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:21 

"For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps."

    It is interesting to note how Matthew and Luke each record the temptation of Jesus by Satan. Matthew's version has Satan tempting Jesus to turn stones to bread (Mt 4:3-4); to leap from the pinnacle of the Temple (Mt 4:5); to worship him to receive all the world’s kingdoms (Mt 4:8). This ordering by Matthew suggests that for Jewish readers, since the Temple was central, the enticement was for Jesus, as man, to take up His role of Messiah/King without going to the cross. 

    Luke has Satan entice Jesus to turn stones to bread (Lk 4:3-4); express worship of him to obtain the world’s kingdoms (Lk 4:5); to test God by leaping off the pinnacle of Temple (Lk 4:9). Luke’s ordering suggests that for his primary Gentile audience, with whom world conquest was everything, Satan was tempting Jesus to seize the world, thus, skipping the cross. 

    If we take both Matthew and Luke's records to indicate a string of repeated, intense cycles of temptation near the end of Jesus' experience in His 40-day trek through the Judean wilderness, then we have the full view of how intense this period was. Jesus was tested in both the religious or spiritual sphere and the theater of the world. Mankind craves control. Whether by manipulating people by the misuse of religion or through means of materialism, humankind's propensity to be bound under the yoke of temptation reminds us of what the Fall of Adam produced. This is why the Apostle John records in 1 John 2:15-17 - 

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever."

    As Jesus stood toe-to-toe with Satan, he handed Satan his first defeated at the hands of a man. Jesus denied His self-will (i.e. “lust of the flesh) in not turning stones into bread, but instead drew strength from God’s words. As to the kingdoms of this world (lust of the eyes), Jesus remained true, rather than giving into self delusion. Finally, with regards to Him not jumping from the pinnacle of the Temple, Jesus denied any right over his own life (i.e. pride in what one has, pride of life), since as man, He drew His sufficiency from the Heavenly Father. 

    What Jesus did, as the "Second" or "New Adam" (see Romans 5:14; 1 Corinthians 15:45-47), was to set the pattern for how all of those redeemed in saving faith are to "fight the good fight of faith" (see Ephesians 6:11-13; 2 Timothy 4:8-9).  If I, as a Christian, am to better understand why I must go through temptations; testings; disappointments; heart-aches; stretching of personal faith; periods of wondering whether God cares for me; sensations of the Kingdom of darkness; and on-and-on; I must realize that the Christian life is patterned after "the pattern-man", "The New Adam", the Lord Jesus Christ. 

    However, we don't simply have a pattern when it comes to fighting the fight of faith - as important as that is. Praise be to God, as a result of Jesus' resurrection and ascension into Heaven, as well as by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the Christian has access to Jesus for the power to "fight the good fight of faith". Hence... 

2. Power for defeating the enemy from Jesus. 

    Whenever you consider how the New Testament is laid out with respect to how the believer draws strength from the Lord Jesus Christ: The Gospels portray Christ; Acts preaches Him; The Epistles explain Him; Revelation exalts Him. What will follow from here are citations of New Testament passages which show how the Christian life is connected to all Jesus experienced by way of His temptations. 

    In as much as His temptation by Satan near the beginning of His ministry was of utmost intensity, yet, throughout His experience here on this earth, Jesus was assaulted and insulted. Thankfully, Jesus never caved into pressure. Note with me the following texts which explain how the Christ-follower has power for defeating the enemy.

Luke 22:28 “You are those who have stood by Me in My trials”. Jesus expresses to His disciples how He experienced "trials" throughout the duration of His ministry leading up to the cross. 

    We next read in  Luke 22:42-44 42 

"saying, 'Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground." 

    It was in the Garden of Gethsemane (literally, "the Garden of the Olive Press") that Jesus, in His humanity, felt the pending weight of God's wrath on sin. His submission to the Father's will by way of His human will would show how He, yielded to the Holy Spirit, would push through and do what needed to be done. From hereon I'll quote three more passages as we finish out today's post. As the reader will see, the following texts link together Jesus' temptations to how the Christ-follower draws strength for everyday Christian faith.

Hebrews 2:17-18 "Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted."

Hebrews 4:15-16 "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

2 Cor 10:3-4 "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."

Advent 2020 - The Only Hope That Can Pierce The Darkness

 

Luke 1:46-49 "And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. 49 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name."

Introduction:

        This coming Sunday begins Advent Season 2020. In the traditional celebration, each Sunday of Advent carries a theme which culminates on Christmas Eve with the lighting of the "Christ Candle". Tomorrow will mark the first theme of Advent - "Hope". How we need hope! The account of the incarnation of the Son of God is centered around "hope in God", who alone can save sinners (see Isaiah 43:10-11; 46:9,10; Jonah 2:9; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:8-10). As our church will light that first Advent candle, I'll mention how the lighting is often referred to as "lighting the prophet's candle". Truly, the Word of God, as delivered to the prophets and apostles, brings hope into places where the words of men bring only despair.

       In reflecting upon how God's prophetic Word brings hope, I want us to consider how the Holy Spirit operated as the Spirit of prophecy in the Christmas narrative of Luke's Gospel. Revelation 19:10 explicitly refers to the Holy Spirit by this title:

"Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (NASB)

      It is appropriate to capitalize "spirit", since in the Greek text the word for "spirit" has the definite article "the". The 1599 Geneva Bible follows this suggested pattern:

"And I fell before his feet, to worship him, but he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and one of thy brethren, which have the testimony of Jesus, Worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy."

         A remarkable study to undertake is the Person and work of the Holy Spirit in the Advent or first coming of Jesus Christ. In both his Gospel and "Acts of the Apostles", Luke mentions the Holy Spirit more often than any other Biblical writer (some 50 times or so). Understanding the Holy Spirit's prophetic ministry illuminates how God prepared history for the arrival of the incarnated Son of God (see Galatians 4:4; 2 Peter 1:19-21). An immediate life-practical application is this: to find hope in Jesus Christ now as we eagerly await His soon return. Certainly, reception of what the Bible reveals about Jesus is made possible by the Holy Spirit.

What is prophecy?

        Before we move on, a question must be answered: what is prophecy? Prophecy exhorts God's people to be alert and ready. Prophecy "foretells" or speaks about things yet-to-come. This act of God through the Bible also "forthtells", that is, it tells us how we ought to live in the present while anticipating what He will do. Prophecy reminds the Christ-follower of their true identity in Him. Prophecy speaks to the present by pointing us to what lies ahead. Prophecy reminds us from whence we came and to not repeat the mistakes of past generations of God's people. The Holy Spirit is the chief agent behind all prophetic declarations in the Bible.

The main thought of today's post

        Truly then, the Holy Spirit is the "Spirit of Christmas". As Advent season starts with lighting the so-called "Candle of Hope" or "Prophet's Candle", this post will explore how the Holy Spirit brought hope through the revelation of God's "written word" in human words to point the way to God's "Living Word" in human flesh - Jesus Christ (see John 1:14; Philippians 2:6-11). The Spirit of prophecy points to Christ (see 1 Peter 1:10-12). Let us note the following truths.

1. Promises to God’s people - the basis of the prophetic hope of God's Word. Luke 1:67-80

        There are a total of five prophetic songs in Luke 1-2. The second of these is that by John the Baptist's father - Zacharias. Luke 1:67 explicitly describes his response to John the Baptist's birth:

"And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying."

        Now we don't have the time to lay out the full meaning of this incredible prophetic utterance. However, a brief outline will need to suffice for now.

a. God's promise of a king. 1:67-71
b. God's promise of a blessing. 1:72-75
c. God's promise of a people. 1:76-79

2. Person of Christ - the focus of the prophetic hope of God's Word. Luke 1-2

        The basis of prophecy is God's promises. The focal point is the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The most famous song of the five songs recorded in Luke's Gospel is what is termed: "The Magnificat" in Luke 1:46-55. This title is due to the first word of the song as found in the Latin Vulgate translation, "magnificat", which means "exalts". The purpose of Mary's song is to call attention to the One who now resides in her womb. Like Zacharias' song, we will only give an outline of the contents of what Mary exclaims as she visits her cousin Elizabeth.

a. Mighty Savior. Luke 1:46-49
b. Merciful Lord. Luke 1:50-56

         Several places in the New Testament remind us of the fact that the Holy Spirit, by way of prophecy, points to the Person of Christ (Luke 24:44; 1 Corinthians 10:1-4; 1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 1:20-21). The Holy Spirit's task is to point anyone and everyone to Jesus Christ - the great Savior and great Lord (see John 16:8-12). In a world full of COVID, fear, anxiety and uncertainty, we find the Lord of Heaven and earth walking to us in the pages of scripture as truly man. He does not merely bring hope - He is Hope incarnate.

3. Purposes of salvation are revealed by the prophetic hope of God's Word. Lk 2:25-35

       We have noted how the Spirit of prophecy utilizes the promises of God to point to the Person of Christ. As we look at one more prophecy in Luke today, we consider briefly the words of Simeon. Simeon is described as having waited for the time when He would behold Israel's deliverer with His own eyes. Older generations of the past used the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible to assign a Latin title to Simeon's prophetic declaration in Luke 2:29-32, namely: "nunc dimittis". This Latin phrase corresponds to the first two words we can translate as: "now release".

        Think of how God's salvation purposes release those who receive His wonderous grace such by faith. Release from guilt (Romans 5:1). Release from the penalty of sin (Ephesians 1:7). Release from alienation from God (1 Peter 1:18). Release from future judgment (1 Thessalonians 1:10). Release from Satan's tyranny (Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8). Release from the sting of death (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).  Such "releases" deliver the only sort of hope that transcends the bleakness of our time. 

       Simeon is expressing how beholding the Savior has set Him free. He had hoped for nearly all of his life. For a significant portion of his time on earth, Simeon's hope seem delayed. As the great Baptist preacher Adrian Rogers once remarked: "God's delays are not to be taken as God's denials". God kept His word to Simeon. Simeon not only beheld hope; he "held" hope in his arms! 

       The purposes of salvation are concentrated in a Person - a Divine Person in Whom is united truly Divine nature, able to save, and truly human nature, capable to save.  Jesus came to be human in order to reconcile sinners to a Holy God. As man, He was born, lived, died and arose from the dead. He is our hope (see Colossians 1:27). 

Closing thoughts

        The Spirit of prophecy spoke through these events and people. Luke's record captures the wondrous reality of the Holy Spirit's work to make clear the advent of the Son of God in frail humanity. Would we, this advent season, heed "The Spirit of prophecy", Who shines for the only Hope that can pierce the darkness.

Considering the eternal Christ

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word waswith God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Introduction

Today's post features a few observations from that glorious prologue of the Gospel of John. The aim for today is to simply consider the eternal Christ that John writes about in this passage. So much could be spoken of in regards to the depth and height of this revelation. Nonetheless for brevity's sake I give the reader three words or phrases upon which we can summarize the Eternal Christ spoken of here in these verses, namely: Truly God, Person and truly man. 

1. The Eternal Christ is truly God.

The opening verses of John 1:1-2 describe the Eternal Christ as "The Word". That designation speaks of Christ as the ordering, rational endpoint of all creation. The grammar of John 1:1-2 emphasizes the fact that "The Word" is equal to God and is in fact God. Then John 1:3 states this same truth in the negative by stating what would not had occurred without the eternal Christ - namely creation itself. The pre-existence and power of the Eternal Christ is emphasized. In John 1:18 we are reminded further of how this Eternal Christ is truly God. Echoing no doubt passages in the Old Testament that spoke of no man or creature being able to behold the face of God - John 1:18 tells us that only One has done that - namely the only begotten One, the Son, the Word. The Word, the Son has for all eternity beheld the Father "face-to-face". Together with the Holy Spirit - the entire essence of the One eternal God fully and truly lives and exists equally and fully in the Father and in the Son. John's point is to show that this Eternal Son, having pre-existed from all eternity, is no less than truly God. But notice secondly...

2. The Eternal Christ is a Person

We have already alluded to this truth - but it bears repeating that the "Word" is not some abstraction, or mere creative principle, but is a Person. In stating the equality of the Word with God and the Word being God - we discover this second important truth in John 1:2 - namely that the Word is a "He". Throughout John 1:2-18 we find reference to this "Word" as being "He" and "Him" and "the only-begotten God". The Greek mind conceived of the word "word" (i.e "logos") as a creative principle or purpose that held all of reality together. Despite the centuries of Greek philosophical speculation as to what ultimately defined the essence and purpose of the universe - no great minds would had arrived at the point we see here in John. 

The Jews as well had come to develop traditions based off of their reflections on the scriptures regarding how One God was able to reason within Himself to create the world. The Old Testament certainly hints and suggests another Personality within the One God. John here expressly spells out to the reader that this Word, this only-begotten God, is indeed a true Person. The Person of the Word has pre-existed with the Father from all eternity. He expresses Himself as truly God. However, there is a third idea that John brings out in explaining this glorious Eternal Christ, notice...

3. The Eternal Christ is truly God, in the Person of the Son, that became truly man.

There is the third idea - namely that the eternal Christ became truly man. Notice John 1:14 - "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." The Jews who read these words would had been blown away. The knew of the glorious visions and theophanies beheld by their forefathers. Moses saw Yahweh in the bush and on the mountain. Isaiah saw the heavenly vision of the true King in Isaiah 6. John states that the glory of God - so sought after by Moses and the saints of old, so feared and revered - appeared to him and the disciples. But how? In what manner? The glory of the Word appeared in human flesh. The Son of God did not come merely to be like a man, or appear to be so. He became a literal man by nature while ever retaining His truly Divine nature with which He co-shared with the Father and the Spirit. He came in the virgin's womb. By the miracle of the Holy Spirit's intervention - God in the Person of the Son was manifested in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). The fulness of Deity in the Son now resided in the frail humanity of Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 1:21; Colossians 2:9). He who was the infant in the manger was ever still "Immanuel" - "God-with-us" (Matthew 1:23). The Person of the Son was united to a second way of expressing His existence - a second nature - namely human flesh. Older Christians refer to this as the "enmanning" of the Son or perhaps more familiar to us today - the "incarnation". 

Truly God and never ceasing to be so - the Person of the Son became truly man. As the pure energy of electricity becomes expressed and united to a thin filament of tungsten in a light bulb - so did the Person of the Son become united to the frail filament of humanity. The uncreated light of Deity shone through the filament of humanity and the frail filament of humanity truly expressed the glory of it's bearer. 

The Son, the Living Word of eternity past in John 1:1-3 and the One who has from all eternity dwelt face-to-face with the Father - chose to express His eternal existence in true, genuine humanity. This is the apex of John's prologue. The Eternal Son, Word - without beginning in regards to His true Deity - chose to experience what it was like to begin life touching his now assumed true humanity. Forever will the Son be known as the incarnate God. This is the One we worship and adore. Beginningless in Deity and yet with beginning in humanity. Uncreated in regards to His Divine nature and yet experiencing what life is like as a creature in true humanity. The Person of the Savior is indeed, truly, fully, completely God - forever and ever partaking of the Divine essence with the Father and Holy Spirit. At the same time - the Savior has chosen to also partake of humanity with his people, experience their sorrows, griefs, die for them, raise for them, ascend for them and come again for them.  Would it be that we consider more and more the Eternal Christ who is truly God, the Person whom we adore that is also truly man.  

Reflections on Jesus Christ as Very God and Very man

2 Peter 3:18 "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."

Introduction:
Today's post aims to offer some reflections from scripture on what is meant when we say that Jesus Christ is very God and very man. As can be seen in the opening verse, we are commanded to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. No one can ever exhaust the Person of Jesus Christ. He is all-together lovely. May the following reflections serve not only to only expand the reader's mind about Jesus, but to also deepen the heart in Him. 

The Person of the Son Pre-existed and co-existed in a shared Eternal, undivided Divine nature with the Father and the Holy Spirit before the beginning of time (Psalm 2; Psalm 110; Proverbs 30:4; John 1:1; John 17:3-5; Colossians 1:13-16) . When I speak of nature, I refer to the way in which a being expresses its own existence. Hence in talking about the Lord Jesus Christ, it is vital to speak of Him in regards to first His Person and then secondly and thirdly the two natures which He now possesses. We will then wrap up the post with some final reflections.

First, as indicated, the Person of the Son has possessed the Divine nature with which He has enjoyed with the Father and Spirit from all eternity. As “True God”, the Son is the visible expression of the invisible Father, which no man has seen nor can see (Hebrews 1:1-2; Jude 1:25). In the language of the older Christians, there has never been a time that the Son was not, or stated positively – the Son has always been, is and is to come (Revelation 1:8). 

Secondly, the Son as “True God” touching His Divine nature possesses all of the Divine essential attributes, such as omnipresence (John 3:13); omnipotence (Colossians 1:16-17) and immutability (Hebrews 13:8). The Son and the Father in eternity agreed upon the Son’s incarnation and self-imposed humiliation to the cross (Philippians 2:5-11; Titus 1:2). This is practically important to the Christian for the sake of recalling that Jesus is more than able to take care of us in this life, salvation life and the life to come. 

Then thirdly, as the Son ever retained His Divine nature, He did enter into history and humanity by taking upon Himself a second way of expressing His existence, a second nature – albeit a human nature. Thus the Son, also designated the Eternal Word, co-equal with the Father (John 1:1) became flesh (John 1:14). The titles revealed in the New Testament indicate to us the Son’s Eternal Divine and in-time-assumed human natures. Matthew 1:21 for example states He was to be named “Jesus” during the announcement of His pending birth while still be referred to as “Immanuel” or “God with us” in Matthew 1:23. Conversely, John 1:14 clearly emphasizes that the Eternal Son, being God, is the “Word made flesh” (John 1:14) while at the same time being the fullness of Deity in His humanity (Colossians 2:9).

In putting together what we have discussed thus far in terms of Jesus' Person and two natures, the union of true humanity and true Deity in the Person of the Son, Jesus, was a true hypostatic union that did not co-mingle, confuse, harmonize nor distort His Deity nor humanity. This miracle was achieved by the Holy Spirit hovering over in the mysterious but nonetheless true and historical miracle of the virgin conception (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35). Touching Christ’s Deity – He ever partakes of Deity with the Father; and touching His assumed humanity – the Son chose to partake of humanity by way of the virgin’s womb (Matthew 1:21-23). 

As very man, the Son chose to experience life in the self-imposed constraints that come with being a man: including hunger, fatigue, temptation and pain (Matthew 4:1-13; 27; also the parallel accounts of the crucifixion in the other four gospels). He sweated (Luke 23:34); grieved (John 11) as a man – because as very man – he was truly a man. Jesus experienced the full range of human emotions and life without ever sinning once in thought, word or deed (Hebrews 5:14; 1 Peter 2:22). As “truly man”, Jesus had the ability to die (1 Peter 3:18). As “truly God” or “very God” – His atoning work and resurrection verified both His true and undiminished Deity and His perfect and full humanity.

Closing thoughts
As we close up these reflections today, I want us to prayerfully consider the above reflections. To think about Jesus Christ in His Person, we can only speak of Him now as being “The God-man”, meaning that He as One Person has a true Divine nature and true human nature that is resurrected. In His ascension, the Son as the Incarnate God was exalted by the Father (Acts 1:11; Philippians 2:5-11). The Son is seated at the Father’s right hand and makes intercession for His people as a man for them to God and as God representing God to His people (Hebrews 1:1-2). The Person of the Son will forever retain His glorified, physical humanity while ever remaining a partaker of infinite Deity with the Father and Holy Spirit. He now and forever will be the Prophet (Hebrews 1:1-2); High Priest (Hebrews 8) and King of Kings (Revelation 19:1-10). He is going to return at the end of the age as the God man in a physical, glorified, resurrected, ascended body just as He promised (Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:23-28; Revelation 19). 

Faith knows, even though it may not fully understand - a short study on Job's faith

Job 13:15 “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him."

God was developing in Job a stronger reliance upon the words of God and prayer. Undoubtedly Job was recognizing he did not understand some of the ways of God as much as he thought He did. Nevertheless, in the midst of Job's grief and pain we find two statements in Job 23:10 and 12. In Job 23:10 Job states - "But He knows the way that I take, when He has tried me I shall come forth as gold." Then we see a second statement in Job 23:12 - "I have not departed from the command of His lips, I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food." The contents of these two verses represent what Job knew at that moment and time in his life. 

What was it that Job knew? Everything else: his family, his health, his possessions, his comfort and his friends were like shifting sand in the storm of his suffering. Job was learning to fear God. Job was learning to trust in God whom He did not completely understand. 

Faith that is true faith knows that it knows God, even though it may not fully comprehend about God. When I was a child, I would watch my dad construct different projects out of wood. In my little young mind, I did not understand the purpose of the particular projects nor was I able to grasp their intended end. Yet, I knew the character of my dad. I knew that whatever he was making (whether it be a chair, a window or a shelf), he was doing the work to the ultimate benefit of another. A lot of times I would gather the left over pieces of wood on the ground or make little roads in the saw dust around his tools. To me, the comfort I had in those memories derived from the fact that though I did not always understand as a childf all the work he did, I knew my dad, loved my dad and knew that he felt the same about me. God's grace frames faith, which in turn points us to Jesus Christ. Let us persevere in the grace of God by faith, since in these trying times, God aims to bring His people forth as gold for His glory.

Explaining the Union between The Sufferings of Christ and Christian Sufferings

Acts 9:4-5 "and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting."

Introduction: The sufferings of Christ: accomplished and currently experienced by Himself and believers

Before the Apostle Paul was ever called Paul in the New Testament, he went by his birth-name "Saul". Saul of Tarsus was the sworn enemy of the early Christian movement. The events of Acts 9 occur little more than a year following Jesus' ascension into Heaven. Jesus Christ had came to earth in the virgin birth in the miracle of the incarnation or enfleshment of the Eternal Son (i.e the Eternal Son taking upon His Person a second human nature). As the God-man, Jesus Christ lived for 33 years on this earth and then suffered once and for all for sins (1 Peter 3:18). 

Scripture is very clear that the cross was a one time event, never to be repeated again. When Jesus raised from the dead, He retained His physical earthly body (albeit a glorifed resurrected body). Forty days following His resurrection, Jesus Christ ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father with Whom He has forever shared the same Divine life (Acts 1:10-11). As Jesus is now in heaven, He ever retains His glorified human body while being ever eternal Deity at the same time (Romans 1:3; 9:4-5). This truth is important, since to be our Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5), Jesus the Son must be very God and very man to represent God to believers and believers before the Father (1 John 2:1-2). 

Now why rehearse these truths about Jesus the Son? The text of Acts 9:4-5 has Jesus revealing Himself to Saul of Tarsus as a physical post-resurrected Jesus. Although Saul of Tarsus set out to persecute Christians and thus the early church, Jesus tells Saul in this appearance that his persecutions are affecting not the church - but the Son Himself! The question is: how so? Hasn't Jesus Christ already provided the sufficent basis for salvation by dying and rising from the dead? Yes. Yet Jesus Christ never intended to remain distant from the sufferings of subsequent generations of the church following His ascension into Heaven. 

The Key to Understanding What is meant by "the sufferings of Christ" is the union between Himself and Christians

When Jesus states here that Saul of Tarsus is persecuting Him, He is speaking of the way in which the Holy Spirit enables believers and their Lord to share in sweet fellowship through the mystical union that occurs in salvation. At salvation, the Holy Spirit takes me in my humanity and transfers me from Old Adam into New Adam and thus unites my humanity to Christ's as an official member of redeemed humanity - of which He is the Representative Head (Romans 5:14; 1 Corinthians 15:22,45). 

The union of the humanity of Jesus with my own and other Christians is a mysterious but nonethless real union, making us in affect related to Him as adopted brothers and sisters (Romans 8:14-16; Hebrews 2:11-15). The great 17th century Theologian Stephen Charnock explains the significance of Christ's union to us and us to Him:

"He had therefore a nature that could be compassionate towards us and victorious for us. A nature that could empathize with us, and another nature, to render such empathy (to be effective) for our relief. He has the deep feelings of a man to us and the power of God for us. A nature to disarm the devil for us and another nature to be not discouraged by the work of the devil in us and against us. If he had been only God He would not have had the experience of the sense of our misery; if He had only been man, He could not have vanquished our enemies. Had he been only God He could not have died and if He had been only man He could not have conquered death."

Life practical applications of Christ's sufferings and your sufferings

Such a close connection to Jesus Christ in His humanity means that whatever Christians go through here on earth is experienced somehow by Jesus in the heavenly realms. It is hard to say what degree and manner of suffering Jesus is undergoing in His current experience of glorified humanity. We know that Jesus is ruling and reigning as King of Kings over His church and that as our King, He chooses to be directly involved in the plights of Christians the world-over.

With regards to His Divine nature, the Son executes His Sovereign purposes and ministry to believers not in response to their suffering, but in anticipation of it. As the Person of the Son performs His work as the believer's Eternal High Priest as God, He knows exhaustively what each suffering each Christian is going to undergo - whether it be related to day to day suffering or the ultimate sufferings associated with the Gospel. 

I find it amazing how the Son through His Deity, knowing full-well what we will suffer, chooses to enter into the experience of our sufferings by way of His glorified humanity. I am sure if you're anything like me, we would prefer for Jesus to remove difficulties completely from our lives. However, the goal of our Christian walk is to be made like Him in attitude and actions. Suffering is a necessary ingredient in our becoming more like Him. In other words, when we suffer - He suffers, because when He suffered, He did so to provide sufficient grace for our own. 

It may be hard for us to wrap our minds around this these truths - however to know that as Christians we are not alone nor separated at any point from Jesus Christ is truly comforting. 

4 Great tires 4 life

Galatians 1:1-5 "Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen."

Introduction:

Anytime you get fresh tires on your car, the performance and the ability of the vehicle to stay on the road dramatically improves. The road of life needs 4 great tires if we are to navigate the perilous pot holes and obstacles we encounter as believers in Jesus Christ. Paul's letter to the Galatians is all about presenting in the clearest way possible the implications of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Facing a crisis that entailed a near wholesale compromise of the Gospel by the Galatians, Paul sets forth his most aggressive letter in urging the Galatian Christians to stay true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Today's post is aimed at setting out in short order the 4 great tires of life. As we take a quick drive through the Book of Galatians, our main point of application will be: You and I need 4 great tires to stay on the road of life into eternity to the right destination. What are the tires of which I speak? Let's discover. First of all....

God is in control. Galatians 1:1-5

As we saw in the opening text of today's post, Paul was acknowledging that God through Jesus Christ had called Him to be an apostle. In Galatians 1:4 he states that all of this was made possible by "the will of God". Do you believe God is in control? Such a belief affirms what we call "God's Sovereignty". God's Sovereignty refers to His comprehensive control over all people, places and times. God uses other secondary methods in accomplishing His will such as the choices of human beings, events and history. Whenever you and I are facing uncertainty or dealing with incredible difficulties like what Paul was facing here in Galatians, affirming the Sovereignty of God can be a great comfort. Passages such as Romans 11:36 reminds us: "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to Him be the glory forever and ever, amen." So the first great tire for keeping life on the road for God is understanding that God is Sovereign or in control. Let's consider the second great tire for life, namely....

Jesus. Galatians 2:20; 3:13-14; 6:14

As Paul was urging his readers to stay focused on the Lord, he repeatedly affirmed the Person and work of Jesus Christ. In Galatians 2:20 he writes: "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, wholoved me and gave Himself up for me." Without Jesus Christ, life as we know it could not exist. There would be no hope. No salvation. Nothing. Galatians 3:13-14 gives us one of the clearest summaries of what Jesus achieved: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." When Paul closed out his letter, he ended with the focus clearly on Jesus Christ in Galatians 6:14 "But may it never be that I would boast,except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." So far we have two incredible tires for keeping life on the road of life into the right destination to eternity: God is in control and Jesus Christ. Now let's consider the third Great tire for life...

The Bible. Galatians 3:8, 22-23

Paul writes in Galatians 3:8 "The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” Think about this: where we would be without the Bible? God is the talking God who reveals His Power and Presence in creation, His Person in Jesus Christ and His Personal will in the scriptures. Without the Bible, we have no light for the path (Psalm 119:105); no understanding of how to follow the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-6) and no ability to know God's will for our lives. Without the scriptures, no one could experience salvation. (Romans 10:17). Scripture is so necessary for living a life for the glory of God. We read these words in Galatians 3:22-23 "But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed." 

So far we have seen that we need four great tires to stay on the road of life into eternity: God is in control, Jesus and the Bible. Now lets consider one more of the these "four great tires"...

The Gospel. Galatians 1:9; 2:16-19; 3:6

My question to you dear reader is this: have you by grace through faith received Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord? Paul's central concern about the Gospel touches upon how a person is reconciled to God. Galatians 1:9 states:  "As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!" If we don't get the Gospel right, we won't get anything right. The Gospel is clearly presented in the Bible, about Jesus Christ and made possible by the Sovereignty of God. We must not merely assert these truths as intellectual facts, but as articles of faith embraced by faith in our hearts. The Gospel not only reminds us of Jesus' achievement - but Jesus' achievement for you and me. Consider Galatians 2:16 "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified." The central truth of the Gospel is that by means saving faith, Jesus Christ's righteousness is credited to the sinner by God. Galatians 3:6 states: "Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." This truth, called "justification by faith", is in the words of the Great Reformer Martin Luther: "The one article upon which the church stands or falls". If we get the gospel wrong, we get it all wrong, and thus we will be headed down the wrong road.

Closing thoughts:

Today's post was all about presenting four great tires for life. Our main point of application was: You and I need 4 great tires to stay on the road of life into the right eternal destination. The four great tires for life we considered were:

1. God is in control

2. Jesus

3. The Bible

4. The Gospel.